I was wondering if anyone has a car that uses a 4 link or other suspension parts with rod ends. I have been told that rod ends can be "noisy" on the street after a lot of normal driving use. Has anyone used anything else besides a tierod end in a split wishbone? I have seen rod ends in hairpin styled setups, but never a wishbone. Anyone tried this?? Thanks
I have rodends in my front and rear suspension and dont notice any noise. The front has rod ends on the 4 bars, tie rod, draglink, and panhard bar. The rear has them on the radius rods, and the panhard bar.
I've been running rod ends on the ends of my split wishbones since I put the car on the road. I put the car together back in 1974. I changed then out once in all that time. They can make a bit of noise but a little bit of lubrication gets rid of that.
the problem with rodends is they aren't sealed. road dirt will get in them and cause wear very quickly. I used them on many racing applications and they need to be replaced fairly often. although in light-duty applications rod ends are fine, they are only used in heavy-duty applications where removal, adjustment, and replacement must be performed easily and quickly. I would recommend staying with a tierod type end that is sealed and greasable.
I like rod ends because of "That Look" but there are definitely different quality ends out there and and I try to use bushed ends with grease zerks and those clever little rubber seals that speedway sells for 'em to keep out dirt and moisture and also I washer the outside edges to keep 'em captured if a bushing fails and the sphere tries to be free. But looking at it logically (God forbid I should be the voice of reason) the tie rod ends are cheaper(by a long shot) Than rod ends,have a wider range of motion and are definitely more durable.The catch is you have to buy or make tapered seats for 'em as opposed to just drilling and or tapping hole for regular fasteners.Speedway motors sells the (Drill/Reamer) you need to make 'em. Hope this helps.
Yeah mine get noisy have them on a front four link but a little lube helps and if I'm on the throttle can't hear 'em anyway
I believe 2nd gen(70-81) Camaro and Firebird (and I'm sure many others) don't use a taper. I read it here, probably from Squirrel.
Also, I have seen polyurethane-bushed rod ends for pro-street 4-links, Chris Alston Chassisworks had 'em, but I could'nt find them on the webpage. Might not look right in an exposed application, though.
Thanks, thats reassuring. The reason I am thinking of going with a rod end is because I have several from four link kits I had and misc projects stuff. It will be on an open fendered modified pickup so I understand the "traditional" look is lost, but I am thinking more along the lines of using what I have. As far as tie rod ends I called Schraders and they sell a kit for 70 bucks that has the weld in tapered bung, tie rods, and nuts. If I went the tie rod route, I would use their stuff after talking with him on the phone.
If I go with rods ends, I have several Auroras that have the grease zerks. My biggest concern with using a rod end is the durability. Noise I am not real concened with as like most said, I probably wont be hearing anything above my engine, but I plan to drive the thing...a lot. So with that I am after something that will not need as much attention and will live long and strong. I dont mind spending a little more to have a more reliable setup. Thanks
then you answered your own question. tierod ends are the way to go. unless sealed, and backed by an large thick washer heim joints are not the way to go. unsealed, greased heims collect dirt and wear faster. dirt+grease=lapping compound
I have run rod ends (heim joints) on the street for years. The will transmit a little more noise than a tie rod end or rubber bushing. As far as sealing them from dirt, there is a company called Seals-it that makes a small dust cover to seal the bearing. These seals were made for off road use and work quite well, the seal is also hardly noticable. The key to heim joints is to use very high quality parts.They are about double the price of the crap found in most mail order catalogs and worth every penny. When buying rod ends make sure you are getting real aircraft quality and you will get years of service from them.
the bushed rod ends dont hold up very well in my experience. any severe use and the polyurethane bushings squeeze out.
rod ends that have grease zerks are made for industrial use that will not see any dusty conditions the only place I would use them is on a machine that is bolted to the shop floor. Aurora Aircraft rod ends are the only way to go.
so, what would the advantage be over a tierod? btw, I've broken many 1/2 aurora heims in my 800lb midget
I have a healthy selection of the 5/8 Aurora ends with zerks. I have seen the seals that Seals-it offer and if I use a rod end I would for sure use a seal. All opinions and experiences are really appreciated. Thanks!!
the advantages are weight, less friction and not having to deal with tapered hole. I personally like the look of a rod end better, but that is just my opinion, and we all know about opinions. As far as breakage goes, anything can be broken, hell we even broke an enginge block and transmission case in our modified in what looked and felt like a realitively moderate hit.
that's one of the reasons why i like regular tie rod ends there are many reasons for and against heim joints , along with many opinions...do what you want and just be sure you are using quality parts
With Schraders kits you are supplied with everything including the tapered bungs for the frame. My initial plan was to avoid the machining of this and use a straight bung for my bolt that goes through the rod end. It seems with the straight forward kit from Schraders it would be just as easy. I guess each piece has their own advantages.
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