Ford Control Arm

Let’s say theoretically, you have recently crashed your Ford into a wall after you got cut off on the freeway. Luckily you were fine and sustained no injuries but your Ford Focus was not as lucky. Your mechanic has informed you that you are going to need new Ford control arms. Since you are trying to save on costs he has told you to get the part yourself and he will install it for you. So now you need to know what Ford control arms do and what kind you need to get. Well fear not for we are here to help you with that!

First off, what are Ford control arms? They are part of your suspension system and their function is to allow up and down movement of the suspension while holding the knuckles, spindles, and axles firmly onto the car. Ford control arms will have rubber bushing or ball joints mounted securely to them. These allow the control arm to rotate up and down without binding up. Most ball joints and bushings are removable from the Ford control arms and can be replaced as needed. Now Ford control arms can have two designs a wishbone or A-arms and a McPherson strut style front.

In the wishbone Ford control arms the upper and lower control arms looked like wishbones, hence the name. The A-name also came from the shape that is why they can be referred to as either name. This design is still installed in most cars today because it works great. In the McPherson strut style front only lower control arms are used. An upper control is not needed because the strut takes its place. Which also means that there is one less ball joint, and less rubber control arm bushings.

Now your Ford control arm set are parts that are made to be durable and don’t really need replacement unless the ball bearings or bushings start to wear down or in your case it got bent because of your accident. Let’s discuss the material they can be made of.

• Stamped steel Ford control arms were the commonly made because they were cheap, fast, and easy. It often held coil springs in place and was an attachment point for shocks and sway bars. But they tended to rust and started to deteriorate from that.
• Cast iron Ford control arms are the most popular in modern cars. When used in front suspensions they are typically wishbone shaped, with bushings on the inside and a ball joint on the outside. They are extremely strong and can withstand harsh environments much better than stamped steel Ford control arms.
• Cast aluminum Ford control arms. Since they are cast aluminum they don’t corrode like steel, are lighter and stronger. But since aluminum is a softer metal they do tend to be more prone to bend and cracks when things go wrong.

Now that you know your options we are here to help you pick Ford replacement control arms that meet your price needs and will be the appropriate ones for your car. So contact us today so we can get you the Ford replacement control arms that you need to get your Focus fixed as soon as possible.