Spohn Performance have released a set of forged front control arms for the 2010+ Camaro. Forged in aluminum alloy, the set of four arms eliminates thirteen pounds from the front suspension improving responsiveness.

The company offers a choice of low deflection polyurethane or zero deflection delrin bushings. The arms include the adjustable friction Del-Sphere ball joints, which allow for a degree of ride tuning that has not been available before.

CNC machining of the 6082-T6 alloy arms ensures precision fit and operation of the arms. For those of you baffled by the engineering designations of metals, here’s a short overview. The alloy number, 6082, represents a particular ‘recipe’ of aluminum along with additives. Without additives, aluminum is a rather soft metal, easily corroded and having only moderate heat resistance.

The major additives in the 6082 alloy are magnesium, manganese, silicon and iron. Chromium, zinc and titanium are present in lesser amounts. 6082 is the highest strength member of the 6000-series alloys, and is considered a structural alloy with excellent corrosion resistance. The T6 designation indicates the type of tempering, or post processing, done on the material – in this case, solution heat treated and artificially aged, which improves both the machinability and the anodizing potential of the alloy.

What all this means for you is that these control arms are unlikely to deteriorate over time, will stay looking good and require no maintenance and there’s a solid technical backup for those expectations, not just marketing promises.

The Del-Sphere ball joints are a rather unique item that allow, in particular, for tuning of the car’s steering response. Using the supplied wrench, the amount of compression on a delrin bushing inside the ball joint can be changed. Increasing compression provides a tighter joint and reduced compression makes the joint more responsive.

In competition situations, road racers often dial in significant amounts of caster into the front suspension to make the steering return to the straight ahead position more quickly. Yet, that same high level of caster makes turn-in more difficult, so a compromise must be found.

The Del-Sphere ball joint provides a new variable to work with. More responsive ball joints will require less caster to return to the neutral position, without negatively affecting the turn-in effort. Combined with the product’s reduced weight, the potential for some significant improvement is available.