GI: Tubular LCA's

[SgtRauksauff]

...for an AWD Protege rallycar...]

mmmmmmm, tasty!!

[Georonimo]

I've had these on my car for about a year now. 15k miles of non stop abuse. Did a track day, three autocross events and a rallycross (maybe two, I forget). The rest was street driving, some of it involving pot holey NYC streets and highways. The joints are now well past their service life and probably could have used replacement about 5k ago. So realistically 10k miles of safe use (I've been very busy these past 5k miles). I'm ready for a replacement set of spherical rod ends (Jim, got any part numbers handy?) but overall couldn't be happier with them. Especially with 10k+ abusive street miles on a race quality suspension wear item.

Thanks again for the great products!

[JPmotorsports]

Hey---thanks for the review!! Haven't got a lot of feedback on them---glad to hear about 10k on those rodends---they're great quality. I've got a couple in stock/ lefts are a couple days away---give me a pm when your ready and I'll figure out what your cost is shipped. Thanks again for the review!

[FE3-323]

throw in stainless joints & put an O-ring around the bushing pivot of the hiem (it'll help reduce the gunk getting in)
should last a good deal longer.

[jay]

I haven't really abused them on the rallycar yet, but wanna put a setr on my street car just for funsies. And maybe pick up some alignment adjust and lose some tiny amount of unsprun weight maybe.

[concealer404]

Mine are all finally installed... i think i installed Ryan's bushings wrong, though... got some binding issues in the front.

[FE3-323]

please post pictures of the front heim joint @ the point it binds. & also post a picture how you installed the rear bushing assembly.

[concealer404]

Rear bushings like this. Pretty sure they're flipped and is probably what's causing the binding. The "thin" part of the bushing should be towards the middle of the car IIRC, i just messed up when trying to remember if the end of the bracket with one bolt whole was on the inside or outside.


The bind isn't in the heim joint, it's in the spherical. I think the angle i've got (because i messed up installing the bushings) is preventing perfect motion of the rear end of the control arm.

[FE3-323]

do you notice the chamfered sleeve there in that picture?? make sure that goes on first onto the rear control arm's pivot rod. its semi critical as there is an ever so slight taper on the LCAs them selves.

without looking back @ the thread i can't recall entirely which direction they need to face i haven't looked under my car for a good week now.


EDIT: the thin part of the bushing should be towards the outside of the car for maximum castor increase. by looks you have that part correct.

[concealer404]

do you notice the chamfered sleeve there in that picture?? make sure that goes on first onto the rear control arm's pivot rod. its semi critical as there is an ever so slight taper on the LCAs them selves.

without looking back @ the thread i can't recall entirely which direction they need to face i haven't looked under my car for a good week now.

The one on the right, right?

I believe the "thin" side has to "point" to the middle of the car, and the "lip" at the top of the bushing (that stops it in the bracket) should be the end that goes on the arm first. And yes to chamfered going on bushing first.

Somebody check me! I'll be tearing the front end off again on Friday to fix it.

[FE3-323]

i don't remember which way the lip is supposed to fit. thats the only thing im not certain on ATM. the thin side goes towards the outside of the car tho. you want it to be pushing the back of the LCA outwards to increase castor.
having them towards the center of the car reduces castor & will have negative effects on handling

[concealer404]

Oh ok then...

I don't think the lip matters much then to be honest, although if i have the bushing pointing "out" the right way, then the lip is right anyways.

The only other thing i might have messed up is that i did put that OEM concave washer back on between the bushing and the control arm. Wonder if that's what's causing the issue due to uneven pressure maybe? (Now that i think about it, probably, since the bushing is offset compared to stock. I'll put a flat washer in it.)

[ftjandra]

Yes, that washer needs to go.

--Ferdi

[FE3-323]

thank you ferdi!

[concealer404]

Cool, thanks guys.

Hindsight is a bitch... i shelled out many dollars for all new suspension hardware for this pig, and ended up using maybe.... 30% of it. Guess that should have been expected when there's no stock suspension parts on the car anywhere.