The Front Lower Control Arm We Built for the BRZ/FRS/GT86/GR86

I've spent a lot of time on the front suspension of this platform, and the front lower control arm is the piece I'm genuinely proudest of. It's also the part I get the most excited to talk about, because it's the one that changed how these cars actually drive once you're pushing them on track.

The front lower carries a lot on this chassis. Braking load, cornering load, and steering input all show up in that one arm at the same time, so if there's any give in it at all, you feel it right when you need the front end to be predictable. That's the problem we set out to solve with the FLCA (Front Lower Control Arm) kit, and it's the reason grip and time attack drivers are moving onto this arm.

Built around the load, not just the numbers

We ran the whole kit through proper FEA before a single part got cut, then laser cut it from high-strength alloy steel, with the 7075-T6 billet aluminum and 17-4HT stainless steel components machined to match. We kept it a one-piece arm on purpose. The chassis was never designed around a two-piece arm splitting that load path, so we respected that instead of working around it.

Every OEM bushing gets replaced with a motorsport-grade spherical bearing, which is where the "zero deflection" comes from. Rubber bushings do a great job on a daily driver, but they compress and twist under load, so your actual alignment numbers can shift mid-corner even though your static alignment sheet says something else. Spherical bearings hold the geometry you dialed in, corner after corner.

What it gives you on track

This kit lets you run a dedicated -2.5° to -4.0° camber setup, well beyond the factory range, and because the arm extends, you also pick up front track width, which gives the tire a better contact patch to work with. There's real caster adjustment built into the same arm too, using a design that lets you lengthen it for more caster without breaking that one-piece load path.

Geometry matters just as much as the camber numbers. Lowering this car affects your roll center, that's true of almost any car once it's lowered, so our geometry brings the roll center back toward the center of gravity, giving you less body roll without needing to reach for heavier and heavier springs. We also built in adjustable anti-dive, so under hard braking the chassis stays composed, your splitter height stays put, and you keep the suspension travel you need right when you need it most.

Adjustment is done with shims instead of jam nuts, because shims hold their setting once torqued. That's the difference between an alignment that holds all weekend and one that creeps by the second session.

The rear arms round out the setup

We also build a rear upper and rear lower arm for this chassis, and I'm proud of both. They're solid uniball arms, and the rear lower uses a shim-block design instead of jam nuts too, which keeps your rear alignment just as locked in as the front. Between the FLCA up front and these arms out back, you've got a complete, cohesive setup for the car, and the front lower is the one I'd point to first if you're only upgrading one thing.

People are noticing

We're seeing it show up on track, not just in reviews. Drivers running GridLife are on these arms and feeling the difference directly. ASM Motorsports has moved their whole client roster over to this setup, and when a shop running multiple cars for multiple drivers standardizes on one arm, that says a lot about what actually holds up over a full season.

Everything bolts in with factory hardware, no cutting, and it ships with a full installation manual so you're set up right the first time.

If you're running a BRZ, FRS, GT86, or the 2022+ GR86 in grip, time attack, or road racing, this is the arm I'd want under my own car.

BRZ/FRS/GT86/GR86 Racing Front Lower Control Arms are available now at FDF Race Shop, along with the rear upper and rear lower arms for the same platform.