End Link Question

[HondaHater]

This may be the most noooooob question I've ever asked on here. But what is the purpose of the end link?? Besides holding the sway bar in place. I heard they stiffen the steering as well....but I dunno. What would getting a set of these (which is the only part of my suspension I haven't upgraded) do for me??

Twoods450 just got some bwoody ones and we installed them on his car today. BTW the stock ones suck compared to the bwoody's!!!! I could bend the stock one with my 2 hands!! Imagine what that thing goes thru with the weight of a car on it!! It's his only suspension upgrade so far. He says it's tighter feeling and seems there is less lean cuz he can take corners faster.

I have a front strut bar, bwoody full race rear bar (adjusted to about 3 full turns), coppertop subframe brace, and progress springs.

The only thing I can think of by getting a set of end links would do for me is possibly stop the annoying front end bounce I get when taking corners because I'm lowered.

PLEASE shed some light on me as to what the hell an end links purpose is....besides holding the sway bar.

[Tennpenn83]

when the car goes into a turn, the weight of the car pushes down on the opposite side strut/spring. the sway bar (or rather anti-sway bar) helps to prevent the body roll that comes from it. the stock end links like you said, suck. the weight of the car under those hard corners will cause the end links to bend, like you said you could with your hands. those bending like that are taking away from what the sway bar does. getting the upgraded bwoody ones won't bend and will keep the sway bar doing what it's supposed to

[HondaHater]

thank you very much for that answer btw.....thats exactly what I thought happened....just needed clarification.

ok...would that help with the dreaded front end bounce in corners as well???......which only occurred after I dropped the car. i would assume yes because of the end link preventing the sway bar from doing anything.

[TWoods450]

OMFG these are 9394328384123483214x better than stock.

[HondaHater]

bump for an answer

will getting upgraded endlinks with the front end bounce in corners that I've (and prolly all of us that are lowered) experienced since being lowered as well???

[QCs_R4_Girls]

Err, cut & paste job from IF.net

Originally Posted by QCs_R4_Girls

Endlinks directly connect your sway bar to the struts. In theory, they should be upgraded with any modification to suspension parts, especially sway bars, struts, and springs. Just like the addition of a STB or RSB, you want to limit the body roll and flexing of the car as you take turns, and that goes for any part of the suspension. Stiffer suspension parts usually result in more stress on the OEM parts, and the cars aren't designed with the intent of people adding aftermarket mods to it, so they skimp out on pieces like that. My bent endlink and broken strut both were contributing factors to my out of whack alignment.
Just as a heads up: the stock endlinks are hollow. While hollow = lighter, hollow also means that they're not as stiff in the given diameter. The Spicer endlinks are the same diameter as the stock ones, but they weigh twice as much. With all the twisting and flexing the car goes through with stiff aftermarket parts, it's only natural for the weakest link in the suspension system to take a beating and break, and most likely it's either the bushings or the endlinks.

I hope that made sense.

Not so much, honestly. In all actuality, hollow doesn't necessarily mean cheap, but when they don't perform as well as more rigid available parts, then yeah, they suck. But IIRC, Subie Imprezza's have parts of their sway bars or endlinks that are made of plastic...
I'm not so sure if I believe that the OEM endlinks are hollow (service tech told me that, but w/e), but they're definitely weak and lightweight.

As for the bouncing, I've never experienced it, so I can't really say. However, check to make sure your endlink bolts are tight bc thats where alot of play comes from... as well as a bunch of clunking. Check your bolts on your struts and stuff. I've never heard of that problem before though.
If that doesn't exactly answer your question, I'll try to elaborate more later.

[qwikredline11]

Originally Posted by QCs_R4_Girls

Err, cut & paste job from IF.net



As for the bouncing, I've never experienced it, so I can't really say. However, check to make sure your endlink bolts are tight bc thats where alot of play comes from... as well as a bunch of clunking. Check your bolts on your struts and stuff. I've never heard of that problem before though.
If that doesn't exactly answer your question, I'll try to elaborate more later.

two things happen when you slam your car down to the ground too much. One, you run the car out of its intended suspension geometry through ride travel. two, as a result of that, the shocks /struts run into the bump stops, and therefore no more travel = bounce, and the steering rods are at such an angle the steering wheel pulls left and right as the road wheel goes up and down over bumpsand therfore the steering rods pull each wheel left and right = "bump steer". hope this helps....sway bar end links make no difference in this case, altho' they are a worthwhile upgrade..

[HondaHater]

thaaats what i was talking about....bump steer!! ok i thought since the endlinks virtually don't do anything for us stock that it would help with the bump steer. my front end barely leans....but my back end doesn't lean at all. I'll prolly pick up a set of end links then in a couple weeks.....then my front end will be rock solid :-)

sucks nothing will help with that bump steer though.....oh well...such as life :-)

thank you guys and lady for your help!!

[mrphoto103]

Originally Posted by TWoods450

OMFG these are 9394328384123483214x better than stock.

I TOLD YOU! =)~

Two of the guys in our club have upgraded links now. On Friday I was able to take a clover leaf onramp at all most 80. The other guy w/ upgraded links was at around 70 (stock height vs me being lowered) and the stock link lsj's were around 60 or so.

That and a strut bar in front and back for me made a huge diff. Now if I get some subframe rails.....*drool

[hawlyns711]

What do you guys think are a bette helping suspension mod out of bwoody links and the ttr rear sway bar? Which one will handling benefit most?