Mustang Lateral and Tension Links: What They Do and When to Upgrade

Last Updated: December 9, 2025

Mustang Lateral and Tension Links

Watch our complete guide for upgrading your Mustang's lateral and tension links

Modern S550 and S650 Mustangs use separate lateral and tension links instead of the old single lower control arm design from Fox Body days. That split control arm layout is a big reason these cars track straight, brake hard, and carry real corner speed from the factory.

This article walks through what each link does, how to spot wear, and why upgrading to S650-style aluminum arms and Steeda components is a real performance gain.

What Are Lateral and Tension Links?

On S550 and S650 Mustangs, each front corner uses two main links instead of one big stamped arm:

Front tension link – runs forward from the spindle to the K-member, angled rearward.
Front lateral link – runs more sideways between the spindle and K-member.

Working together, they locate the wheel in 3D space: the tension link controls fore/aft movement and stability under braking, while the lateral link keeps the tire planted in the corner and resists side-load deflection.

Front Tension Links: Straight-Line and Braking Stability

How the tension link controls the wheel

The front tension link bolts to the spindle on one end and the front of the K-member on the other, with the link angled back toward the rear of the car. That forward pickup and rearward angle do a few important things:

Resists the wheel being pushed back under hard braking
Reduces unwanted toe change and steering deflection
Improves straight-line stability and confidence at speed

You feel this as a car that tracks straight when you hammer the brakes or hit bumps on the highway, instead of darting or “hunting” in the lane.

Brake cooling ducts on Performance Pack cars

On Performance Pack cars, the tension link usually carries a plastic brake cooling duct:

Air enters from under the front bumper
Is channeled through a molded passage on the link
Gets aimed at the center of the rotor, where it’s pumped out through the vent veins as the disc spins

That extra airflow helps manage rotor and pad temps on spirited drives and track days. Non-PP cars miss out on this from the factory, which is why Steeda offers kits that add brake deflectors and upgraded links to those cars.

Signs your tension links are worn

As S550s age, especially in harsh climates, tension links are becoming a wear item. Common symptoms:

Front-end clunking over bumps
Steering that feels floaty or vague under throttle and braking
A pulsing brake pedal that feels like a warped rotor, but is actually the wheel moving on worn bushings/ball joints

If the ball joint at the spindle or the bushing at the K-member is worn, the link can’t hold the wheel solidly under load, and you’ll feel it at the pedal and in the wheel.

Front Lateral Links: Cornering Grip and Steering Feel

What the lateral link does

The front lateral link is all about side-to-side control. It ties the spindle to the K-member and keeps the tire pointed correctly as you build lateral Gs in a corner. Its job:

Maintain a strong contact patch during hard cornering
Resist lateral deflection so camber and toe stay where the alignment says they should
Improve steering precision mid-corner

Think of it as the part that keeps the car feeling “keyed in” to the road when you turn in hard and pick up the throttle.

Wear symptoms on the lateral link

When the lateral link bushings or ball joint start to go, you’ll typically notice:

Extra body roll or lazy turn-in
Steering that feels sloppy around center
Overall reduced cornering stability

S550 vs S650 Arms: Material, Geometry, and Weight

S650 front suspension isn’t just a carryover from S550, it’s an evolution of what the Mustang represents. Key differences in the lateral and tension links:

Material

S650 links use a lightweight aluminum construction while the S550 uses steel. This reduces unsprung weight, improving ride quality and responsiveness.

Weight Savings

S650 front tension links are just under 2.5 lb lighter each than S550 pieces. Swapping both tension and lateral links can cut just under 5 lbs. of unsprung weight from the nose of your Mustang.

Geometry/Ball Joints

On the s650, the rear of the lateral link is beefed up and uses and extended ball joint from the factory. That extended lower ball joint concept is something Steeda has used since the Fox Body days to correct front roll center. By effectively moving the spindle up relative to the arm, the extended joint raises the front roll center closer to where it was designed to be, especially on lowered cars

When you lower a Mustang, you not only drop the body, you also drop the front roll center toward the ground. That can make the car roll more unless you crank up spring and bar rates. Extended ball joints raise the roll center back toward where Ford intended, restoring geometry so your spring and sway bar tuning actually does its job.

Why S650 Links Are a Smart Upgrade for S550 Owners

Bolting S650 lateral and tension links onto an S550 is more than cosmetic it actually improves handling and steering feel in several ways:

Weight reduction: nearly 5 lb of unsprung weight off the front end
Better geometry: roll center correction from the extended ball joint
Improved brake cooling: factory-style ducts where applicable
Refresh worn hardware: new bushings and ball joints replacing tired originals

Less unsprung weight lets the front suspension react quicker over bumps and curbing, which improves grip and stability when you throw the car into a turn.

Steeda Upgrade Options: Ball Joints and Spherical Tension Links

Extended Ball Joints for Lowered Cars

For S550 and S650 owners running lowering springs or coilovers, Steeda offers an extended replacement ball joint for the rear (lateral) link. It follows the same philosophy we’ve used since the Fox Body days: extend the lower ball joint to bring the front roll center back into a proper range and get more effective camber control under load.

Key Benefits:

Restores proper front roll center on lowered cars, improving front grip and reducing body roll
Designed specifically for the S650-style arm, where the rear of the lateral link is stronger and sized for this extended joint
Uses a retaining snap ring instead of a traditional press-fit, so the joint can be serviced without beating up the aluminum arm
Steel joint into aluminum arm is managed with a proper housing and snap-ring retention for durability
Greaseable and serviceable, so it offers more longevity and consistent performance over the life of the car

On many factory arms, pressing ball joints in and out multiple times can distort the bore and shorten the life of both the arm and the joint—especially with steel components going into aluminum. Ford addressed this on the S650 with a redesigned end that accepts a snap-ring–retained joint, and Steeda’s extended ball joint takes full advantage of that design for performance and serviceability.

Spherical-bearing tension links for ultimate precision

From the factory, S650 tension links use a soft rubber bushing tuned for comfort. For drivers who want maximum precision, Steeda offers a press-in kit that replaces the OE bushing with a large aluminum housing and Teflon-lined spherical bearing.

Expected benefits from this include sharper steering response, more consistent braking feel with less mush, and reduced deflection under load for improved handling precision.

These parts have been proven on Steeda’s #20 Mustang over months of track testing at circuits like Sebring, Daytona, and Homestead, then validated on street-driven S550s.

When Should You Consider Replacing or Upgrading?

Use this quick checklist to determine if your lateral tension links need attention or an upgrade:

You hear a clunk from the front suspension over bumps
Steering feels floaty or vague, especially when braking
Your “warped rotors” don’t go away with new brakes
The car has more roll or less front-end bite than it used to
You’ve lowered the car and want geometry corrected
You’re adding track days or aggressive tires and want better brake cooling and stability

If any of that sounds familiar, lateral and tension links are worth a hard look.