History
Some may recognize Kingpin Machines products and branding on some of the nation’s fastest pro level Honda drag cars as well as a handful of road race cars. In 2008, BlackTrax sponsored Honda Challenge driver Graham Downey needed to source replacement sphericals on his stock K24 swapped EK Civic (utilizing EG front subframe). After careful research he found Chris Brinson of Kingpin Machine, Chris’s meticulous (almost OCD like) attention to detail separates his product from the rest. Downey and his Kingpin sphericals laid down the law in 2008, 2009 & 2010 as the three-peat N.A.S.A Honda Challenge H1 National Champion. Now 6 years later, we’re still running on the exact same set of spherical bearings with no play in ANY of the bearings. This chassis has since logged over thousands of racing hours, HPDE’s and time attack events. None of the spherical bearings come with dust boots. That said, Kingpin’s design and tightly held manufacturing tolerances prove that dust boots are not necessary to control the wear on high quality sphericals manufactured by companies who build aircraft and milspec grade bearings such as Aurora and New Hampshire Ball Bearings. And for this reason, BlackTrax commissioned Kingpin Machine to develop the first custom S2000 set in late 2012.
Quality
Each and every sleeve is blueprinted to their specific control arm bore since the OEM specified tolerance for the bores are too wide for proper bearing operation. This level of quality and craftsmanship requires state of the art equipment an a one off manufacturing approach. Consequently, these are highly cumbersome and costly to build. In order to maintain the superior level of quality control, We (Kingpin and BlackTrax) are collectively sharing blueprint and machining specifications in order for BlackTrax to carry out consistent results giving you the benefits of longer lasting durable bearings that will significantly improve stability, additional grip, driver confidence and faster lap times and/or quarter mile times.
Anyone interested in upgrading to Pro Comp sphericals can ship their control arms to BlackTrax Performance to get the best quality sphericals on the market to date and will receive the following services:
- Disassemble, Shot Peen & Cleaning-Bores are Machined/Honed to Spec.
- Press & Weld Precision Machined 4140HT Steel Bearing Sleeves
- Control Arms Coated with Black Suspension Paint (Zinc coating available at an additional cost)
- U.S. Manufactured, Aurora and/or New Hampshire Ball Bearing Bearings are Pressed in, then Secured by Loctite 609 and a C-clip-Re-pack/Grease Ball Joints
- Quality Test & Return Shipping
Words From Kingpin Machine:
It is true that manufacturing quality products from properly graded, US sourced metal and utilizing the best available US produced bearings is more expensive. But it is not only the right thing to do, it ensures that you are running the safest and best performing parts available on the market.
-Only Aurora Performance Racing Series and/or the New Hampshire Ball Bearing Racing Series lines of bearings are used.
-Our no compromise approach extends to material choice as well. We machine our bearing sleeves from 4140 HT (Heat Treated) steel and the vast majority of our spacers from 7075 Aluminum. These materials are more expensive than the standard mild steel and 6061 AL but the superior surface finish, additional strength and hardness are well worth the added expense.
Installing control arms equipped with our spherical bearings provides a number of benefits:
- Lack of deflection allows reduced static camber requirements, thus minimizing uneven tire wear and increasing traction.
- Improved steering feel and precision as steering input is directly translated into wheel movement.
- Reduction/elimination of dynamic toe change, which along with handling benefits can also provide stability under braking.
- Elimination of high breakaway torque requirement increases traction; allowing the tire to stay in closer contact with the track surface.
All of our parts are designed, machined and tested right here in the United States.
Testing
MY’07
Street &Track Duty
Various HDPE’s, 2nd year in testing
MY’07Street & Track Duty
Various HPDE’s, 1st year in testing
MY’04
Track Duty
Various HPDE, Time Attack and Super Lap Battle, 1st year in testing
MY’02
Track Duty
Various HPDE, Time Attack and Super Lap Battle, 1st year in testing
MY’04 MotoIQ.com’s Project S2000
Street & Track Duty
Various HDPE and MotoIQ testing, 1st year in testing
More from Kingpin machine:
Stock control arms and suspension housings simply are not produced with the same level of precision as our products. There is no reason for auto makers to hold to exacting tolerances when using stock compliant rubber bushings. We produce our bearing sleeves in a range of outside diameters and the proper sleeve is chosen to produce just the right amount of interference when pressed into the control arm.
Pressing bushings out of control arms is generally a dangerous process that requires specialized equipment. We have already created fixtures and dies to hold suspension components in place while applying the immense pressure needed to press out stock bushings. We have the proper assembly tools such as a hydraulic-electric press, an arbor press, welding tools, retaining tools and products etc. and just as importantly the experience to do the job right.
BlackTrax Performance is committed to maintaining continuous improvement of Kingpin Machine sphericals. We will continue to capture data from each control arm you send to us for precision installation and services.
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