What Are They?

If your not familiar with suspension arms on a car, its highly suggested that you get to know them. This is because they are one of the most important car parts for your vehicles suspension and steering. 

Also known as wishbones or track control arms, the're job is to connect the vehicle wheels to the car frame which then allows suspension movement and sturdy steering.

There are many different control arms on a car and can be fitted to the front and rear. Although they all do pretty much the same thing there are some minor differences such as where they're located and what they connect to. Here are all the different track arms on a car and what they do!

What Are Suspension Arms Made From?

The Control arm can be made up of a wide range of different materials. All of these have there own properties which do seperate things. These are the most common materials control arms now are being made from.

1. Stamped steel control arms

Although this type of control arm can rust very quickly due to a wet environment, stamped steel was cheap to get, easy to fit and make. It was also the oldest material used in making these parts, Unsurprisingly due to the rusting these are the cheapest to buy if ever they deteriorate.

2. Cast iron control arms

Cast iron wishbones are very common on most modern vehicles now and unlike stamped steel arms they are very durable and reliable due to the strength of iron. As a result of this, you'll most likely see them on trucks and large SUV's.

3. Cast aluminium control arms

Amung the newest materials used for suspension arms, cast aluminium provides the best of both sinarios. The are light and easy to make as well as strong for reliability. The metal can break due to bad roads and pot holes however due to softer material.

The Different Types Of Control Arms On A Car

There are many different types of suspension arms on a car all in slightly different places doing slightly different things, here are the individual wishbones on a car and what they do:

1. Adjustable control arms

Chances are you've heard the words such as allignment and tracking on countless occasions when it comes to your suspension. The adjustable arms are in control of this making sure there is no uneven tire wear which could eventually lead to a blow out. Not all vehicles have this meaning it can be harder and more expensive to fix is you've lost allignment or had new lowering kits fitted. 

2. Lower control arms

Lower suspension arms are used specifically on certain type of frames. If the vehicle requires struts instead, they take the place of the upper arms hence they are not needed. 

3. Upper control arms

Upper control arms are the perfect exaple of exactly what they say on the tin, are mostly used when a vehicle has independent rear suspension. The wishbones are located in the upper region connecting the top of the wheel and the frame.

Conclusion

As you can tell control arms have changed a lot over the years and its interesting to see what the future holds for car parts. How long control arms last fully depends on what roads you've been driving on and what material you wishbone is.

In the meantime with what's currently on the market, if you need any control arms for your vehicle that have gone, we sell them here at Spares Hut. The cost of wishbones on a car can be expensive. However, we offer the cheapest prices online as well as next day delivery so you wont have to wait around and can get back on the road ASAP.

Hope you've had an interesting read and be sure to check out the other blogs on our site!