chiminoid

which manufacturer's set of toe links and trailing arms last the longest?

my car only sees the normal street/city/highway driving, the occasional road/street race, and i plan on doing 2 autocrosses (at most) within the next year.
i'm sure both sets will be able to handle the damage thrown at them, so it really comes down to which of the two will last longer? do the rod end seals that come with rotary extreme's sets make a big difference in their longevity?

any other benefits of one over another?

thanks

jimlab

Heim joints (rod ends) won't last all that long in a street application without dust covers. As far as longevity, if you don't procure your own, the Rotary Extreme links which include dust covers are your best bet. Other than that, the only difference between the two is the anodizing color.

scratchjunkie

m2 > re

chiminoid

M2 will cost me about $70 or so cheaper than RE. That's one good thing but if they don't last as long then i rather have RE.
Did you put any kind of shielding for your rod ends, junkie?

jimlab

Then get the M2 arms and dust covers from Baker Precision to keep them alive longer.

chiminoid

Thanks for the suggestion!

Anyone know how many and what size rod end seals i'll need for the M2 toe links and trailing arms?

jimlab

I believe they were 5/8" dust covers (PN SE-010).

http://www.bakerprecision.com/rodacc.htm

If you run a search on Baker Precision, this was discussed this in another thread, and I listed the size I bought there.

chiminoid

thanks

maxpesce

Also the M2 trailing arms have offset spacers so they give about 1/4" more tire clearance vs the others.

Scrapiron7

http://www.rotaryextreme.com/reproduct.html

I think Chuck could answer any quesitons about his Trailing Arms. I have had no problems and they are very well made.

SPOautos

Here is a write up from DamonB

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...hreadid=184098


STEPHEN

jimlab

I believe they all have offset spacers...

chiminoid

how long do aftermarket links (on average) usually last, considering just street use?

jimlab

Read this... as advised earlier...

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...hreadid=161591

chiminoid

jim,
what'd you think of the dust protection boots from baker precision? you didn't really say anything about them except they looked retarded lol. protection? fitment? worth the money? increase in longevity of the rod ends?

jimlab

I bought one of the boots, and yes, it did look retarded. Probably works though, although I have no idea. It's still sitting in a drawer.

The dust caps I bought (PN SE-010) are "wafers" with a rubber dust boot and metal washer. They go on either side of the heim joint and seal out road debris.

chiminoid

in the drawer...
if i buy m2's links i was planning on getting those seals from bakerprecision. but if i buy from Rotary Extreme they'll already come with em.

pretty much comes down to which company's links come with stronger rod ends... who knows the answer?

jimlab

What is this, 21 questions?

The high end Rotary Extreme links are arguably the strongest, but you made it sound like you were far more interested in saving a buck. I've never heard of anyone breaking trailing arms or toe links made by any aftermarket vendor (Rotor Motorsports, K2RD, M2, RE, etc.).

CCarlisi

This isn't rocket science. Toe links and Trailing arms are just threaded pipes designed to match up to ball joints made by third party companies. As Jim noted, it wouldn't take much to make them yourself. If you go this route you can use your bearing of choice. My friend that works as a fabricator for a porsche shop says that the quality of the ball joints used in the links he has seen are mid range. Therefore you can probably come up with something better, albeit more expensive, if you're resourceful. If not (like me generally), consider the following:

I agree with Jim, if you leave the bearing surface unsealed and exposed to the elements, anything you put in there will wear down.

I have a set of rotormotorsports links (rebadged K2rd links). I have covered the bearings on mine with sections of bicycle tube. So far they have held up fine to about 3,000 miles of city driving. For more info on this see my site
http://www.carlisiworld.com/ccarlisi...3/feedback.htm

If I had it to do over again I would go with the Rotary Extreme links. We know for a fact that all the other links wear down. The rotary extreme links may have the same problem, but by virtue of the fact that they only recently came onto the market it is uncertain.

Which choice is more appealing, the one with an unknown result or the one that is known to lead to failure?

clayne

Alot of people mention the RE links as being stronger.. However, they are a solid design whereas the M2 and Pettit links are tubular if I remember correctly.

I would expect the M2 and Pettit links to be as strong, if not stronger, and also weigh less (something good for unsprung).

DamonB

Any of the toe links are over built for what they need to do. The only thing to do is use a high quality rod end and weather seal them the best you can.

Here's the thread about rod ends and weather seals here

scratchjunkie

id like to add that these are track tested vs RE copying.

jimlab

Sorry, I'd post something more constructive but I'm laughing too hard right now...

Donovan

Something to take into consideration as well is IF the M2 ends are even in stock. If you are going to order from M2 MAKE DAMN SURE THEY HAVE THEM THERE. DO NOT order if they don't have them actually in stock in the shop..... Trust me. Also Pettit makes some. I have theirs and they have worked fine.
They are all going to be strong enough, and guessing that the actual joint is going to be made from the same material they should all wear the same more or less. The only factor will be the dust boots/driving contition/luck

Devilish

If anyone cares, I've had my M2 toe & trailing links for over 40k miles with no issues what-so-ever. I changed my shocks awhile back and the links still looked & felt fine. You can also order them from Ground Control since that's who makes them.

With that said though, I'd spend the extra money & buy the Rotary Extreme ones with the seals for peace of mind.