Strongest rear sway bar end link? I broke 3 sets...
 

I just broke my third set of rear sway bar end links. I broke the first set (Hotchkiss end links) when running Hotchkiss springs, sway bars with stock struts. After I blew out the stock rear struts, I got Mann-Engineering AST coil overs and got Whiteline end links (because I heard Whiteline end links were great) and kept the Hotchkiss sway bars.
With this set up, I broke two sets of Whiteline rear end links. The first set after about 6 months (while on track at Laguna Seca), and the second set after ~ 1 year (I have no idea when exactly). Whiteline replaced the first set under warranty, and I could get them to replace the second set, but I just want to find an end link that won't break!
I only do a ~6 track days/autoxs a year. I am running ~1.5 inch drop.
I saw Perrin put out the SS XD Spherical Bearing Rear Sway Bar Endlinks for ~$500 (seems expensive)
(http://perrinperformance.com/i-14660...-fr-s-brz.html)
Anyone try these?
Anyone know of anything really strong?

Pictures of the break:
https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...16&oe=56CB8C2B
https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.n...5d&oe=5693C4A3

I dont know why you have broken 3 set of end links because they are not supposed to be broken that easily after properly adjusted.

But since you ask for the best one, I would say SPL.

http://www.splparts.com/products/spl...s-brz-wrx.html

Thanks, those do look great.
I did adjust the swaybars the first time, so I thought I may had made a mistake which caused the end links to break. The next two times they were installed I had a professional race shop (both authorized Whiteline shops) do everything.
I am starting to think that it maybe the Hotchkiss sway bar design that doesn't align with the rear control arm properly, which may cause extra stress.

What size sway bar are you running? Maybe going smaller and letting the coilovers do their job a bit more might help.
Also - did you put in LCAs? Which ones?

Where are they breaking at?
http://www.aurorabearing.com/index.html
You should be good with a military or aerospace series.
Many companies use their parts and sell under their own name.
Not sure who actually carries their parts, let us know if you find a place or what you decide to do.

The rear is 19 mm. It is 4 way adjustable. After I broke the 2nd set, I went to spot softer on the sway (so 2nd softest setting) to try to reduce the stress on the part. Ya, I might be looking at new sway bars if this next set doesn't work. I just really like the way it handles now, it is corners really flat and very neutral.

I am running the SPC adjustable lower control arms, but I only installed those after the second set broke. They were installed the same time as the latest Whiteline end links.

Interesting. I will look into those.

The Hotchkiss end links bent the the bolt that linked the end link to the LCA so much that I had to cut is off with a dremel.
The Whiteline's broke in the same place, shown below. All times the right side broke.

https://scontent-sjc2-1.xx.fbcdn.net...1b&oe=56871689

damn, that's crazy lol. whiteline is supposed to be good stuff.

Some LCAs have a bit of different geometry. GTSpec, Stance, etc. I run GTSpec. They have a bit of an angle to them. Helps with lowered cars in some cases.

Yours?
http://www.modbargains.com/images/Pr...er-arms-06.jpg

vs

http://www.fa20club.com/shop/images/...mb_full-01.jpg

Anyway - just seems weird that there is that much force on that one side. Certainly beefier links may help but maybe something else is going on?

I also have a GTSpec rear sway bar braces
http://www.gtspec.com/sites/default/...%203720132.jpg

Well, that's all I know and it probably didn't help much! Good luck with the issue :)

I've noticed that even an entirely stock rear suspension will cause the portion of the endlink connected to the LCA to twist a bit once mounted. luckily the stock uses rubber bushings so it does not break.

@Racecomp Engineering

Avo has a set I have never tried -

http://www.subietuned.com/19939-thic...-end-links.jpg

I'd go with these if you intend on keeping the rear sway.

If it's always one side consistently breaking, the issue might not be the end link but the positioning of the centering rings on the sway bar. Have you checked that the centering distance is the same on both sides?

FYI ---

I felt a little lost choosing a sway bar until I ran across this chart at Perrin
http://perrinperformance.com/i-13324...-fr-s-brz.html

It shows their different size bars and the effect at each position.

SPECIFICATIONS
PERRIN 16mm Bar Hole #1 30% Stiffer than 14mm OEM bar
PERRIN 16mm Bar Hole #2 65% Stiffer than 14mm OEM bar
PERRIN 16mm Bar Hole #3 116% Stiffer than 14mm OEM bar
PERRIN 19mm Bar Hole #1 150% Stiffer than 14mm OEM bar
PERRIN 19mm Bar Hole #2 243% Stiffer than 14mm OEM bar
PERRIN 19mm Bar Hole #3 347% Stiffer than 14mm OEM bar
PERRIN 22mm Bar Hole #1 400% Stiffer than 14mm OEM bar
PERRIN 22mm Bar Hole #2 535% Stiffer than 14mm OEM bar
PERRIN 22mm Bar Hole #3 729% Stiffer than 14mm OEM bar

What about these? 5 year warranty seems good. Not sure if they is any room for twisting.
http://perrinperformance.com/i-13324...-fr-s-brz.html
http://perrinperformance.com/images/M92605089
http://perrinperformance.com/images/M74511534

Thanks for the suggestion. With the polyurethane end links worry about 2 things: 1) With my car being lowered 1.5", won't I need the end links to be adjustable so I can fit them? They seem to be designed for the stock ride height. 2) Polyurathane being plastic, they are bound to stretch/creep over time. They may not break, but will definitely be much longer after extended use, compromising their effectiveness.(?)

It's a good point. Edge Motorwerks said they had checked that when they found the second set broke, but I didn't check that last yesterday when I found the third set broke. I'll check it again.

Is the sway bar captured with collars? Could it slide laterally when disconnected from the links? Maybe under cornering load it shifts and puts undue stress on the link?

The links look like they are shearing, not stretching or compressing, I'd guess there's some unforeseen force left/right/forward/back.

IMO this is coming from one of three things. Your bar didn't have locating collars and is moving laterally and binding. Your bushings are binding and not allowing the bar to rotate. Or, most likely, the end links are poorly designed.

End links with a bushings, like the white line design, are not designed to be used with an adjustable swaybar. This is compounded when lowered as the distance between the LCA and swaybar becomes smaller.


Either get the Perrin spherical end endlinks, $$$. Or make your own. Or check out 949 racing's endlinks (for a miata), it would take a little bit of modification (spacers for the arm and a through bolt)but they could work just fine and are cheap.

My .02$ is manufactures completely dropped the ball on endlinks for this car.

Incorrect, though spherical would help.

The whiteline rear end links are designed to be used with an adjustable bar. The end link bushing end has three positions to match the three positions on whiteline's adjustable rear bars. The three positions are achieved by placing the gold colored spacers on either side of the link, or both in the front or both in the rear of the link. This locates the link either in the middle, front or rear of the control arm. It is necessary to use a vice or something similar to push the pin pressed into the bushing to match the position of the gold spacers.

So my question to the OP is this: did you make sure the links were set to match the position on the hole you were using in the bar?

From what your picture looks like it seems like the links were not installed correctly. The link appears as though it would have been positioned in line with the hole on the bar you are using if the gold spacers were together on the axle side of the control arm.

^ was just about to suggest something with spherical bearing on the control arm side. May be the answer to your endlink woes... maybe. Try to find a set using the beefiest threads on the rodends as you can. Otherwise you may be able to put together a set, as someone suggested, by sourcing a set of rod ends to fit the ones you already broke. Th's if you can find the size you need to fit those whitelines.

I didn't know this, so I'll give white line a little credit. Even still it sure looks like the adjustment range of his bar exceeds the physical edge of the LCA. Endlinks with spherical ends on both sides would be better.

That is really crazy that you've been through so many endlinks. I'd check with Hotchkiss to see if they've ever heard of that before. If it's putting so much stress into the endlink that it's making it break, and bending even the lower bolt, then something weird is going on with the bar I'd think.

This is my bet. The adjustable positions on the bar are causing the endlink to deflect away from the control arm bushing. Add in an arc-shaped travel path, and at the extremes (even just squat from acceleration) the end link is forced to deflect even farther along an axis that it can't handle much of.

In other words, the bolt appears to get side loaded (because the bushing will only flex so far) and is getting fatigued, and shearing from the constant cyclic load every time the suspension moves.

I also would recommend heavy duty spherical joints. It might be a little more expensive, but will alleviate the side-load (if that is what's causing it). Just make sure that the joint's deflection will more than cover the angles necessary for the entire range of travel or you'll have the same problem all over again.

edit- the only other thing that might cause it is if the suspension components (or just the swaybar) is somehow binding on something.

Looks like the bar is spaced as Hotchkis suggests for the med-stiff setting. I'm pretty sure their end links use Aurora rodends too. I'll PM you the email for the engineer that designed the Hotchkis bar setup, and maybe he can help sort out the issue.

Even a completely stock rear suspension will see side load on the bushing. Only thing is that the stock link has enough give in the rubber bushing to not break. Also it's not a threaded connection so they will stretch/bend and deform before it would break. The threads just make it that much easier to shear off the way those whitelines did on his car.

Edit:
Was working under the car last night so I snapped a pic.
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w...48f629ee5c.jpg

Factory control arms, swaybar, endlink. As you can see it is cocked at an angle and not a right angle.