My suspension is all relatively fresh pillowballs, arms, bushings, sway bar end links, coilovers, tie rods etc (all less than 4000 miles). Street only car, not driven too hard. Maybe 280 crank HP with the light mods it has.

For the rear toe links I was loathe to spend $800+ on stockers, and the bushings seemed too finicky and delicate for me to have them pressed in and out by local machine shops. In the end I went with TCS toe links because colour (dislike all the bright stuff that sticks out) as most of the aftermarkets seemed to be the same mold with different branding.

I recently found the TCS's have play in them already, and one side had a bit of corrosion and pitting. I thought it might be because they have no boot, but then my Improved Racing sway bar end links have held up like champs and are wide open and gather more grit.

Am looking for a higher quality, more durable toe link than the TCS without going full OEM. Suggestions based on real world use?

 

Juan at J-Auto is a good guy and knows his way around an RX-7. No problems ever with the set up I bought over thee years ago

www.j-auto.net

 

Just replace the rod ends. They aren't very expensive.
Make sure to choose something of the same strength and articulation level but of higher quality.
You will want something with a teflon liner.

 

Bloody brilliant. I didn't think about that at all. Seems like the bolt hole is 3/8". And I recall one end (or both?) are left hand threaded.

Links to any reccos? I'm seeing a ton of RC car stuff, and Grainger. https://www.grainger.ca/en/product/F...24/p/GGF20G031

 

Pegasus is my choice for rod ends - theirs have consistent high quality and just the right amount of ball tightness (it seems to me they must spec that to their suppliers) to keep out dirt w/o excess friction. Other sources ball tightness's vary all over the place.

 

You need one end to thread in the other direction as the other to get that turnbuckle effect that most adjustable links rely on. You will want to measure your part to see if the part is threaded for a metric or imperial size, find out the size, as well as the eyelet size, before shopping.

Down here in burgerland, I'd suggest McMaster-Carr, but I don't think you guys have that option. I'll ask some Canadian friends where they go for those joints and report back.

 

I don't like some of the rodends McM offers. When I questioned their source(s) they would not tell me where they were from. I don't trust generic Chinesium parts, so to me they are not a good source, especially for a safety-related suspension part.

 

the bushings on the OE links are actually quite easy, no press needed, a nut, bolt and the right size sockets will do the job

 

FK and Aurora bearings are some of the highest quality out there and their price reflects this. They are available from various vendors.
https://www.fkrodends.com/
https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/gr...GroupID=RODEND

For a street car, it is worthwhile to use these types of bearing seals to keep some of the grit out.
https://www.pegasusautoracing.com/pr...oduct=3077-001

The Rotary Extreme toe links I have been using for decades and many tens of thousands of miles wore well because they use high quality rod ends (FK or Aurora).

 

Cheers! That would be great.

 

Superb.

 

Funny enough, replacing the rod ends on aftermarket rear toe links was one of the very first things I did when I bought my car.
In hindsight, they were probably fine, they were just slightly corroded and stiff from the car sitting for so long.
I remember considering measuring the threads and sourcing them on my own, but ultimately just ordering them from the people who made the links.
It probably would have been a good idea to make sure they were teflon lined. Metal on metal is just asking for problems.

 

Yeah, always learning . I did clean and grease them up which stopped the stickiness, but they still have play so will need the change.

 

I buy the higher end Aurora teflon rod and spherical bearings from Pegasus. Pay attention to the load ratings. This typically indicates lifespan expectation. There are boot kits out there too that help to keep them sealed as well.
.

 

Grease is going to attract dirt. It’s a no-no for unsealed parts.

 

Old bump, but my rear toe links are shot and were clunking pretty hard when I last drove my FD. Was wondering what size thread I would need for my OEM rear toe links on the rod end bearings listed here?:



Will be replacing almost all the bushings on my FD.

 

Maybe I misunderstood your question but I don't know how you would use those paired with the OEM toe links...

 

oh never mind, I misunderstood thinking they were interchangeable.

I’ll definitely be buying an entire new set then in that case. Fitment wise which ones would work on a street FD with some spirited driving?

 

stock works. I think there are some poly bushings for the stock toe links too. I'd probably try poly for those particular bushings if using the stock toe links. The stock toe links are really easy to adjust and get the desired alignment settings. I might wind up going back to stock toe links with poly bushings due to the ease of adjustability.

 

great thank you! I’ll definitely go that route as well

edit/ I just realized that I actually have this entire kit, which includes them

https://www.sakebombgarage.com/superpro-full-bushing-replacement-kit-fd-rx-7/

 

You dont want to use the aftermarket bushings in the stock FD toe links- it causes rear suspension binding and squeeking/groaning as well.

Reason is the stock toe links are rubber isolated rod ends since like most FD rear suspension pivot points they must operate in multiple planes.
Since the toe links are short the arc when they transit front to back is even greater than the longer links in the rear suspension.

The aftermarket rear toe link bushings should never have been made for the FD.

 

gracer7-rx7

Since you have the bushings and rear toe links on hand it would make an excellent informative video or post to install them and move the rear suspension up and down without the shock attached by hand to demonstrate the issue.

 

You can get replacement pillowballs and upgraded Mazdaspeed factory bushings (which are mostly metal with just a little rubber) for the factory toe links.
The pillowball which goes on the outer part of the toe link (where it connects to the upright) is part number FD01-26-230, note this is smaller than the other pillowballs in the rear suspension and a slightly different part number so the J-auto ones won't fit. You need two pillowballs if you're doing both sides of the car.
The Mazdaspeed bushings (where it connects to the subframe) are part number F128-28-42Y and you might be able to get them from Mazdatrix if you don't have a Mazdaspeed Motorsports account. You need two bushings if you're doing both sides of the car. The install of the bushing isn't easy, you need to cut the steel shoulder off of the original bushing to remove it. It's like the rear lower arm bushing, but everything is smaller which makes it a little harder to press without damaging the toe link. I did something similar to this video, but used a dremel tool to cut away the entire sleeve so I could fit a socket or bushing press cup around the entire circular area of the toe link.
I filmed some of what I did when replacing the toe link bushings, the camera angles aren't great but I could probably post something on youtube in a few days if anyone is interested to see it.

 

I didn’t watch the whole video above and scotty305 may have covered it…. I remember one of the stock toe-link bushings (fore or aft, can’t remember which without looking) has a soft aluminum-like collar. Just take care to start it straight and even in the press. IIRC I used an old brake cylinder hone to clean things up and used some gear grease to help keep that collar from binding going in. I think the bushing at the other end had a steel collar and was a piece of cake.

 

@BLUE TII
Interesting... So you are saying that the toe link bushings need articulation? I thought that link was static - like the rear upper control arm. Can you confirm I understood the issue correctly?

I don't have poly toe links so can't video. Maybe Jatt can.