MPP Model 3 Solid Front Lower Control Arm Bearings

The best bushing upgrade you can do to your Model 3! Make sure to order the press tool if you aren’t sure!

Outer housing CNC’d from billet 6061-T6 aluminum
Anodized for durability and aesthetics
Sealed spherical bearings deliver a more responsive steering feel, increased stability and enhanced overall connection to the road.
No noise or wear unlike other brands using spherical rod ends
Massive improvement to turn-in response and front end feeling

Description
Possibly the most significant bushing replacement on the entire car, the front lower control arm bushing moves laterally significantly when cornering. This results in a less than direct feeling through the steering wheel, and a wallowing or wiggle as the car “takes a set” upon entering a corner. But it gets worse. As the outside wheel and tire carry most of the cornering load, this outside bushing deflects more than the inside bushing. This results in a change of toe and camber in the front suspension, which reduces total front grip.

That’s not even the worst part! The OE Tesla lower control arm has a known tendency to come loose after aggressive track driving with high grip tires. In fact, the bolts totally backed themselves out on us during our Laguna Seca Time Attack event, and frankly we were lucky that the arm stayed on at all. The last half of the lap was completed with the bolts literally being held in place by the factory plastic undertray. This happened despite torquing the bolts higher than the factory spec and having checked them on the first day of the event. You can read more about this here, and we recommend you continually check these bolts if you’re tracking your car.

Our solution aims to reduce the occurrence of these bolts backing out by offering a secondary load path for the lateral motion of the arm. Using dowel holes in the arm and matching dowels in the cross member, the bolts can do their job of clamping, and the dowels can carry any lateral load.

The result? A super direct, laser-sharp turn in and no more wallow on taking a set, and no more wiggle or indirect feeling mid-corner – and more overall front grip!

Product Contents:
This kit is a complete bushing replacement, using a sealed spherical bearing (similar to the ones used on our other arms). These replacements have all of the benefits of a spherical bearing, with none of the drawbacks.

This bearing is a MUST HAVE if you’re going to the track with your Model 3.

Installation Notes:
Installation is straight forward, but requires access to a press. All that is required is to remove your lower control arm, press out the OE bushing (we offer press tools as an option), press in the MPP bearing and re-install, along with dowel pins.

NOTE: You know your OE front lower control arm is coming loose if you hear a loud clunk during aggressive braking. The sound comes from the arm moving outwards from braking (the force of the wheel wanting to move back pulls the arm outwards, pivoting around the rear compression bushing). When entering a corner, if the bolts are loose, the outside arm will then be pushed inwards from the cornering force. If you hear your car doing this, check please those bolts! Due to the dowels used with our kit, this will no-longer occur, however you should routinely re-check these bolts.