In this article, we will introduce you the factors that affect the quality and workmanship of the upper control arms.
KSP considers it is better to teach you how to determine the quality of upper control arms rather than to simply define them.
What is the upper control arm composed of?
As an important part of the double wishbone suspension, the upper control arms carries the role of stabilizing and supporting the suspension. In addition to the main body, most upper control arms on the market consist of zerk, sleeve tube, bushing, and ball joints. Some upper control arms’ bushing and the sleeve tube are integrated due to material and design.
As accessories used to connect suspensions, ball joints and bushings are fragile. In this way, they are also the focus of our quality checks. We will introduce ball joints and bushings in this article.
KSP has two types of upper control arms, one for 0-2" lift, which is the replacement part for OE UCA, and the other for 2-4" lift, which is the aftermarket part for lifted car.
Rubber bushings or polyurethane bushings?
Rubber bushings are more suitable for home use，but need to be replaced over some time.
PU bushings are more durable and suitable for off-road and high performance vehicles.
KSP upper control arms are all equipped with PU bushings.
Polyurethane(PU) has the stability and reliability of plastic, with the flexibility and high elasticity of rubber. What’s more, it has better driving performance, and they are more applicable in low temperature.
These features ensure that they are long-lasting and reliable in harsh off-road environments.
KSP Ball Joints
Ball joints are very common automotive parts. For example, the tie rods of steering gears and the joints of suspension control arms are specific examples of the application of ball joints.
The upper control arms ball joints are definitely the wearable parts on the car. The excess play generated by ball joints wear can cause shaking and abnormalities in the vehicle.
It is believed that many people have experienced the trouble caused by ball joints wear.
As for the material, there are two types of ball joint bearing on the market, polymer and metal on metal.
Polymer
OE ball joints are usually made of polymer, which has the advantage of lightweight, maintenance-free and with low starting resistance. Polymer is widely used in the manufacture of most modern cars as well as in subcontractor OE parts.
However, the polymer material ball joints is relatively easy to wear, so they are not suitable for high-intensity off-road or intense driving, but more suitable for daily use.
In the past, KSP ball joints bearings used POM (polyformaldehyde), which is a type of polymer. It has the advantage of labor-saving, maintenance-free and self-lubricating.It is actually a misconception that ball joints need frequent maintenance and lubrication .
POM requires special lubricants, and we have added sufficient lubricants during the manufacturing process. The ball joints will self-lubricate during operation. In short, POM ball joints do not need and cannot be lubricated. This is the meaning of maintenance-free.
Metal on Metal
The other structure is called metal on metal, which is the friction between the metal sphere and the metal bearing.
This structure is more rigid and wear-resistant, but requires more maintenance. It’s not a big deal for the off-road lovers.
The ball joints of KSP control arm has been gradually upgraded from POM ball joints to metal ball joints. These ball joints have better impact resistance and wear resistance. They are more reliable in complex environments. Thus, they perform well in off-road operations.
Metal ball joints are widely used in off-road vehicles, and are also more suitable for lifted vehicles.
There are two important indicators to determine the reliability of the ball joints：tensile strength and extension Force. On the forum, it is not uncommon to see the OE control arms ball joints come off while off-roading.
Each KSP upper control arms ball joints has undergone targeted testing. They performed much better than the OE ball joints in the tensile strength and the extension force test.This is not just a simple value, but the result of multiple road tests.
In short, the KSP upper control arms can withstand greater external forces than the OE parts without dislodging the ball joints. They are sufficient for off-road and various extreme road conditions.
Whether it's bushings, ball joints or a dust caps, we offer an after-sales guarantee for all KSP upper control arms. We will supply them forever whether they are under warranty or not.
We will try our best to help our customers to replace worn parts at minimal cost.
