Hello,

what do you guys think. I have to change my c63 c204’s LCA because of the bushing and the outrageous prices of the original part led me to run into this product. Wondering what you guys think.

Photo from eBay vendor next to original LCA

 

If it's a dedicated track car you're good to go. If it's a street car, you'll start hearing squeaking in the first 1000 miles depending on weather conditions and see joint failure issues in less than 3. Race car heim joints aren't designed for street use and longevity.

 

Curious if anyone has actually used these for a track only application. I'm not sure I would trust how they're welded.

 

I wouldn’t trust those at all, sorry. Look at how beefy and over-engineered the solid OEM control arms are compared to these. No thanks.

 

They may be fine. As stated above many a race car use control arms similar to the ones pictured. They will probably be louder and stiffer than the stock units and may require ongoing maintenance the factory units don't.

 

should have went with KMAC bushings or factory replacement bushing. for my W211, I redid all the factory bushings with new factory bushings for something like $500. planning to remove my rear adjustable arms as they've been a pain since day one. have front and rear KMAC adjustable bushings and arms to go in soon.

 

My kmac bushings failed. Not sure if it was from hard cornering or what but they wouldn't hold the exact camber settting on the one side and when I took them out go inspect they had split in 2. I think factory arms and adjustable camber plates are the way to go.

 

KMAC bushings did not work for me at all. They constantly slipped under load (used as directed) and then seized and had to be removed with a torch and air hammer. I like Kevin and believe he has a good product and great service, just not for my use case.

 

THIS

I’ve replaced all of the OEM bushings in all arms with heavy duty custom spherical bearings from SDW for increased durability and range of motion at the expense of comfort.

Combined with camber plates it’s the perfect combo in my opinion.

 

Hi - like the new car industry it’s all about constant ongoing development and at K-MAC we back it up with being always involved in all out competition racing. Heavy V8’s - full speed main straight then hitting corner race curbs, fully launching and slamming down broadside lap after lap.

Bushes in question - front lower arm adjustable. They have the advantage of allowing fast, easy to access and precise single wrench adjustment plus retaining the high strength forged alloy factory arms.

Background was that bushes were 3 piece - center spigot “bonded to the inner bush”. Failure could occur (no matter what the tightness) if bushes were overloaded when dragging tires sideways at time of alignment.

Therefore saw the need to re invent - to make it bullet proof.

“Center is now one integral unit” - nothing to separate having completely eliminated the internal bonding (and followed up with a unique fail safe lock system).

W204 INCL. AMG & BLACK SERIES Instruction sheet (see spoiler below).

The Subframe (these models) is aluminum. Instructions show another design breakthrough where have designed so entire mounts are fully secured steel on steel - hardened steel bushes to specially designed steel mounts.


NOTE: Front “Camber” only adjuster kit #502616-1i $345 (Both Sides)
Less cost then 1 hi-performance tire.
Also includes bush extraction tool allowing fitment without need for arm removal.

Front Camber (also Caster) #502616K $480 (Both Sides)
Caster bushes also feature Mono ball / 2 Axis / Self aligning with more than “twice the load bearing impact area” of steel spherical bearings with their wafer thin Teflon liners soon pound out.


Rear Camber (& extra Toe) kit #502126K $480 (Both Sides)
Fit without need for arm removal.


Upper replacement Front top strut mounts Camber & Caster adjustable also manufactured in STAGE 2 Street/Race or Stage 3 Full Race. See website re all the unique features.


Kevin (Anything & Everything can be improved)!







AUDI to VOLVO - K-MAC Experience Of Resolving OEM Suspension Shortcomings Since 1964 !

 

I love that Kevin must have an alert set for anytime KMAC is ever mentioned because he’s right there with his usual copy/paste job every single time 😂😂

 

yep he's on it regardless of the thread of why it's mentioned here's the kmac info 😂

 

Well... Yes always in there trying. It’s all about specialising in the one industry and in our case doing it longer then anyone else when it comes to alignment products.

Then having proudly “IN-HOUSE” manufacture - not sourcing imports. End result is Total Control over quality and with it allowing rapid/constant design improvements !

Kevin

 

finally decided to order a pair of these and give it a go for a street and track mixed use. I’ll let you know how they perform.

thank you all for your input.

 

Look forward to some feedback on them and how they hold up 👍

 

Would recommend you wear a helmet, especially on the street, if you’re seriously going to run those things. A decent sized pothole may result in a wild ride. Good luck.

 

and get a dash cam. We all want to see what happens!

 

@givigiovi

 

FURTHER BACKGROUND INFO - ITS ALL ABOUT STRENGTH PEACE OF MIND - by retaining the “original OEM HI STRENGTH FORGED ALLOY ARMS” !

Then updating / replacing the soft rubber air voided OEM bushes with identical “large diameter” bushes.

SEE SPOILER RE K-MAC EXTRA FEATURES

Kevin






AUDI to VOLVO - K-MAC Experience Of Resolving OEM Suspension Shortcomings Since 1964 !

 

love my kmac bushings all around. glad to be rid of the garbage aftermarket aluminum arms with spherical bearings that eventually need replacing due to wear.

 

Garbage? Spherical bearings are a wear item intended for racing use only. If used on a street car, they will wear out very quickly.

I never understood why people would put such hardware on their daily drivers.

 

Agreed, I run some spherical bushings on my 1200+ HP Camaro but the ride is definitely on the rough side…wife doesn’t like to go in it much anymore lol…but with virtually no street use and that power level, it is what it is.

If you want to enjoy driving it on the street (or especially a daily driver), I’d stick with rubber or polyurethane depending on bushing location or application. Just my 2 cents.

 

i agree. at the time, the KMAC's offerings weren't what i favored. with their new design i'm all about them and if necessary easily rebuildable!!! factory arms are the best! the the garbage comment, the arms hit not only my sway bars but my sub frame upon compression. for the W211, the aftermarket arms are straight which is a horrible design. the factory arm has 2 bends for the W211 and i've worked with KMAC on their camber adjuster arm to develop with the correct bends to clear all like factory arms do.

with the straight aftermarket arm contacting the rear subframe upon compression every time, this greatly accelerated wear and elongation of the spherical bearings used of which i've never had a spherical bearing need replacement through many years of abuse. also, elongation and stretch of centering spacers. quality bearings last a very long time even through 100,000+ miles of street and race use.

i support any brand that is constantly developing and improving their product and they've gained a lifelong customer in me.

and to add, the delrin or steel bearing design of the KMAC bearings on my W211 still feels as smooth as stock but with a lot more response and without deflection which equals more control even through suspension squat on power.

 

To quote “….the delrin or steel bearing design of the K-MAC”. No we’re not into delrin or steel bearings. We’re now entering our 60th year of performance bush design manufacture:

…..and it’s all about ultimate ongoing proving in all out heavy V8 Competition racing / loads not experienced otherwise - Full speed main straight then hitting corner race curbs and fully launching. Then slamming down broadside lap after lap. Situations where Race Safety Scrutineers pointing out over 12 months every meeting cars being written off through failed suspension components !

Proudly (on evaluating) saw was never happening with K-MAC. Then officially informing all drivers only K-MAC adjuster kits allowed to be fitted !

Kevin

 

My experience with the kmacs was they moved under load. Being adjustable when the alignment was checked it was off considerably. This happened on both my w203 that I installed and now the w204 that the previous owner had installed.