Lower Control Arms for FPV FORCE 6

The FPV FORCE 6 lower control arm runs from the chassis out to the bottom of the steering knuckle, and on most vehicles it carries more than any other arm underneath.

It is also the lowest component in the front suspension, which is why it takes damage that nothing above it ever sees.

Why the FPV FORCE 6 Lower Control Arm Carries More Than the Others

On a MacPherson strut front end there is one lower arm per side and no upper arm at all. The strut locates the top of the knuckle, so the lower arm handles all of the wheel positioning on its own while carrying the lower ball joint.

That means everything a corner does passes through one component. Braking pushes the wheel rearward and the lower arm resists it. Cornering loads the wheel sideways and the lower arm holds against that too.

On a double wishbone layout the work is shared between two arms, though the spring usually sits on the lower one regardless. That adds vehicle weight to the list of things the lower arm is already handling.

Either way it is the hardest working arm on the vehicle, and the front lower position is the hardest working of all four corners.

Track Control Arms, A-Arms and Two Piece Designs

The naming varies and it is worth recognising the alternatives.

An arm running across the vehicle, perpendicular to its axis, is properly called a track control arm, which is the term you will see in European and technical listings. A triangular arm with two inboard pivots is commonly called an A-arm or a wishbone after its shape.

Some vehicles split the job across two separate components rather than one triangular arm. A simple transverse link handles lateral location while a separate radius rod, tension rod or compliance strut handles the fore and aft loads. On those designs the two are often sold together as a kit, since replacing one and leaving the other rarely makes sense.

Knowing which arrangement your FPV FORCE 6 uses matters when ordering, because a two piece design needs both components identified rather than one part number covering the corner.

When the Lower Arm Carries the Spring or Torsion Bar

On a considerable number of vehicles the lower control arm is structural in a way most people do not realise.

Where the coil spring seats into the lower arm, the arm carries vehicle weight continuously rather than simply locating the wheel. That changes both how it wears and how it is removed, since the spring is under compression while the arm is still attached and releasing it needs proper equipment.

Torsion bar front ends do something similar by a different route, with the outboard end of the torsion bar attached to the inboard pivot of the lower arm. The arm becomes part of the spring system rather than working alongside it.

Both arrangements mean the lower arm is carrying load even when the vehicle is stationary, which is not true of an upper arm on most designs.

That structural role is also why corrosion matters more here. A spring seat that has rusted through is a safety issue rather than a cosmetic one.

Split Front Lower Control Arm Bushes

The most visible failure on a lower arm is a split bush, and it is worth knowing what you are looking at before ordering.

Rubber bushes are bonded to a metal outer sleeve. As the material hardens with age that bond breaks down, the rubber begins to tear away from the sleeve, and the arm gains movement at the pivot that should not be there.

Front lower control arm bushings show this earliest because that arm takes the heaviest loads, which is why front lower control arm bushes are the most commonly replaced of any lower arm bushes on a car. Look for cracking across the exposed face, material squeezed out past the edge of the housing, a visible gap where the rubber has parted from its sleeve, or the arm sitting off centre in its mount rather than square.

A bush can also be finished without looking dramatic. Lever the arm against its mount and watch for movement at the bush rather than flex in the arm, because that test finds more worn bushes than a visual inspection does.

Many lower arms use two inboard bushes of different sizes and hardnesses, with the rearward one typically softer since it absorbs fore and aft impact. Ordering the wrong one of that pair is the most common mistake made on this repair.

Why Lower Arms Get Bent When Others Do Not

Lower arms sit below the axle centreline with very little ahead of them, which puts them first in line for whatever the road throws up.

Kerbs, deep potholes and debris all reach the lower arm before they reach anything else in the suspension. A hard enough hit bends it, and the damage is frequently invisible. A few millimetres of deflection in a pressed or forged arm looks like nothing and completely changes where that wheel sits.

What you get is an alignment the workshop cannot bring into specification, one side reading differently from the other with no worn components to explain it, and tyre wear that returns no matter how many times it is corrected.

Fresh bushes will not fix that and neither will a new ball joint, because the problem is the distance between the two ends of the arm rather than the condition of either one.

If the vehicle hit something hard and the alignment has never been right since, measure the arms against each other before spending anything on wear parts.

What Else Bolts to the FPV FORCE 6 Lower Control Arm

The lower arm frequently carries components beyond the wheel, and each is a separate wear point.

Sway bar links attach to the lower arm on a great many vehicles. A worn link mounting hole in the arm produces a knock that sounds exactly like a worn bush, and no amount of new bushes will resolve it.

Lower shock or strut mounts sit on the arm on some designs, adding another loaded fastener through the same component.

Where the spring seats in the arm, the seat itself is a wear and corrosion point worth inspecting whenever access allows.

Check those secondary mounting points whenever the arm is off. They are easy to overlook and they decide whether rebushing the arm is worth attempting.

Rear Lower Control Arms and How They Differ

The lower arm on an independent rear suspension does a related job under different conditions, and the parts are not interchangeable with the front.

A rear lower control arm carries the spring on plenty of designs, the same as many fronts do, but it has no ball joint and no steering input to deal with. The outer end usually pivots on a bush rather than a joint, since the rear hub does not turn.

What it does handle is lateral location and, on multi-link rear ends, part of the camber geometry. That is why a worn rear lower arm bush shows up as rear camber drifting and tyres wearing on the inside edge rather than as the steering complaints a front arm produces.

Loads are lower at the rear on most vehicles, so the bushes last longer. The exception is anything that carries weight regularly, where a loaded rear works its arms considerably harder than an unloaded one.

Check which end you are ordering for, since a car lower control arm listing covering the front will not suit the rear even on the same vehicle.

FPV FORCE 6 Lower Control Arm Ball Joints

Where the design uses a separate ball joint, it is worth knowing whether you can replace it on its own.

Bolt-in lower ball joints come out with four fasteners and the arm stays on the vehicle in some cases. That is the cheapest repair available on this component and it is worth checking for before buying an arm.

Pressed-in joints need a press and correct tooling, and the arm comes off the vehicle to do it. Riveted joints need the rivets drilled out from underneath, which is why many workshops fit a complete arm instead on those applications.

Integral joints cannot be separated at all, so a failed joint means a new arm regardless of the condition of the bushes.

The boot decides the life of all of them. While it is intact the joint wears slowly, and once it splits the grease escapes, grit gets in, and the joint deteriorates quickly from there.

FPV FORCE 6 Lower Control Arm Replacement Cost

Lower control arm replacement cost in Australia is driven by access and by what is being fitted rather than by the part price alone.

The arm comes off the vehicle for any repair on it, and an alignment goes on the end regardless. On designs where the spring seats in the arm, releasing and refitting that spring adds time and equipment to the job.

What varies beyond that is whether you are replacing the bushes, the lower control arm ball joint or a complete assembly, whether both sides are being done, and how cleanly the fasteners come out on an older vehicle.

Doing both sides at one visit avoids paying for the alignment twice, and replacing bushes while the arm is already off for a ball joint adds very little to the total.

Releasing the Spring and Torquing a Lower Control Arm on Your FPV FORCE 6

Support the vehicle properly and take the load off the suspension before separating the ball joint, since a joint under spring load releases suddenly and without warning.

On designs where the spring seats in the lower arm, that spring is compressed while the arm is still attached. Release it with the correct equipment rather than relying on the jack, because a spring leaving its seat unexpectedly is genuinely dangerous.

Use a proper ball joint separator rather than a hammer, which damages the knuckle bore and the stud threads.

Leave the inner fasteners loose until the vehicle is back on the ground carrying its own weight. Whatever position a bush is clamped in becomes the position it takes a set from, so tightening while the suspension hangs leaves the arm under permanent twist once the wheels are loaded.

Refit the sway bar link to the arm, fit a new split pin to the ball joint castle nut, and book the alignment for the same visit.

Fulcrum has been fitting suspension since 1976, across 16 Service Centres and 200+ authorised workshops nationwide. Book through Click and Fit and we send the parts to your nearest workshop with the installation already arranged.

Find Lower Control Arms for Your FPV FORCE 6

If only one side is worn or damaged, individual lower control arms let you replace a single arm.

Select your FPV FORCE 6 to see the front and rear lower control arms, bushes and ball joints available for it, and check each listing for the side and position it suits. Every part carries our warranty and a fitment guarantee, backed by workshops right across the country.