Reinforcing front LCA's?

#1

Has anyone considered, and is it legal to reinforce your front LCA’s so they do not bend as easy in an accident?

#2

I don’t know.

It is legal to reinforce the control arm pickup points but not the control arms themselves.

I don’t believe it is a bad thing to have the control arm being the weak link in an impact. If you reinforce the CA, the force of the impact will bend something else - like the mounting point, which will be a hell of a lot harder to realign.

On the Miatas, the control arms and/or control arms always bend before the subframe. That’s a good thing because that is a cheaper repair than sturdy control arms and a tweaked subframe.

#3

I agree, but they seem to be extra weak. Thanks for the info.

#4

They are a replacement item for sure. You just need a good source for them. If you’re a curb pounder, then you’ll need new ones on at least a bi-yearly basis.

#5

It is better to have a tie rod or control arm bend than to damage the strut, subframe, or chassis. Replacing those sacrificial parts is only an hour so of labor.