IgorT.455/406

Hey guys,

I am primarly concerned about setting my car up for spirited street driving, and very limited track use.

I'm not sure what most ppl. would say is a better torque arm setup for conrering/handling control. I would like to get one that is adj., but not sure if I should go with a tunel mounted one (like Spohn or UMI), or a trans mounted adjustable one?

I was under the imporession that tunel mounted ones (like Spohn) are more for straightline traction and weight transfer vs. handling, and the trans mounted ones are better for handling. Am I right?

If so, which arm (spohn or umi) would ppl. recommend for my application. I have a 10 bolt now but will probably go to a moser 9" in the future and don't want to buy 2 arms.

Thanks,

Igor.

P.S. I want to order UMI 3 point SFC, but want this answered before I do in case I buy a Torque Arm as well.

Bud M

I have the trans mount Spohn. Nice quality piece. If you get one, I recommend getting the bolt kit from Spohn too. The stock bolts are a bit short with the Spohn's thicker mounting plates.

Severous01

well, firstly most of the upgraded rears for f-body cars has the factory mount torque arm except the 9"...but even they have a moser housing with arm mount now.

secondly, i wouldnt settle for anything less than an adjustable. you only want to buy once and if you upgrade something else in the future you'll want play in this area. BMR/spohn/whatever else is out there...are all the same. all use the best rod ends, and all use the best welds...and all have the same metals available. you probably wont need chromolly, so stick with raw steel. i got my unit from one of the vendors who is a junk yard. got it for 150. it was in perfect condition, no scratches in the powder or scratches in the rod end from wear. reused factory hardware (except provided bushint) and install was smooth as glass...meaning it was straight.

if you've got drop springs then you'll need an adjustable. the replacements are meant for stock springs and arent available for lowered cars.

the tunnel mounts arent actually as good as the full length braces. think of it as a longer lever. it has more leverage than the shorter one. only advantage is it's mounted to the body so you wont break the tranny. i've NEVER heard of anyone running 9.0 or higher breaking the torque arm mount.

IgorT.455/406

Makes sence. I want the adjustment.

I broke 1 stock torque arm on my '94 after many hard shifts with spec 2...all on the street.

94CamaroZ28

There's better...

UMI decoupled, acts long under braking for good handling, acts short under accel for lauches and accel.

Freaking expensive though. 800 ish

IgorT.455/406

The decoupled would be too much bones for me!

Ok, I'm gonna run longtubes with a Y-pipe. What has easier clerance, tunel mounted ones, or trans mounted ones. What I like about the trans mounted one, it would fit both third gen and fourth gen (I got both). But by the time you buy the trans mounted torque arm and a DSS loop, its about the same price as a tunel mounted torque arm with loop (close anyway).

What should I pick, lol? Help me decide guys! I want to order tomorrow

NOSCaMaRo

$800? The last time I checked UMI's site they were $350 for a tunnel mounted torque arm. I think you need to re-look at that.

If you are into handling go with a longer tranny mounted torque arm. A short torque arm does work nice but is not needed for your driving. The tunnel mounted may have more road noise so for street driving my quess would be the tranny mounted. Give Ryan at UMI a call he will explain it and set you up.

IgorT.455/406

Thanks for your help.

I think I'm gonna go with UMI 3 point SFC, DS loop and trans mounted adj. arm

I like spohn stuff, but the UMI SFC look good to me!

Injuneer

Isn't it Global West, not UMI that sells the decoupled design?

http://www.globalwest.net/camaro93.htm#TRACLINK%20kits

IgorT.455/406

hmm, this is interesting. Anyone have pics of it installed/comments?

Bud M

Unbalanced Engineering makes the decoupled TA.
http://www.unbalancedengineering.com/Camaro/TA/
You will probably want to stick with something more conventional.

blackztpi

i'd go ahead and get the torque arm mount kit that takes the place of the trans cross member. it takes a lot of stress off the trans and also helps the daily driving feel. often, when the suspension components connected to the drivetrain are upgraded, it improves rigidity soo much that you feel everything in the powertrain. i never liked that feeling, because having a car with a decent sized cam, you get a little bit of violence in the shifter when drivign around town. specifically whe taking off. not usually a problem, but i'm not fond of it. when driving hard, you can really feel everything in the shifter. UMI's relocation piece is expensive, but worth it IMO. mate that with their torque arm and you'll be happy.

2000GTP

I have the Spohn crossmember mounted torque arm and it is a very good piece. The car is mainly street driven and it hasn't had any negative effects. Also, it fits like a glove around the long tubes and off-road y-pipe. The only downside is that it reduces ground clearance a little bit and you have to be a little more cautious on the roads.

Sam Strano

Might I make a suggestion? UMI's trans mounted adjustable arm. I sell it for $289 (just a fair price for a known quality part), and I deal with Ryan @ UMI a lot. You can add $100 to go to Chrome-Moly and save some weight.

Here's why I'm recommending this one: Tailshafts are not weak, they don't break with any kind of frequency (I don't know of any that actually have). Any time you mount your TA to the floorpan noise and vibration will occur because you axle is not connected to your floor and that will transmit noise and vibes. The floorpan is not IMHO strong enough to support the torque, and I've worked on/had to fix cars with torn floorpans. And as for handling. I have a full length trans-mounted TA on my car, and it handles "pretty well" considering how I use it, how often I win in it, and the level of events I win with it.

Are other TA's similar? Yes, there are TA's that work the same way for about the same price. I carry UMI's because they are close to me, I've been there and seen the quality of the welds and the pride in the pieces. I know that Ryan wants the best part he can put out. I just trust them and know that if there is an issue that it'll get taken care of (never has been). It's a personal choice, but those reasons are as good as any. If the TA was a piece of junk, I wouldn't use it if UMI was next door to me.

ABA383

I split my tail shaft in half on the dyno at 400rwhp using a Spohn trans mounted TA...I have since switched to a Spohn cross brace mounted TA with 2 DS loops and its a quality piece...I would not use a TA that mounts to the trans after my episode...

--Alan