[Shotimes] End Links

[Donald Mallinson]

Kirk,

The only thing I have against harder aftermarket bushings is 
they quite often squeek, and unless you have a race car or 
live where there are super smooth roads all the time, they 
make the car too harsh for me.  But you ASSumed something 
that was never in my comments.  Your bad.

A shorter endlink will NOT do the same thing as a two 
different mounting holes on the end of the sway bar. 
Shortening the end of the sway bar WAY increases tortion 
stiffness or resistence to twisting.  Shorter lever, more 
resistance.  Putting on a shorter link does not change the 
geometry enough to make the same kind of difference.

totally different effect.  Had enough math classes and 
engineering to know that for a fact.

Nobody here with a modest knowledge of suspensions will be 
surprised that a sway bar stiffens up if you take out all 
the factory compliance from the soft rubber bushings.  Duh!  :)

Don Mallinson



Kirk Doucette wrote:

> Than I guess that your against the TPR bushings that are widely sold now.. I
> installed a set (front and rear0 and could not twist the bar at all by hand.
> But they now seem to be the "better" replacement over Polyurethane.
> 
> Like Robert said, if you or anyone goes out and looks at your endlinks they
> are in a factory bind position.  Endlinks should be totally vertical, that
> you learn in SUSP 101, for a correct handling car the endlinks should be
> vertical, and the swaybar eyelets should be horizontal in a perfect world or
> on every other car but a Taurus.. Ford made the mounts to shallow an they
> already pull the endlinks at this type of angle   Drivers \     Passenger  /
> causing the bar Epically a thick bar like the 26 to be in a 100 percent all
> the time bind.  That's also how they made the ride that much softer in the
> G3, the puny bar 19mm bends and contorts very easily causing it to BIND less
> and giving a much more comfortable ride.
> 
> The stock endlinks too are thin, and use a soft rubber bushing from the
> factory. Both of which flex a lot. Anyone reading this just add HD endlinks
> and notice a difference in the stiffness of the car? I bet you did.  Every
> wonder why when you change out endlink bushings they are squished to one
> side?
> 
> And one other thing.. Someone get a pen and write this down as the Biggest
> day in SHO history..  The 29mm bar from the SS was designed to have
> different mounting holes for this reason it had two sets of eyelets to
> position the bar.  The rear most would accomplish the same thing as the
> shorter endlinks. A stiffer and better handling car, The first and only
> thing (IMO) Upgrade that ever came out of there that was designed almost
> properly.  But 29mm is way to stiff.
> 
> Plus one other thing, the 26mm bar I have found to be inconsistent in length
> and pitch of the eyelets. Mine and Christians are totally different bars,
> and even the one on my 91 has a steeper pitch than both of the others.. Its
> like the switched vendors or something..
> 
> Most of my sway bar and endlink info comes from a guy in California, who
> built racecars his whole life and even after many years made his own bars. I
> want to say that he raced IMSA but im not to sure what class. I called him
> many years ago for some parts and he explained all of this to me, I guess
> there is somehow to see when that original post was put up at V8SHO back in
> 01 maybe?
> 
> Kirk J Doucette