Front Lower Control Arms GR86/BRZ/GT86/FR-S

The SPL Front Lower Control Arm (FLCA) kit is the ultimate tool for setting up the front end of the GR86 / BRZ / GT86 / FR-S for track, drifting, or street use. Adjust track width, camber, caster, roll center, and anti-dive to increase front grip, gain tire clearance, greatly improve tire wear at the track, reduce body roll, and more, in addition to eliminating all of the bushing flex that causes vague and undesirable handling characteristics in corners and under braking.

Camber Adjustment

One of the biggest improvements to cornering grip you can make is increasing the front camber angle from the weak factory spec (0.0 to -0.75°) to a more proper -2.5° to -4.0° of front camber. This also will significantly improve tire life by reducing heavy wear on the outer portion of the tread that occurs due to insufficient camber angle while cornering.

Elongating the lower arm will add more camber without the need for adjustable camber plates or eccentric bolts that could potentially slip. However, pairing the SPL LCAs with camber plates allows you more adjustability options for inner and outer tire clearance as well as elongating the track width while retaining a specific camber angle.

Caster Adjustment

Another important alignment spec is caster angle. Caster angle is particularly helpful on a McPherson strut suspension because it increases the amount of camber that is gained as steering angle is increased. It also improves the centering torque on the steering wheel for straight line stability. The OEM spec is a little over 5.0° which compared to other platforms is a bit on the low side. The SPL arms will allow most setups to run 7.0+° of caster, depending on wheel clearance. The result is better grip mid-corner.

Track Width Adjustment

The 86 and BRZ have roughly a 1" (25.4mm) narrower frontal track width compared to the rear. This promotes more weight shift onto the outer front tire during cornering, promoting understeer. Miatas, Corvettes, and the GR Supra all run very close to a 1:1 track ratio for a reason. By extending the front track width you'll promote a more neutral handling behavior and reduce the overall amount of weight that shifts off the inner tire and onto the heavily loaded outer.

Roll Center Adjustment

Roll center is the imaginary point that the chassis rolls about during cornering. The distance between the roll center and the center of gravity (front-view, vertical) is essentially the amount of leverage the chassis has to produce roll. When you lower an 86 or BRZ the roll center drops further than the center of gravity, resulting in a larger roll moment (force). Using the roll center correction spacers to correct the angle of the front lower control arm brings the roll center back up, resulting in less body roll at the same spring rate and less tendency to understeer with fast transitions.

Anti-Dive Adjustment

Put simply, anti-dive geometry is similar to roll center, but viewed from the side rather than the front. The more anti-dive (expressed as a %) a car has less the front suspension will compress under braking. This geometry becomes more important as cars increase braking force with grippy tires and aero, especially on bumpy tracks and softer front spring rates. Adding a small amount of anti-dive geometry can be helpful when setting up the front suspension to maintain acceptable front splitter heights and sufficient front suspension travel.

Benefits

• Adjustable Camber, Caster, Roll Center, and Anti-Dive
• Lightweight: lbs ( kg) as Installed per Side
• Significantly Better Front Grip
• Sharpened Turn-in and Steering Feel from Eliminating Bushing Deflection
• Improved Braking Stability
• Greater Adaptability for Wheel/Tire Clearance

Materials

• 6061-T6 Billet Aluminum Arms (Anodized Black)
• 6061-T6 Billet, Hollow Aluminum Trailing Link (Anodized Black)
• 4130 Chromoly Steel Double Adjuster (Electroless Nickel Plated)
• 6061-T6 Aluminum Spacers and 360° Clamps
• 304 Stainless Steel Adjustment Spacers
• 4130 Chromoly Steel Studs (Heat Treated)
• Class 10.9 Metric Hardware / SAE Grade 8 Imperial Hardware
• Ti-6Al-4V Titanium 1/4-20 Socket Head Allen Screws (Anodized Blue)

Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH)

The front lower control arms are an important part of mitigating NVH. By eliminating all bushing deflection the front suspension will transmit more road noise, felt energy from potholes, and can increase tramlining in some cases. However, the reduction of bushing bind and reduced friction will improve ride quality over smoother roads and allow the shock to work more effectively over moderate bumps.

Tire choice, tire pressure, spring rates, and shock quality will have significant influence on ride quality as well. For daily driving, felt energy and noise can be reduced moderately by running a more compliant tire, either through reduced pressure (suitable for the load and tire) and/or taller or softer sidewalls, as well as optimized compression dampening on a quality shock.

Most drivers will find the NVH to be present and tolerable.

Featured On

Larry Chen's Turbo GR86 Track Car

Fez's GR86 Track Car

Sold as a pair. One pair per vehicle.

Confirmed Applications

2021+ Toyota GR86 (ZN8)

2013 - 2021 Toyota 86 / Scion FR-S (ZN6)

2013+ Subaru BRZ (ZC6/ZD8)

Replaces OEM Part Number(s)

This is a list of known OEM part numbers. OEMs constantly make changes to part numbers due to part updates, suppliers, etc so this may not be a complete list.

Toyota
SU003-10055 / SU003-10056
SU003-00354 / SU003-00355
SU003-08016 / SU003-08017

Subaru
20202-CC000 / 20202-CC010
20202-CA002 / 20202-CA012
20202-CA001 / 20202-CA011
20202-CA000 / 20202-CA010

Installation Instructions

SPL Front Lower Control Arm Install Instructions

Maintenance Parts

Replacement SPL Rod Ends