Okay, guys, I am posting this up for REDRX3RX8. He had this idea a while back to get the sway bar level on his rear. His machinist buddy did a pretty good job and I think the results are promising.

He will post up his initial impressions but the real test will be at Harris Hill road course in the months to come (when he gets back from tanning his *** on the beach for two months). But I think it's a great idea if you are lowered.

Before:


After:

 

 

Let's see a picture of it with the suspension at full extension

The right way to do this is to relocate the lower endlink mount, not to shorten the endlink, those are way too short IMO - fail


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This ain't my first rodeo; I've won TTOD a few times myself. Sorry if the quality sucks, but I jacked up right wheel until it was off ground, and took these pics. It looks like the endlink points straight up instead of toward the rear bushing where it would if there was no more travel. It feels stiffer, but the real test is on track, and I think my rear camber is too much -1.9 so then, and after new tire set, I'll reduce it as far as -1.0. Pics coming...

 

By relocate do you mean make the OEM welded tab higher? This was the first set, I am sure some adjustments are necessary.

 

The endlink tab is in the right spot because I could jump my RX8 in San Francisco "Bullitt" style, and it doesn't run out of travel; I just checked again. It did take me a few years of tracking to realize what everyone was saying about the rear bar binding which I think it does when suspension nears bump stops on shocks. One guy on here showed a pic of bent endlink which could have been hammered by the spring, or at least was binding.

Of course, the million $ question is: will the pins ever get loose? I'll attach stronger, then, if needed. If I don't get closer to neutral steer after alignment, I'll try urethane bushings next, and then, RB rear bar, but I'm getting closer, and I like to do only one thing at a time to be sure what change works.

Also, I only go to HPDE's so no one here is my competitor. I like to improve the RX8 community, so, I'll exchange any workable ideas for free.

 

In the forum land of clueless ***** the retarded theorist is king ....

 

Yes Team, you are our king. All Hail TeamRX8.

 

No bump anymore.

 

Bump, my Lebren endlinks looked pretty bad when swapped teh springs and shocks on Saturday. I and thinking of getting progress sways.

 

So get me a pair of factory rear endlinks when I come next week, and I'll mail back fixed.

Don't replace rear bar until you see how much tighter this mod makes the stock yellows.

 

Yes, I have done more retarded things then you can imagine. That's where my good judgement in such matters come from. There's no need to shorten the endlinks more than a 1/4" or so if even that. Shortening too much only creates a problem where none previously existed.

 

I'm sorta at a loss to understand what is going on here. Why shorten them?

 

because they think that with a lowered car that the swaybar arm is no longer level to the ground, never mind that the rear bar arm was never level to begin with.

Unless you've shortened the shocks this is a pointless exercise, and even then the proper method is to relocate the endlink mounting point rather than shorten it. You really want the longest endlink possible because the bigger issue than the swaybar arm not being level is the angle of the endlink itself, which none of you experts has bothered to consider. The longer the link, the less angle change over the motion of the suspension.

 

Ok, Once more, my 8 is at 13 1/2 inches from the hub to fender which is about 2 inches lower than the highest that can still be factory spec. The rear wheel alignment specs imply that it can be as high as 15.8 inches with camber of -0 deg 40'.

Many people on here have complained about the endlinks, and I saw I pic with endlink bent. I felt like the rear sway bar wasn't working any so I shortened 1 5/8 inches. If the sway bar can ride 2.3 inches higher, then the bar can still work with 1 5/8 inches out.

And now you can actually feel the bar working like the rear is steering when you start turning, even at low speed. Like I said, I tuned the front and rear sways on a 73 RX3, and played around with the stiffness of the rear bar with springs on the links.

I know what the rear bar feels like when it works.

Team, you've never tried this or you'd shut up already. I don't care if anyone does this mod. Go ahead, and keep buying springs, shocks, scales, and other speed parts to impress your homies. I got the bar to work, and I don't think thicker, stiffer bar is even necessary.

 

Really sucks when you have to second guess whether or not to post up something you did to your car without someone being a complete and utter douche about it. Constructive criticism is one thing ..... being an ******* is uncalled for.

 

apparently you disagree with yourself ...

I <3 the internet

 

Yet another homerun post from homeboy Team-o-rama action. I will contend that replacing the stock rears with adjustables are 100% better for those who are playing with their suspension. If you are adjusting your ride height and don't understand the concept of sway bar pre-load then you need to look into it kiddos. Probably one of the cheapest fixes to a modified suspension. Neutralizing a swaybar is so, so, so fundamental when setting up a car most people either don't know it, forget to do it or perform it improperly.

Summary: If your not confident about neutralizing your sway bar then you should do some homework. Easy subject to learn and understand. Save you a lot of headaches if your a DIY aftermarket suspension bit bolt-on person.

 

Unless you are doing some serious corner balance twisting on the scales I found there is enough slop in all four endlink holes to account for the pre-load in all but the most serious circumstances.

 

Speak of the devil!

I was about to quote and name drop Eric Meyer a few days ago, and he shows up!

Eric wrote some really good stuff about suspensions to the 9th degree that I'll never do, but he understands what the hell he's doing ( spent and raced enough), and Teams ability is like synchronized swimming in comparison.

Eric is an asset to this forum, and said to try lots of different things.

SO I DID!

 

So I just want to understand this a bit clearer. I installed C/O's in my car, and also got a set of aftermarket sways and endlinks. With my car lowered on the OE sways, when the car was off the ground, the sway bar was actually pointing up at a pretty big angle.

After I installed the sway bars, I tried to make sure that when the car was off the ground, i adjusted the links so that the bar was parallel to the ground. Now that the car is on the ground, there is a slight angle, but thats to be expected due to load.

Was this the wrong procedure? I guess I am just confused about the mention of "longer endlinks"

 

The rear bar was designed so that when you hit bumps the sway bar shifts up, and the sway bar leverage is reduced. Since the bar is shaped like a C, you have to look at the last inch or two, and get that perpendicular to the endlink. Even shortened endlinks point slightly forward, and maybe 1 inch shorter would work, too, but I like the feel of mine.

If you put on another bar, like say the RB, I noticed that the attachment point is shorter than our stock bar so it might work with stock endlinks, but I don't think the bar should ever be lengthened because it will end up parallel with the bar on a severe bump, bind, and bend like some of the pics on here.

Don't listen to Teamrx8, he's the resident ******* here. He's a taker, not a maker.

 

I see what you mean, yea my shortened endlinks are pointing at a forward angle a bit. I can make it more perpendicular by moving the endlink to the "stiffer" setting on the bar, but then I would need to go even shorter with the endlink which I cant.

 

That's why I invented "New and Improved brand shortened endlinks". My machinist would have done it free, but I tipped him $20. Best $20. I've spent on the car yet.

 

Well researching a bit more has me realize that i did something stupid ... i think ... so i loaded up my endlinks while my car was in the air ... sounds like i need to undo them and try again with the car being on the ground to get a better install. Sound right?

Btw sorry for hijacking, figured that since you did this "mod" you probably can fill me in on tips for my setup heh.