Front Conotrol Arm

Front Control Arm – Essential for Control

People living today have no idea what it was like to live without cars and trucks. Can you imagine having to pack all day and leave before daylight just to be able to arrive at a destination fifty miles away before dark? Can you imagine what it would be like to take a cross country trip bouncing up and down on a wooden wagon bench the whole way? While possible, these scenarios would be incredibly inconvenient. Thanks to the creation of several unique mechanical parts like the front control arm, and the invention of the modern suspension system, we can not only travel quickly, we can also travel in comfort.

There are several things about your car's suspension system that you should become comfortable with, even if you never plan on doing any of the repairs yourself. General knowledge of the parts of the suspension system that tend to become worn and loose will help you to make better decisions when the mechanic is standing there simply telling you that your suspension needs work. You will be able to ask specifically about parts like the front control arm and they will know that you have good idea of what you're talking about.

Even if you've never gotten under the frame of a car, the design and appearance of the front control arm is pretty easy to imagine. First of all, it is shaped very much like a capital letter A, though some people refer to it as the wishbone, which it also resembles. On most vehicles, the bottom two prongs of the control arm are attached to the wheel and the upper point is attached to the spindle. At both connection points, there is a joint, usually a ball joint or a bushing that allows the control arm to move and pivot as necessary when the car is traveling over bumpy terrain.

The small but controlled movement allowed by the front control arm brings a lot of stability to the front end of your car every day without you even realizing it. Most people don't realize that the centrifugal force that is involved when you take a turn while moving forward would normally be enough to lift the inside edge of the car up off the road. The only thing that keeps this from happening on a regular basis is the solid design of the frame and suspension system, which are designed to absorb the force and keep the car level.