BMR Releases New Product - Adjustable Upper Control Arm for 2011+ Mustang - UTCA033

[BMR Tech]

BMR Suspension
Adjustable Upper Control Arm for 2011+ Mustang​

Improve handling, minimize axle rotation, and provide pinion angle adjustability in your 2011-2014 Mustang with an Adjustable Upper Control Arm from BMR Suspension. Superior to the factory stamped steel arm, the BMR Control Arm is constructed from 1.625” DOM tubing and uses a bulletproof 1-1/8” CNC machined adjuster. This product also utilizes a heavy duty 1” diameter spherical bearing, providing zero deflection under load while retaining bind-free suspension articulation. The BMR Upper Control Arm (UTCA033) will reduce wheel hop, improve handling consistency, and increase the braking ability under aggressive driving conditions. Installation time is only 2-3 hours. Available in black hammertone or red powdercoat.

To preview all of BMR’s high-performance suspension parts, please visit BMR Suspension - The Leader in High Performance Suspension & Chassis, email [email protected], or contact them at BMR Suspension, 928 Sligh Avenue, Seffner, FL 33584, 813-986-9302, Fax: 813-986-8055.

 

[04SNK390HP]

How much NVH will be induced with the spherical bearing compared to a poly UCA setup?

-Nick

 

[barspen]

How much NVH will be induced with the spherical bearing compared to a poly UCA setup?

-Nick

Same question as Nick. Also, is one product better for DD verse track? Drag strip verses road course, etc? Can you give us the 'Cliff Notes' for the different UCA products and their intended use?
THX, Barry

 

[enormous]

Robert M was able to fit the 11up BMR on his 08 SS. Will this new Upper Arm also fit 07-09?

 

[BMR Tech]

How much NVH will be induced with the spherical bearing compared to a poly UCA setup?

-Nick

Hard to answer this. Personally, I haven't noticed a huge increase on our test car. The primary difference I have seen is, changes of pavement are a little more harsh upon impact....and road noise is slightly more noticeable.

Same question as Nick. Also, is one product better for DD verse track? Drag strip verses road course, etc? Can you give us the 'Cliff Notes' for the different UCA products and their intended use?
THX, Barry

The bearing is going to be the best, at everything, period - no question about it.

The Poly is basically a performance version for street/strip cars. The Bearing version is the poly version, on Steroids.

Robert M was able to fit the 11up BMR on his 08 SS. Will this new Upper Arm also fit 07-09?

If you use a UTCA032 / UTCA033 and the mount, UCM002, the 11+ UCA System will wok on 2005-2010 Mustangs. Slight modding may be necessary, but, it is so worth it. The longer UCA = Win!

 

[19COBRA93]

If you use a UTCA032 / UTCA033 and the mount, UCM002, the 11+ UCA System will wok on 2005-2010 Mustangs. Slight modding may be necessary, but, it is so worth it. The longer UCA = Win!

This is exactly what I'm going to order for my '05.

 

[BMR Tech]

This is exactly what I'm going to order for my '05.

Have you tried it yet?

I have another customer who bought the 33/002 combo and put it in his 2007 GT road course car. He loves it. :rockon:

 

[19COBRA93]

Have you tried it yet?

I have another customer who bought the 33/002 combo and put it in his 2007 GT road course car. He loves it. :rockon:

I haven't yet. It's one of the next things I'll be purchasing though.

 

[barspen]

Just purchased the BMR spherical UCA and bracket for my 2011. I plan to have it installed by the end of the month.

I'll take some photos, do an install write up and provide some feedback on the setup by early June.

Anyone else install this combo yet?

 

[BMR Tech]

Just purchased the BMR spherical UCA and bracket for my 2011. I plan to have it installed by the end of the month.

I'll take some photos, do an install write up and provide some feedback on the setup by early June.

Anyone else install this combo yet?

Awesome! I look forward to it.

We have sold a good bit of these pieces, I am sure some people on here are running it.

The feedback I have gotten has been excellent. One person, in particular, is having some serious NVH issues.....but he went with a spherical on BOTH ends. He did this UCA with a Steeda diff bearing. I highly recommend only using (1) bearing on the UCA....or it will click like crazy.

 

[barspen]

Install complete

I got a chance to install the BMR Spherical Upper Control Arm and bracket last weekend and wanted to share some feedback on the install, the drivability impact and some tips to help with the process.

Setup: Race ramps, creeper, air tools, power tools, lots of sockets and wrenches

Parts: The BMR spherical UCA and bracket are a work of art. Great craftsmanship, very sturdy and they looks great. Here's a side-by-side look with the stocker:


Install: Everything was straight forward using the BMR guide. The rear seat bolt took a long breaker bar and cheater pipe to get it loose, but it finally went.
The two 18mm bolts on the rear bracket are tough to remove since they are way up under the car and have blue Loctite on them. Power tools or air tools are a lifesaver here.
I had to lower the fuel tank, which was very simple, using a T50 torx bit. I spun the bolts in and out a few times to break them free. Using a jack under the tank, I slowly lower one side, placed a jack stand underneath and repeated on the other side. It will eventually rest on the driveshaft. This part seemed scary, but was really easy. Make sure the fuel tank is near empty to make things easier.
Getting the axle end bolt in was a little tricky. Lifting the axle from the rear section is required so everything articulates properly into place. Lifting at the front part of the pumpkin will not rotate the axle properly for the UCA bolt to line up. (1.5 hours)

Adjustment: Setting pinion angle was not too bad, but I made a rookie mistake at first. I was measuring from the rear of the transaxle and was supposed to be measuring from the pinion flange. I figured this out quickly after my first test drive. Eventually got a -3 degree angle and was set.
It is critical to get the jam nuts very secure before finishing up. This is the most critical step and the most difficult one since there is a little room to work. I used channel locks, but a 1.5” wrench would have been a dream to have. My first two rounds, I didn’t get the nut tight enough and ended up re-doing my work. I also think giving the Loctite several hours to cure helps keep the jam nut in place. (1 hour on day 1, 1.5 hours on day 2, 1 hour on day 3)

Driving impression: WOW. I expected some improvement with wheel hop, but I got much more. Taking corners quickly feels completely different now, with the back-end squatting firmly. But the bigger surprise was going from 30-to-50 at WOT…The back end squatted (very noticeable), tires grabbed and I took off like a rocket. I haven’t tried a hard launch from zero yet, but I expect the same ‘tire grabbing’ feeling. This is the way a GT500 should feel. BTW, NVH is minimal...Maybe a little more gear\trans noise, but it's barely noticeable for DD.

Things to note:
- Working on ramps very doable. Air tools make life much better!
- Set the jam nuts right the first time. Use lots of Loctite and spin the nut with lots of force (120-150 ft\lbs). Practice the direction the nuts spin before you do the install (this would have saved me 1+ hours). If the nuts back off, the upper end of the arm will rotate on its side and cause a loud “click” noise when you shift or hit bumps. I wish I could tell you how annoying this sounds…oh wait, here’s a link. Otherwise, the end of the arm will touch the bracket and this is not good. The front end of the arm (with the spherical bushing) should be squared/centered up on install. If you lift the car back up and see this, you probably didn’t tighten the jam nuts enough. (Pictures are example of a BAD job...notice front end rotation)

Summary: Great purchase overall. This completed all my suspension mods. It was very challenging, but learned a lot. Please shoot me a note if you have any question. BTW, huge thanks to Kelly at BMR for being responsive via email and the phone. Really appreciate the help! Super service and super product.

 

[me32]

good write up. thanks for posting

 

[Silver_Serpent]

Nice write up. This may be a dumb question, but can you do the UCA's backed on race ramps with the suspension still loaded? I am asking because I saw you just listed ramps as part of what you needed.

 

[barspen]

@ Silver_Serpent - Good question...for the removal of the stock UCA, i supported at the pinch welds. To get the new UCA on, you need to jack the diff into place to get the bolt in.

Once I was done removing the stock UCA, I lowered on race ramps to torque everything down, set the pinion and locked the jam nuts. You want to tighten everything while loaded, but initial removal is much easier support at the frame or pinch welds.

 

[BMR Tech]

Just saw this!

Thanks for sharing with everyone. I truly think we hit a homerun with this part. It is definitely on the pricier side, but, we spared no expense with this piece. A "rod-end" UCA just wasn't in the cards for us, for several reasons.

Thanks for the feedback, and the kind words about us barspen.

It is nice to put a username to a phone call. After seeing this, I remember our discussions.

Enjoy!

 

[BMR Tech]

And yes, the NVH is really not "that" bad with this UCA.....as long as it is installed correctly.

This post by barspen pretty much sums up what most of my calls are about, when people call saying that they installed our parts and the car sounds like it is falling apart. When that happens, or you read about it online.....it is almost always due to something other than the actual design/arm/part itself. Torques....loose nuts....improper indexing....improper lubrication....etc.

Thanks again!

 

[RBB]

Just dug up this old thread....I'll be removing my poly UCA this weekend and upgrading to the spherical. I'll update with any noticeable differences.

Kelly - would I be correct in assuming the suspension doesn't need to be loaded when torqueing down the UCA with the spherical bearing? I've always thought that only applied to poly bushings.

 

[Catmonkey]

Actually, you only need to be at ride height for bonded rubber bushings. The inner metal shaft inside the poly bushing spins freely, just like a spherical bearing. A bonded rubber bushing has to give, so it's better set at ride height so it's not in a bind. Now if you still have the rubber bushing in the differential, tighten that one at ride height. I've always found tightening the front bushing impossible while it's in the car and have always installed the bracket with the front bushing already torqued to spec.

 

[RBB]

Actually, you only need to be at ride height for bonded rubber bushings. The inner metal shaft inside the poly bushing spins freely, just like a spherical bearing. A bonded rubber bushing has to give, so it's better set at ride height so it's not in a bind. Now if you still have the rubber bushing in the differential, tighten that one at ride height. I've always found tightening the front bushing impossible while it's in the car and have always installed the bracket with the front bushing already torqued to spec.

I tighten the front bushing off the car as well. I don't know how it would be possible to get a torque wrench on that once it's installed. I do still have the rubber bushing on top of my diff. I probably should go ahead and replace that with the poly one at this point. It looks like a pain in the ass to get the rubber one out, but I'm sure mine has seen better days. I'll give it a good look this weekend.

 

[BMR Tech 2]

Catmonkey is correct, you can torque the UCA outside of the car. Definitely makes it a lot easier than trying to struggle under the car with a torque wrench. Only bonded rubber needs to be torqued with the suspension loaded.