7
Rear sway bar End Links ?
- Thread starter gs2online
- Start date
Faceman
Autocross Newbie
- Location
- Long Island
- Car(s)
- '17 GSW 4Mo
bluekid99
Drag Race Newbie
- Location
- Pennsylvania
itook the risk of not upgrading the links after the 034 rsb but a week in the bolt snapped on the endlink...went with super pro and they broke in 1 month so went with 034 links and no issues since
sean.mason.75873
Banned
If you track or autocross, and have a big rear bar, replace them. It's not something you really want to break at full speed through a corner.
Stock are fine for street use. Replace them if they break.
Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
Stock are fine for street use. Replace them if they break.
Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
Its also not fun spending so much money on risky aftermarket parts.
Theres so many crap aftermarket parts out there like 034 parts end links from what i read. If you like to splurge money unnecessarily, go for it. Oem is fine.
sprinks
Drag Racing Champion
- Location
- United States
Calling 034 endlinks risky aftermarket parts is an overstatement. People complaining about noise in them is pretty much par for the course for people who run spherical bearings in non-track environments.
mrd8cd
Ready to race!
- Location
- St. Louis, MO
Hey guys, I just installed a H&R 24mm rear sway bar yesterday, and the only real concern I had during install was the step when attaching the MOOG endlinks to the sway bar, where you use a 15mm ratchet backed up by an 18mm wrench to hold the nut in place on the other side. How tight does this need to be? My wrench was too thick to get it snugged down all the way, so I got it as close as I could. Any issues with this?
theDoktor
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Buffalo, NY area
- Car(s)
- 2017 GTI Sport
You should anticipate clunking in very short order. If you don't tighten these nuts adequately, the slop in the connection will allow damage to the threads on the endlink and the holes in the swaybar. Been there & done that.
I picked-up a cheap set of thin metric wrenches on Amazon to address this when I installed my 034 RSB with ECS Adjustable endlinks. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PTF9MY
Ended up getting Moog endlinks, and it was still a SOB to get these tight enough to get rid of the clunking while turning, particularly at low speeds. Forget about torquing these nuts after the bar is installed- not enough room between the endlinks & the springs.
Use the proper size thin wrench and a good-quality box-end wrench to tighten the nut. Wheels should be loaded when you do this. Ramps are perfect for this.
I picked-up a cheap set of thin metric wrenches on Amazon to address this when I installed my 034 RSB with ECS Adjustable endlinks. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001PTF9MY
Ended up getting Moog endlinks, and it was still a SOB to get these tight enough to get rid of the clunking while turning, particularly at low speeds. Forget about torquing these nuts after the bar is installed- not enough room between the endlinks & the springs.
Use the proper size thin wrench and a good-quality box-end wrench to tighten the nut. Wheels should be loaded when you do this. Ramps are perfect for this.
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It may not be tightened all the way and you will hear clunking. Find a flat wrench and torque it with the suspension loaded. Ideally you install the end links onto the bar prior to putting it back into place.
Endlink to lower control arm, 25 ft-lbs (34 Nm)
Endlink lock nut, 35 ft-lbs (47 Nm)
theDoktor
Go Kart Champion
- Location
- Buffalo, NY area
- Car(s)
- 2017 GTI Sport
They are indeed risky, although I used the ECS rather than the 034 endlinks. I used the ball-joint adjustable endlinks https://www.ecstuning.com/b-ecs-parts/adjustable-rear-sway-bar-end-links-pair/015134ecs01-kt/ rather than the spherical bearing type. I couldn't keep the nut tight at the sway bar connection even with blue Locktite and multiple tightening attempts. This, despite the ECS endlinks having a nylock nut. It needs a double-nut set-up to ensure it stays tight. The loose connection ended up damaging the endlinks.
Look at the threads in the photo. So far, I have had no issues with the 034 RSB, although I've heard lots of QC complaints regarding many of their most-common upgrade parts. I then installed non-adjustable Moog endlinks and never looked back.
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mrd8cd
Ready to race!
- Location
- St. Louis, MO
Thanks blaqsheep! I installed the end links to the bar before installing the bar to the car. I took it for a somewhat spirited drive yesterday after install and didn't hear any noises/clunking. The handling felt improved, but wasn't the DRASTIC change that others have described, so maybe tightening this down will make a difference. I think my concern is more about bending the bolt. I will try to find a slimmer wrench so I can fully torque it down.
Navi
Autocross Champion
- Location
- BK/NYC/Hamptons
it will start
this will get loose for sure. Buy a good set of thin profile wrenches. You can use them for suspension stuff as well as removing coil packs to hold the 10mm stud. This is the kit I have and it's been going strong for 3 years.
https://www.amazon.com/Capri-Tools-...rds=thin+profile+wrench&qid=1590422342&sr=8-3
this will get loose for sure. Buy a good set of thin profile wrenches. You can use them for suspension stuff as well as removing coil packs to hold the 10mm stud. This is the kit I have and it's been going strong for 3 years.
https://www.amazon.com/Capri-Tools-...rds=thin+profile+wrench&qid=1590422342&sr=8-3
mrd8cd
Ready to race!
- Location
- St. Louis, MO
UPDATE: I got under the car, this time with the tires on the ground, and tightened everything down related to the rear sway bar (control arm bolt/nut, end link bolt/nut, and sway bar triple square bolts). I was able to get a standard size 18mm wrench on the end link nut and used a 15mm wrench on the bolt to tighten it down. I MAYBE got 1/12th of a turn on everything before it was too snug to tighten by hand any further, and somehow my clunking noise has been solved! I was really surprised at this, as I didn't think such a tiny turn on all of the nuts/bolts would silence the clunks. But it has, and they are gone for now. Hopefully everything stays quiet. Appreciate the help!
mrd8cd
Ready to race!
- Location
- St. Louis, MO
Well my solution didn't last long. Went for a drive this afternoon and have the same popping noise as before, and the car feels noticeably floaty. Clearly something isn't right with the sway bar. Has anyone else had similar issues with their rear sway bar install not going smoothly? I can't imagine it's normal to keep having to tighten down the endlinks every couple of weeks. Any permanent solutions or advice? The sway bar feels GREAT for the few days that everything stays tight down there...