Problems after installing eibach sway bars

[Andrei]

Hello everyone, it's my first message here
a picture of my car


I am frustrated, after installing eibach front sway bar my end link chassis on the Ohlins always broke!




After the first time I thought it was my fault cause I didn't have adjustable end links,
I notice a scratch from the sway bar on my lower control arm so I was sure that this is the reason, sway bar is to low (bacause the the link is to long) btw my car is litle lowerd then stock.

I bought WHITELINE Sway bar end links, mounted on the ground without any preload and shorting it to maximum.
still broke!
tried everything, different lengths for the end links, add spacers on the chassis, still always broke!


and with the rear sway bar, they sent it with the wrong bushing


I bought superpro bushings.
after installing the sway bar I didn't manage to install it on the soft hole, the original end link and the adjustable end link couldn't connect to this hole, its seems that I need to twist the lower control arm to reach the soft hole and I am stuck on the firmest Setting

If anyone have an Idea about my problems, I am very frustrated, im this close to throw those sway bars of a cliff and go back to stock.
Its the first time I have problem with eibach, and I don't say for surely that is eibach fault, to me it seems that way.


Thanks and sorry for my bad English

[twag4]

I have Eibach sway bars and have had no problems with them. Maybe the upper mount just needs to be stronger

[norcalpb]

Did you install those sway bar brackets yourself? It looks like there are 3 bolts on the length of the shock. For some reason I think those are backwards?

The endlinks should enter the shock from the flat side, not the boxed side.

[Andrei]

Originally Posted by twag4

I have Eibach sway bars and have had no problems with them. Maybe the upper mount just needs to be stronger

someone who work with or for ohlins told me to build stronger mount, but I'm afraid that something isn't right and every time the weak part will brake, probably the end links

[Andrei]

Originally Posted by norcalpb

Did you install those sway bar brackets yourself? It looks like there are 3 bolts on the length of the shock. For some reason I think those are backwards?

The endlinks should enter the shock from the flat side, not the boxed side.

no, the brackets was already installed, I checked pictures of this coilovers on the web and the brackets are installed correctly

[norcalpb]

Also whats up with those bushings you put on the endlink? The endlink is already close to the fender liner, and a bad hit could force the endlink into the fender line wall and snap the strut bracket off.

When I had Perrin endlinks with adjustable camber plates, turning the wheel would force the grade 8 endlink bolt head clean through the endlink bushing (80a durometer) because of contact with the fender liner wall. I can only imagine what kind of pressure is required to do such a thing.

[norcalpb]

Also to me it looks like on your damage picture that the bracket was bent outwards before finally snapping.



In this picture you can see the original shape of the bracket.

[Andrei]

Originally Posted by norcalpb

Also whats up with those bushings you put on the endlink? The endlink is already close to the fender liner, and a bad hit could force the endlink into the fender line wall and snap the strut bracket off.

When I had Perrin endlinks with adjustable camber plates, turning the wheel would force the grade 8 endlink bolt head clean through the endlink bushing (80a durometer) because of contact with the fender liner wall. I can only imagine what kind of pressure is required to do such a thing.

it was installed without the bushing, I tried many combination, the picture before

but you maybe have a point, I will put a gopro inside the fender to see if its close when i drive

[Joon525]

Originally Posted by twag4

I have Eibach sway bars and have had no problems with them. Maybe the upper mount just needs to be stronger

I had them as well and had zero problems.
As already alluded to, I think something may be up with the Ohlins, not the sway bar.

[NoHaveMSG]

Originally Posted by Andrei

someone who work with or for ohlins told me to build stronger mount, but I'm afraid that something isn't right and every time the weak part will brake, probably the end links

I'd have the mount boxed in like it is on every other coilover I have seen. It is likely flexing and fatiguing the bracket.

When I had Perrin endlinks with adjustable camber plates, turning the wheel would force the grade 8 endlink bolt head clean through the endlink bushing (80a durometer) because of contact with the fender liner wall. I can only imagine what kind of pressure is required to do such a thing.

I have the same issue. I just took a hammer to the inner fender to clearance it.

[rixter145]

The issue I have is my end link hits the coil over.. still trying to figure out what to do with it.

[strat61caster]

[solidONE]

Ouch! Seems like the the length of adjustment on your endlinks are a bit on the short side. I cannot really tell since I've never adjusted a front strut that short. The bar may have been preloaded too much after install. And as soon as you drive over a large bump SNAP!

That's what I imagine happned to your front strut. Steel is a much stronger (better fatigue and higher yielding). So if the swaybar assembly and it connections are all steel with the mount to the strut being aluminum? Guess which is going to go out first? Another thing to watch for is clearance at full lock, the upper endlink may contact frame rail, tho i see none of the marking in your pictures that would indicate its making contact with the frame.

Ohlins should not have trouble selling you or sending you a replacement part. So that's good news.

[glhs386]

I've had the same problem shearing off the Ohlins swaybar brackets with a 1" Hotchkis, three brackets in total. I'm convinced Ohlins only tested this setup with the stock swaybars and did not engineer these brackets for use with larger aftermarket bars. When I contacted them, they did not stock spare brackets and sent me used ones off a set of warranty return coilovers. I ended up having a metal fabrication guy weld up a set of reinforced brackets, I recommend the OP do the same.

Also, thick endlinks like the Whitelines will rub the strut at full lock like another poster mentioned. I ended up going with the thin Hotchkis links and filing down the corner of the strut bracket for clearance. Still didn't solve the swaybar bracket issue, however.

I've since ripped out the Ohlins and have temporarily gone back to stock suspension after having blown them out twice in three years. Admittedly we do have some poor roads here in the Bay Area, but I figured if any coilover would be able to handle it, it would be these. For the price, I'm kinda disappointed. Thinking of going with a custom Bilstein setup instead.