Does anyone have Perrin endlinks mated to an aftermarket front sway bar?
 

Does anyone have Perrin endlinks mated to an aftermarket sway? What are your thoughts? I just did this mod, and I'm not quite sure about it just yet. I have the Hotchkis 25.4mm hollow front sway bar, stiffest setting, equivalent to a 22mm solid front sway bar, and the Perrin Endlinks. I also have RE71r tires.

I only drove for about 15 minutes on a few tight turns, nothing over 45 mph. Steering is very responsive, but takes more muscle to turn. My goal was to almost completely remove oversteer. On one twist, I noticed a little corner entry understeer, almost borderline too much, before settling and gripping.

I'm debating about going to the softer setting, or maybe I just need to get used to this. I talk to a good autocrosser, and he states his fav set up is a little corner entry understeer in his RWD car that washes out, and grip through the rest of the turn.

I just installed the Perrin endlinks (front and rear) with the TRD sway bars, which although technically "factory", are definitely aftermarket in the sense that you have to purchase them separately and either install them or have them installed. I love these links. They are very well made and just feel solid. I think that quite a bit of the improvement in the handling is due to them. The stock end links frankly are a joke.

Why do you have 2 threads for the same thing?

He asked if anyone had Perrin links attached to a non-stock sway bar. I answered his question. There is no guarantee that he saw the other thread. End of story.

... except, he was the one that created that thread too... :thumbup:

They are probably the stiffest end links I've ever had in a vehicle. I also had the sway bar on with the OEM links, and the difference is noticeable. Since they're not spherical like OEM, I'm experiencing steering resistance with it harder to turn, with it more difficult turning the wheel left than right. Are you experiencing this too?

-----

Fika84, I forgot about that other posting, woops. In response to what you stated in the other post.

I got an alignment today actually. My toe was off significantly. It's now aligned to factory specs. I haven't had a chance to really push the car, but I will try to see if this steering wander is gone.

You make a good point, it may be me! I weigh 185lb.

That toe would DEFINITELY make the car feel unstable. :) Let us know how it feels now.

I got a chance to push the car on some twisties. It's AMAZING! Zero oversteer, and zero to minimal corner entry understeer. The grip is insane.

With the stiffer front sway, endlinks, and RE71r's I upgraded all at once, ride quality suffers, but only minimally IMO. The road noise is higher, but I honestly want the car to be louder. I might get an exhaust as my next foreseeable upgrade. Almost all set with all upgrades for CS.

It's about even behavior going left or right in the twists in regards to oversteer, understeer, grip, etc... There are some differences at times, but it might be all in my head, ...or I wonder if it's because I used a helicoil on one bolt hole and replaced a mating bolt. On the helicoil'd hole, I used an OEM bolt. For the bolt that was ruined, I got one from Lowe's.

Regarding the mating bolt got from Lowe's. I'm going to order an OEM bolt sometime today to replace the Lowe's bolt. They are the same thread size, 10 x 1.25, but the OEM bolts feel stronger and the threads on the bolt are deeper. I think adding to some more rigidity.... or simple placebo, lol.

The steering wheel being harder to turn, I mentioned earlier is only noticeable at a dead stop. When moving, turning feels very easy with the wheel only being harder to turn seldom. Maybe it's just something I have to get used to with the stiffer links and me sitting in the driver's seat compressing the left side of the car? I honestly don't know. It's not enough for me to want to go back to OEM links/aftermarket spherical links.

There is always some amount of suspension movement when you turn the steering wheel. I would assume that you are feeling it more now because of the endlinks. I'm sure you've heard of "Bump Steer"? That's the toe angle being changed when the suspension travels up/down. Same thing happens when you steer the car (affect toe), the suspension is going to travel up/down slightly. I'm sure you'll get used to it quickly.