Alba Racing's ProComp A-Arms

Alba Racing's ProComp A-Arms

Deciding on which brand of aftermarket extended A-arms to purchase can be a long, exhausting process for many riders looking to improve the overall handling of their ATV. When Alba Racing agreed to let us test one of their more popular A-arm sets, the "ProComp", we were more than willing. Not only were we excited of the impending improvement of handling our Banshee would receive, but we also wanted to help in the decision making of some of those riders ready to pull their hair out. The ProComp A-arms we would be receiving were +2 inches wider, and +1 inch forward compared to stock, and are also made for the Yamaha Raptor.

The A-arms arrived promptly, and were surrounded in plenty of bubble-wrap. The ProComp kit included two upper and lower lightweight chromolly steel A-arms finished in black powder-coat, four ball joints, and two extended tie-rods, also powder-coated in black. All necessary hardware and a package of grease fittings were also included. Upon visual inspection, we noticed that the upper A-arms seemed a touch on the thin side compared to most other aftermarket A-arms. Although we don't think it will ever be a problem for most people, we do worry about the strength of them for those pushing the limits of extended air-time off big jumps. The lower A-arms seem very strong and durable, with a nice support plate welded in around the shock mount. All welds on the ProComps seemed top-notch. Alba Racing claims that the ball joints are custom-made from Laeger, and we were very impressed with the looks of them. They appear to be very strong units with a nice thick rubber boot for protection, and will fit in your spindles with no reaming needed, which is always a plus. The tie-rods supplied with the kit also seem very strong.

Installation of the ProComp A-arms was easy, except for one problem we encountered; the lower A-arm shock mounts would not accommodate our shocks, and we were forced to grind a good amount of material off of the faces of our shock bushings so they could fit in the mounts properly. Although it wasn't a major hassle since we had a bench grinder on the premises, it still added ten minutes to a procedure that should have taken about 10 seconds. Everything else fit perfectly. Alba also says that the maximum castor is already built in to the ProComps, which makes it easier for riders not wanting to deal with fine adjustments. Camber is easily set by loosening or tightening the two jamb nuts on each upper ball joint. Maintenance will be just as easy as with the stock A-arms, due to the welcomed grease fittings.

After setting the Banshee back down on the ground from its stand, and making a few final adjustments, we were ready to ride! The extended width immediately gave a different feel even at slow speeds, and cornering was improved drastically. Two-wheeling in turns was eliminated, and the overall feel over rough terrain was impressive! Although the motion of the ball joints was not as smooth as some of the heim joints we've tried on other A-arms, they definitley were very nice and could take a healthy beating from our Banshee. As stated by Alba Racing, they do have more travel than most traditional ball joints. We easily ripped off faster lap times than before on the test track, and with much more confidence. The ProComps achieved exactly what we were after, and there were no problems after a hard day of riding which included decent-sized jumps and lots of rough, technical washboard sections.

The Alba Racing ProComp A-arms will be a great choice for most riders we feel. If you're one that likes to tinker around with adjustments and fine-tune your parts, you might lean more towards an A-arm with full castor adjustment and one that uses heim joints instead of ball joints. On the other hand, if you're one that just wants to throw a set of A-arms on your machine that are easily adjusted without removal, are very easy to maintain, are lightweight, well-priced, and have super-strong, reliable ball joints, then the ProComps should be way up there on your list. Again, the only real complaint we have is the tollerance of the shock mounts on the lower A-arms, which hopefully will be corrected sometime down the road. The black powder-coated ProComps we tested retail for $549.99, and is a decent price we feel, although a slight price reduction of, lets say, $30 would be welcomed, and make an even better bargain. The ProComp A-arms also come in a beautiful chrome finish, which raises the price tag to $699.99. Another great feature of the ProComps is the lifetime warranty on all parts. You can order the ProComp A-arm kit for your Banshee or Raptor directly from their website, or by giving them a call at (800)487-3236.

Quality: _____
Performance:
Installation: _
Value: ______

Overall: ____

Scale: 1=terrible, 2=poor, 3=fair, 4=very good, 5=excellent