65 replies to this topic

[76lxhatch]

Its not really anything to do with the steering gear itself, rather the revised suspension setup known as RTS. Have a read of the pinned thread at the top of this section.

[yel327]

You don't need A9X stubs from Harrop. Just get late HX, HZ or WB 1-tonner (or even normal ones) examples. All you want from Harrop is A9X steering arms. I'd use UC upper arms and either UC rack or LX rack with metal "rubbers" like A9X.

[76lxhatch]

If you buy a front brake upgrade designed for Torana you don't need to swap the stub axles

[yel327]

Out of interest, how much are the Harrop replica A9X steering arms? Are A9X arms close to L34 arms?

[yel327]

$400 a pair is really chicken feed if you are trying to set a car up properly, if it was me setting up an LH-LX with all new brakes, suspension etc i'd be going that way. Having said that, my old LX hatchback had a full UC front end with HZ stubs and calipers and A9X diff. It used UC steering arms and handled and drove awesome, the only thing i've ever driven that comes close as an out of the box setup (go-karts aside) is my V2 CV8. By out of the box I mean basically a factory setup, my LX had quality hydraulic shocks and near stock ride height springs. The only really improved bits were the aftermarket sway bars, but it was running 245/50/14 fronts and 265/50/14 rears (still a far cry from the 235/40/18's on the CV8 though!).

[TerrA LX]

I thought we all agreed in the other threads that the KPI of the Torana stub axle was best suited to the Torana and that the HQ stub restricted alignment settings somewhat...

[76lxhatch]

^ Just means more negative camber so it will handle really well if you throw it around, and chew out front tyres quickly. Being closer to standard ride height would help a lot though, with the little short arms in the Toranas lowering them much brings on lots of negative camber - I know of a car that is too low at the front and still has something like 3 degrees negative with no adjusting shims at all (and that's with Torana KPI)

edit: I had the top arm off the ute the other day because it needed new bushes and was looking at the length of it compared to a Torana one, I wonder if anyone has ever tried using a full sized Holden arm on a Torana...?

Edited by 76lxhatch, 11 January 2011 - 10:02 AM.

[TerrA LX]

FROM THE RTS THREAD:

The only way I know to measure which stub is a 7 degree KPI and which is a 9 degree is to put a torana stub on my test rig and note the camber setting, then swap over to the other stub and recheck the camber - if you have 2 degrees more negative camber then you have swapped to a 7 degree stub - the difference is too subtle to measure any other way that I know of.

The HX stubs I have here came out of a statesman and look exactly the same as the pics of those A9X ones except they don't have any of the same numbers cast into them, just the word holden and a few numbers cast in them but in different spots to the A9X and they don;t have the part numbers on them either.
Torana are definately 9 degree KPI and the H series 7.
All the A9X guys on here tell me the A9X is also 7 degree KPI but I don't have any to measure so I take their word (and the fact they share part numbers with the 1 tonner).

You may well run into trouble trying to use 7 degree stubs getting your alignment right - depends how low your car is and how much camber you want to run. I currently use HZ stubs on my LX and I am running 0.5 neg camber, 2.8 positive castor - I can just achieve those settings with not too much to play with. My front springs are std height so the front is lowered just the 30mm difference in the stub itself. If I went more than about 10mm lower in the spring, I would have no choice but to run another 0.25 or 0.5 degree negative camber which is what the A9X's ran from memory.

If you can get your front end aligned correctly for how you want, then all things being equal, I would choose a 7 degree stub as you don't lose as much neg camber as your front wheels turn. The difference is subtle and a little bit more positive castor would offset the effect but then you get heavier steering.

Since I plan to use tubular control arms and I can make them long enough to set my camber and castor where I want it, I have just ordered a set of CRS 2" drop HR stubs for my final setup which uses the 7 degree KPI.

M@

I spose it depends how low you go, bearing in mind that the HQ stub is inherently lower than the Torana stub.

[yel327]

I find it hard to believe that tonners use a different KPI to all other HQ-WB. Particularly when very early 1-tonners didn't actually use a different stub to other HQ's. As far as I know the only difference is the heat treatment to make them stronger. Just like tonners used bigger axles than other salisbury diffs (for strength).

[76lxhatch]

I find it hard to believe that tonners use a different KPI to all other HQ-WB.

All the info here and elsewhere says that they are not different...? i.e. all HQ-WB (including HX tonner and A9X Torana) 7 degrees, all Torana (except those with HQ style stubs) 9 degrees

I spose it depends how low you go, bearing in mind that the HQ stub is inherently lower than the Torana stub.

Yeah I guess when I spoke about height I should really have said ball joint height or arm angle

[yel327]

Yes, correct. I misread the post!

[rodomo]

Somebody posted images of all 3 steering arms ( LH, UC and A9X ) some time ago.

RoryM from memory?