which end links are better

**twoolley08** · 10-23-2008, 05:30 AM

for the panhard barand lower control arms toque arm and whatever else there is. which end links would be better and why? the dual Spherical Rod Ends or dual Polyurethane Bushings or poly and spherical combo?

**vetteemt** · 10-23-2008, 06:01 AM

Spherical Rod Ends are the best because they allow full articulation of the suspension with out any binding or deflection. The down side to them are they are noisy and well give a rougher ride because there is no bushings to give any damping of bumps etc.. To quote Herb Adams chief engineer for the 4 Gen F-body suspension and well know racing and suspension guy “running spherical rods for all suspension point well give your car racecar handing, but at the cost of roughness and road noise.

I personally have rod ends on all my suspension points and yes it added a lot of noise and rides some what harsher, but the handling improvement made it worth it for me. But then again if legal I’d drive a Sprint Cup stock car to work. lol

**twoolley08** · 10-23-2008, 06:07 AM

Originally Posted by vetteemt

Spherical Rod Ends are the best because they allow full articulation of the suspension with out any binding or deflection. The down side to them are they are noisy and well give a rougher ride because there is no bushings to give any damping of bumps etc.. To quote Herb Adams chief engineer for the 4 Gen F-body suspension and well know racing and suspension guy “running spherical rods for all suspension point well give your car racecar handing, but at the cost of roughness and road noise.

I personally have rod ends on all my suspension points and yes it added a lot of noise and rides some what harsher, but the handling improvement made it worth it for me. But then again if legal I’d drive a Sprint Cup stock car to work. lol

haha same here, i havent bought ne thing yet to get sper rod endsbut most likely i will considering i have a loud exhuast, a loud sound ssytem- including two 15in subs in the back seat, and rough ride?.?.? well its lowered some and has low pro tires how much rougher can it possible get

**vetteemt** · 10-23-2008, 08:13 AM

It’s hard to explain, it’s not harsher like its going to bruise your kidneys. It’s more that the forces you feel from bumps are sharper and more intense.

**Sam Strano** · 10-23-2008, 09:13 AM

Why not consider combo parts like these:

Panhard bars:

http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...D=67&ModelID=7
http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...D=67&ModelID=7

LCA's:

http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...D=96&ModelID=7

The rod-end eliminates any bind, the poly bushing mounts to the body side to help temper any potential noise from the rod-ends (though these aren't really rattly rod-ends like the cheapies some companies use).

And there is even a combination package that offers a small discount for getting both the 2016 and 2021 together that saves another $5 or so.
http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...D=96&ModelID=7

**raynor139** · 10-24-2008, 05:53 PM

Originally Posted by Sam Strano

And there is even a combination package that offers a small discount for getting both the 2016 and 2021 together that saves another $5 or so.
http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...D=96&ModelID=7

I have the same package on my car and while there is a little more noise from the rear, the ride is not much rougher and from the amount of improvement in the way the car launches it was well worth the minor amount of noise and loss of ride quality. But then again these are not cars you buy for comfort.

**thearborbarber** · 10-24-2008, 06:46 PM

I used edelbrock's new non adjustable lca's with a rod end and poly end.

**twoolley08** · 10-26-2008, 07:05 PM

Originally Posted by thearborbarber

I used edelbrock's new non adjustable lca's with a rod end and poly end.

how does that set up handle compared to stock

**thearborbarber** · 10-26-2008, 08:16 PM

Any of the listed are better than stock units, mainly due to the rap rubber bushings. I liked the edelbrock combo because the rod end allows free movement and the poly bushing keeps things tight.

http://www.jegs.com/i/Edelbrock/350/5274/10002/-1

**Sam Strano** · 10-27-2008, 07:25 AM

FWIW, you could pay $256 and change for the Edelbrock's (and I sell Edelbrock as well), but it's a waste of $77 *and* you can't adjust them if need be.

I can't recommend those over the UMI single adjusts I prefer and are $179 and able to adjusted if you want to or need to.

This is a case of the name driving the price. What's more, if /when the spherical bearing wears in the Edelbrock they are more costly and harder to replace. You just screw a new rod-end onto the UMI's if that happens.

**twoolley08** · 10-27-2008, 06:05 PM

Originally Posted by Sam Strano

FWIW, you could pay $256 and change for the Edelbrock's (and I sell Edelbrock as well), but it's a waste of $77 *and* you can't adjust them if need be.

I can't recommend those over the UMI single adjusts I prefer and are $179 and able to adjusted if you want to or need to.

This is a case of the name driving the price. What's more, if /when the spherical bearing wears in the Edelbrock they are more costly and harder to replace. You just screw a new rod-end onto the UMI's if that happens.

always into upselling lol, do you match prices? and free shipping on $99 and over?

**Sam Strano** · 10-28-2008, 08:59 AM

In all honesty, I don't enjoy playing pricing games. Many vendors do that because they can't offer the level of tech, or spend the time I do with customers. If I'm way off on price, I do my best to get competitive, but I know on the UMI parts I am not way off on price (and in general try not to be).

I'm not adverse to hearing quotes you have, but there are a few things to consider.:

It's infuriating to be used for knowledge only sometimes have found my time was wasted when folks take the information I share and run off to buy parts from the low-baller without giving me a fair shake on the sale.

I can't stand, as I'm sure anyone else couldn't stand being nitpicked over a few bucks considering the time and effort I spend trying to help folks out. When it happens, I make notes of who did it (screen names and so on) and don't offer advice to those folks again and am more cautious about what I freely offer up as far as advice.

In a nut-shell it comes down to this. Service before and after the sale. Some folks offer it, some don't. It takes time to do it, I take the time which takes time from other sales. I can't do the volume some other do (which means I pay more for the parts too since my discount is smaller), and yet *STILL* sell for a more than fair price. All the while often being the only vendor here trying to help.

IF it's about saving $2, I'm probably not your man.

**twoolley08** · 10-28-2008, 11:46 AM

yea i hear you on all that, so far the only thing that has caught my eye from quailty and prices are the umi stuff. but when i do buy the lca and panhard im going to want dual rod ends, i dont want much play in the rear since the tires already are rubbing inside the wheel well. 2$ is not much of a difference over service quailty. id rather have good customer service rep that i can call if i run into problems, and call for advise on how to fine tune the rear

**Sam Strano** · 10-29-2008, 08:12 AM

I agree. UMI stuff is great (which is why I carry it and sell so much of it).

A package is there for all rod-ended stuff too:

http://www.stranoparts.com/partdetai...D=90&ModelID=7 Available in Red or Black--your choice.

**twoolley08** · 11-13-2008, 05:36 PM

6 votes 213 views....hmmm come on guys do some voting here

**frisco88** · 11-14-2008, 06:37 AM

I have double adjustable lca's and panhard and i don't mind the ride but i don't like the noise.I will change them overb the winter for rod and poly ends

**twoolley08** · 11-14-2008, 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by frisco88

I have double adjustable lca's and panhard and i don't mind the ride but i don't like the noise.I will change them overb the winter for rod and poly ends

is the noise really that bad? is your exhaust loud? i run mine open pretty much every time i drive the car sooo, you think you would hear it over that?

**frisco88** · 11-15-2008, 04:32 AM

Originally Posted by twoolley08

is the noise really that bad? is your exhaust loud? i run mine open pretty much every time i drive the car sooo, you think you would hear it over that?

i have slp loudmouth 2,but i work a couple of miles from home and the streets are terrible so they're always working,but as soon as you get 2 hiway speeds and crank the stereo,you won't hear them after that.If ur running open exhaust or louder then me then you won't hear it as much.

**twoolley08** · 11-15-2008, 05:34 AM

Originally Posted by frisco88

i have slp loudmouth 2,but i work a couple of miles from home and the streets are terrible so they're always working,but as soon as you get 2 hiway speeds and crank the stereo,you won't hear them after that.If ur running open exhaust or louder then me then you won't hear it as much.

thanks for that info i aprreciate it

**Blue28** · 11-21-2008, 06:08 PM

For the panhard bar poly/rod-end.

For the LCA J&M poy-ball/poly-ball, and also rod/rod.

IMO, LCA with poly/rod-end still limit articulation of the rear suspension.