If you are asking then your first instinct is correct. I would not weld on them since that could make them brittle. More than likely, you wouldn't have a catastrophic failure. On the other hand, I would of never thought it possible to rub a hole through a control arm...

 

Something is up here. A rubber tire cannot rub through a steel control arm. It would take years and years and 10 sets of tires to do that if you got them down to the cord. Maybe it rusted through after your tire rubbed the paint off? Either way it should be replaced and not fixed.

 

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What do you mean something is up? I tried to post pictures but cant due to the 100kb upload limit. Unless there was already a hole in the middle of the upper control arms it happened! I only have 40k on the truck and have went through about 3 sets of tires not from this but just because these backroads in wv are rough.

http://i1334.photobucket.com/albums/w653/white_lightning22/IMG_0866_zpsd774bcab.jpg

http://i1334.photobucket.com/albums/w653/white_lightning22/IMG_0865_zpsaf47c68c.jpg

http://i1334.photobucket.com/albums/w653/white_lightning22/IMG_0864_zps36776380.jpg

http://i1334.photobucket.com/albums/w653/white_lightning22/IMG_0863_zpsa20b16fd.jpg

 

Look at the rim of the wheel just in case that was what is rubbing the hole.

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I am not stupid the wheel is not rubbing its the tire. I didnt think that a rubber tire could wear a hole in steel either but I guess I was wrong. It only rubs at full lock but maybe with salt and sand it could of acted like sandpaper? Has nobody else with 35's had this problem? My lower control arms rub to but just rubbed the paint on not like the upper.

 

Never implied you were, sir. Good luck figuring it out.

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Hey Big Red you have had your truck for about a month right? Do your upper control arms have any holes in the middle where mine has rubbed? I am thinking maybe there are factory holes where mine is rubbing and I just now noticed it.

 

if you're gonna replace them look for the high clearance stuff from Thuren. Probably cheaper than replacing the stock arms, getting an adjustable track bar and maybe wheels with a little less backspacing!

 

Wow! I had 315/70R17 tires on my 3rd gen. They would rub at full lock. I worked hard to not let them rub. I never scuffed the control arms through the black paint and never saw raw metal.

That's amazing!

-Guzzler

 

Looked at mine and like yours it has the 2 holes to either end. Mine does not have holes like yours on the bottom. These control arms seem pretty flimsy...

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Yea they are just stamped steel. I might just weld them up to last a little bit before i drop 800 on better ones

 

Wow....that is interesting! and quite a brain teaser.

 

You may be good to go as far as welding since the steel is soft enough for rubber to rub through. Might want to research what kind of steel is used just to safe. If it were high tensile strength like they use in modern body panels, you may have issues with it cracking easily.

 

Yall ever think about just making your own adjustable control arms? Its not that hard... Especially if you get lengths from a proven brand. Get some good rebuildable ends, call it good. Thats what I think Ill be doing. And yea, in before "you could never build those components without years of engineering experience." lol. Not true.

 

you can weld them i would use tig and a er70.

the rubber can wear though it only cause they so many liner inches rubbing it and truck are made of harder rubberto try and not wear

 

After replacement you should fix the real problem of why its rubbing or it will just do it again, track bar/rims/tires what ever it takes.

 

You would think there would be more melted rubber visible on the control arm. Due you have pictures of the contact point on the tire? It looks like metal on metal dude. Good luck. And I thought the rust was bad in NJ..
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To me, i don't think this is the tires. the rubbing appears to begin the rubbing at the bottom and then goes up. If it were the tires, then unless your doing 90% of your driving in reverse, I don't see how this is possible as the point it touches would be the greatest pressure , which would be the side of the control arm, not the bottom. As the tire presses harder, the tire flattens out. This does not appear to be indicative of tire rubbing, unless as I said, your doing a lot of driving in reverse.

 

To me, i don't think this is the tires. the rubbing appears to begin the rubbing at the bottom and then goes up. If it were the tires, then unless your doing 90% of your driving in reverse, I don't see how this is possible as the point it touches would be the greatest pressure , which would be the side of the control arm, not the bottom. As the tire presses harder, the tire flattens out. This does not appear to be indicative of tire rubbing, unless as I said, your doing a lot of driving in reverse.

And from the bottom of the arm to the top of it, as well as the inside of the tire during normal rotation (i.e. FORWARD, not reverse) you would rub the control arm from bottom to top...? :confused013:

In reverse, which I seriously doubt he's driving 90% of his time, it would go from top to bottom. :thumbsup: The control arms are behind the axle, not in front.

Now what I can't figure out is, just normal driving, down the road even during twisty sections, you should never hit "lock to lock" on your steering at any speed greater than 25 mph or so?! So unless those West Virginia roads are a daily slalom course at high speeds, 40,000 miles of rubbing to cut through the stock steel arms, is pretty serious. Even during twisty sections of some roads, paved or not, I can't hit lock to lock while driving.

So as mentioned, something just isn't right with this setup? Maybe it's as you said, white_lightning, and dirt, sand, grit on the tires, when you turn lock to lock at slow speeds, say backing into your parking place at home? Maybe you have a gravel drive that allows enough grit on the tires and as you manuever the truck around the house, you're "sanding" the steel down over time?

Give more info. Do you always drive it on paved roads daily? Never go off road and turn to the locks? You were onto something with that comment about sanding the steel with the tire... Just need to know HOW the truck is driven. You're also onto something there about a repair. It's not carbon steel nor heat treated like the frame, so you could essentially weld on it. Coulda swore someone somewhere has made a Roller for their tire rub issue...? The roller contacted the tire first, instead of the tire contacting the arm.

 

The overall look has the resembleance of what a tire rubbing looks like. I just cant see how a rubber tire can burn/rub a hole into metal.

My friend has bad rubbage on an 06 and has had it for several years now and doesnt have a hole but a similar overall mark on the arm.

 

I need to check mine, as I do have some rubbing at full lock. I, too, am amazed at the rubber vs metal thing.

 

All of the dirt and asphalt on the tires turn them into a belt sander. I could see how tires would rub a hole in the thin metal over time.

 

Did you look at your tires? If its rubbing that bad the tires should be jacked. I bet it's something else. Is it on both sides. And I'm a steel fabricator/ welder and I would be effin shocked that rubber wore a hole in steel hahaha. I'm gonna start using tires on my grinders.


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