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From the video you've shown it looks like the OEM bushing actually allows for a lot more movement than the EPS 'upgrade', the latter not being able to move much at all, and 'springing' in directions the original part was not intended to produce forces in.
Due to that poly bushing introducing significant resistance in directions the original suspension was not designed to resist, the arm will be continuously laterally loaded, more so with every bump. It's like they completely deviated from the original concept of that part, just so they could stick some colored poly in for extra $$. I'm not surprised it broke.
yes, my bad, i was only talking to 50% of the issue. the oem arm is designed to not move under tension/compression, vs the eps which does (the hard plastic/teflon heim joint liner vs poly bushing). eps would introduce caster change under load (as a track guy this is what is front of mind for me).
what i missed as you've all noted is that the oem unit is designed to articulate much more than the eps, so that the eps unit loads under suspension compression/extension in a manner that oem does not. and this is most likely the reason for failure. i mean, a quick look at the design of the arm (a simple 'I' beam) and it is quite obvious that it was not designed to be loaded in the direction that the eps bushing loads it.
I've have had the EPS lower control arm on my 2003 C4S for three years and 12,000 miles. I just went out and looked for cracks but happily they look fine. Since the failed part was almost new, it must have been a defective casting on the arm. I suggest that the failed part be sent back to EPS for their testing and comments.
I also see Amazon offering this part at half price compared to directly from EPS. Are these fake copies?
I replaced my original OEM arms because they made a loud knocking noise crossing pavement cracks. It was bad enough that my wife made disparaging comments every time we took the car out. It was either fix the problem or sell the car.
I ordered a genuine Porsche AOS from Vertex via Amazon, it was listed as fitting my 02 but what I got was for a Boxter. I emailed them and eventually got the right AOS after getting a second Boxter AOS sent out. They sub'd an aftermarket unit instead of the genuine Porsche part. They eventually made it right.
Good customer service, but poor quality control...
Watching that EPS video with the volume muted looked like they were explaining why the design change caused the arm to fail there....all the way down to the flexing the arm back and forth in the vice at the end...yikes!
Mine snapped yesterday, lasted 16.000 miles. I was lucky as it snapped at low speed a few days before a long roadtrip up the CA coast. I have never tracked the car, this is from street use only. Please do not install these as serious damage can occur.
Here is the response I got from the manufacturer:
"this is a first for us regarding this, we have never had any problems with our control arms, only when the customer crashes or runs over a corner when turning, that also happens with the factory arms."
Thus they offered a replacement in lieu of a refund. Pelican parts came up with the same response. Needless to say I am not replacing this part with the same brand.
European Parts Solution Control Arm after 16k miles
I've have had the EPS lower control arm on my 2003 C4S for three years and 12,000 miles. I just went out and looked for cracks but happily they look fine. Since the failed part was almost new, it must have been a defective casting on the arm. I suggest that the failed part be sent back to EPS for their testing and comments.
I also see Amazon offering this part at half price compared to directly from EPS. Are these fake copies?
It's highly possible it was a casting that had porosity reducing it's integrity, but looking at the OEM vs. EPS I don't see why anyone would change to the EPS design. Is there an "end game" compared to OEM? To me there's virtually no benefit besides possibly paying less, but as with most, you get what you pay for.
In regards to the Amazon, there are so many fake copies of all types of products on there now days (colognes, car parts, clothing, etc.) that it's not worth assuming the risk because it's become such a crap shoot. Purchasing through a reputable dealer is better, and you may have to pay normal freight charges, but generally less likely to get screwed over with a fake product.
The cross section of that arm is clearly designed to support loads in tension; that bushing effectively turns it into a spring, and the arm now has to support loads the arm was never designed for. (The last thing you want to do is turn that joint in to a spring.) Stick with the OEM style joint. I've always thought one of the greatest risks to the general public are cad jockeys who think they're engineers because they can model on autodesk/solidworks.
The problem here may be two fold. The casting may not be as sturdy or may have had a flaw in it. But this unit also has a totally different type of bushing which is probably not the best design.
As for the Porsche control arms they are over priced due to the Porsche name being printed on the box. Porsche does not make their control arms, they source them from another source like many of the "Porsche" labeled parts. So who actually makes their control arms?
I have used the Meyle control arms on my car and have never had a problem with one is years of use.
As an aside on "Porsche labeled parts, several years ago I needed a new AC compressor for my car. The price at the dealer was about $1,800 in a box labeled Porsche. I went to Rockauto.com and bought the Denso unit for $270. When I removed the original one it was the exact same Denso unit. same model number, configuration, etc. as the one from Rock Auto. So the Porsche one was amost 6.5 time the price. That is crazy!!
The problem here may be two fold. The casting may not be as sturdy or may have had a flaw in it. But this unit also has a totally different type of bushing which is probably not the best design.
As for the Porsche control arms they are over priced due to the Porsche name being printed on the box. Porsche does not make their control arms, they source them from another source like many of the "Porsche" labeled parts. So who actually makes their control arms?
I have used the Meyle control arms on my car and have never had a problem with one is years of use.
As an aside on "Porsche labeled parts, several years ago I needed a new AC compressor for my car. The price at the dealer was about $1,800 in a box labeled Porsche. I went to Rockauto.com and bought the Denso unit for $270. When I removed the original one it was the exact same Denso unit. same model number, configuration, etc. as the one from Rock Auto. So the Porsche one was almost 6.5 time the price. That is crazy!!
I wish it was like that with the coolant expansion tanks! I just bought an OEM one for $450 when an aftermarket one is $50 dollars. The aftermarket Non - OEM one BBi installed in my car for $650 lasted less than a year. Some things do make a difference when they are OEM. I would definetly try the Mahle suspension pieces. They come with a warranty.
08-31-2019, 02:08 PM
Needless to say I am not replacing this part with the same brand.
