I was reading on the global west website about how using poly bushings cause binding, assuming the rear end doesnt stay parallel with the body when cornering and driving over uneven surfaces, but thier "superior" solution is to use spherical rod ends. This might stop the binding but how about lasting more than a few months on a daily driver? ...and for 320.00 bucks I think not, so would rubber bushing be more ideal than polyurethane or is that even a step further back? How have the rest of you felt about poly lca's at the autocross?

 

I have the poly/poly ended LCAs and they can get squeeky at times, but nothing to overbearing. I think a solution to this is to buy arms with mismatched ends such as poly/spherical and this will help with binding and undesired noise. Spohn and BMR carry this kind of stuff I believe and it is cheaper then 320.00

 

I have the BMR poly/rubber. I think they work fine.

 

Rod ends will last longer than a couple months on a daily-driven car, just invest in some seals, such as the Seals-It brand (Search google), they work wonders on keeping the junk out of the joint and making them last a lot longer.

I've got about 15K miles on mine, and they're still tight. And $320 for 6 rod ends is nutz, I think I spent no more than $160 for 6 of them off ebay, and those were the good QA1 parts.

 

Won't LCAs put you in a higher racing class? I know SFC's will.

 

I have the Global west LCAs. I ordered the poly/rod end combo. Had them on my car since March. I had no problems until last month when one of the rod ends came loose and was making a rattling sound. I probaly put about 15k pretty hard miles on it. It was covered under their warranty (1year for rod ends, lifetime for arm itself) so they sent me a new one after about a week.

That aside, I'm really happy with them and going over bumps you can really feel the "whump" as it plants the wheel back down on the ground. There's no squeaks or anything other then that sound, and that "whump" is actually a good thing IMO. They do their job well.

I don't recall them costing $320 though. I think they were around $200.

 

I was talking about their LCA's with both ends being the spherical rod ends not just one.... those were what they called superior and charged 320 for. I have a friend into drag racing that wants my poly/poly BMR tubular LCA's so I was wanting to educate myself about what I would get otherwise if I sold them to him. Thanks for the comments so far guys.

 

Those are pretty hardcore aren't they? The site says that they are pretty unnecessary and overkill if it's a street car.

 

i'm about to order the non adjustable "upgrade from stock" LCA's from UMI. my car is a daily and i dont plan on hitting more than about 430 horses anytime in the cars life, but i'll let u know how long the ends last on mine. as far a squeaking on the poly bushings i think there is a synthetic grease that stops the squeaking. but then again i dont know alot about suspension mods or what is good, thats why i'm on here now!

 

Personally I run the full rod-end combo outback, and wouldn't do any different anymore. It's a little harsher over rough roads, but I feel more connected to the road actually, and the car handles and launches 100* better than stock.

Like I said though, spend the extra $25 and install seals with your rod ends, and not just the plain ends, it WILL make a difference in how long they last.

 

Not to hijack, but 97 formula...you like the rods ended LCAs? The reason I'm asking is a friend of mine is selling his Spohn adjustables with rod ends for $150..They are a year old and still look brand new. I was looking to replace my Hotchkis LCAs because they are 10 years old, and these Spohns are a good deal...They are $245 new...

--Alan

 

Do you pack them with grease to keep moisture out? Seems like once any moisture gets in it would stay in.

 

I just got done installing poly/poly lca. They have a nice little grease fitting at both ends, so that if they do get squeaky, a little touch with the gun will fix it. As for binding, yes it is true they can bind, but from my reading at the fbod autox site this will not happen until you are really pushing the car. I never push that hard, and I figure properly greased ends will almost never bind.

 

It has nothing to do with moisture or grease. Rod Ends are sealed units and do not ever need external lubercation; at least on the good ones with the Teflon inserts; The Teflon is the lube in the joint. (QA1 Endura's which are the most common used for our parts, and what I use are a teflon lined rod end).

Most rod end failures occour from Forein Object Debris getting onto and into the joint. Basically saying that all the dirt from the road that gets onto the joint is what makes it's way in between the ball and socket and wears the teflon out of the joint and makes them sloppy.

The seals just help prevent that dirt from getting to the ball/teflon of the joint.

I would pick those up, they are a decent unit. I would check the condition of the ends though, figure $160 or so to replace the rod ends if needed, plus $25 for seals.

 

Rod ends are not created equal. If you are looking at rod ends, be sure that they sell you the teflon lined, aircraft quality three-piece rod ends. My Spohn LCAs came with standard quality rod ends and they broke down after 3000 miles. They now rattle rather badly, and I have six rod ends to replace now. I'll be buying QA1's or Aurora rod ends, just like what 97Formula is recommending. Thanks for the tip on the Seals-It brand seals. I couldnt find any in 2000 when I upgraded to the rod end LCAs. However its time to tighten everything up so I hope I wont have to rebuild this suspension again any time soon. I've lived with the noise for four summers now.