InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

I have some poly/poly lower control arms. They have an interesting past. They were prototypes from a guy who disappeared after giving a few sets away. I bought em from a guy he gave them to for peanuts. But they're just tubular LCA's with poly bushings. Not really much to them.



The founders piece is, obviously, right there.

I was concerned about going with rod ends, because I like to think of it as a street car, but Im getting more into autocross, the poly was loud as hell (squeaaaaaak! Squeaaaaaaawk!) and I was having issues with the rear end binding. It seemed to me like between shifts the car would re-settle at a different ride height. The direction of the car would dart every time time I lifted and applied throttle on the highway. Not a lot, but enough I had to keep a close eye on it. I've been chasing a few things... replaced the entire steering system past the rag joint with a lot of moog stuff. Spent a lot of time doing toe adjustments with string.



Found out that my rear axle didnt sit "straight" in the car. The wheelbase on one side was shorter than the other. Could be the 9-bolt, could be the LCARBs, could be the frame is slightly bent from an incident I had with the car jumping off some jackstands...

So I got the rod end setup above because I wanted adjustable LCA's that could articulate, and this was a LOT cheaper than the poly/roto/ball/extreme whatever joints that are sold various places. In fact, the founders piece is $120.... that's crazy cheap. I figure even if I cant handle the rod ends, I can switch to rubber bushings:

http://www.howeracing.com/p-7603-rub...ing-joint.aspx

Or new rod ends:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hal-kml12ht/overview/

Or roto joints:

http://umiperformance.com/catalog/in...roducts_id=389

So I figured even if I made a grave error, I could still use these as a base for something else down the road, so I took a gamble and bought these.

I asked Founders what brand rod ends tehy use, and they use FK rod ends. These are American-made. All the teflon or nylon lined rod ends are good pieces, but 3 piece seems to be the superior design. The rod ends on these are 2 piece. That said, even 2 piece teflon self-lubricating rod ends are fairly pricy, and these ARE teflon lined, so they're not the cheapo bottom barrel rod ends, probably more mid-level. Im curious to see how long they last.

They went into the car before christmas, and I went to an autocross this weekend, and while it didnt turn out as well as i had hoped (major header gasket failure) I've noticed a major improvement in the way the car handles.

First of all, the suspension definitely moves more smoothly. The guys saying that the "binding" is a non-issue and you can't notice it... I can notice a huge difference. Secondly, rod ends LCA's are, by nature, adjustable, so I managed to get the wheelbase on both sides of the car the same, and that allowed me to set toe dead-set-straight ahead, and the car now steers straight, it doesnt dart around all the time, and it getting on and off the gas doesn't make it dance anymore either.

I think the slight weight transfer as the car rolled forward and back of getting on and off the clutch was enough to unsettle the polyurethane bushings and axle wouldnt re-settle back to the same spot every time. That means you deal with axle steer. One side will be shorter or longer than it was before, and the car will go in a slightly different direction. I suspected (hoped) this would go away, and it has.

Theres definitely more road noise, and you feel more.... "texture" of the road... but it's not as bad as people would have you believe. The main difference I notice is you get a lot more road feedback through the seat of the pants and some of the sharper hits (potholes) come through much harsher, but in general, I dont mind. I dont think it's that bad, but for guys who think tehse cars ride too rough already, you definitely wont like them.

So basically...

1. These things are adjustable.
2. They are cheap
3. They are compatible with all the other common thread-in bushings if you decide to, for example, use rubber bushings on one side and rod ends on the other later on.
4. They use Teflon-lined FK rod ends made in the US, but only two piece rod ends.
5. Yes, harsher ride, but I think it's pretty minor. Most of the time you wont be able to tell a difference.
6. Homebrew 4-wheel alignment has the car tracking straighter than I ever dreamed.

It's not January, 2014. If anyone is doing a search, feel free to PM me and ask how they've held up in a year or two, and I'll be glad to let you know. But even if the rod ends totally crap out, there are other options for use with these. The versatility and low entry cost to get an adjustable LCA was the main selling point to me.