I have the original Madness 2-hole rear sway bar with stock springs, struts & runflats. The sway bar has been on my car for only two weeks. I had it on the stiffest setting. No autocrossing- I have just been driving on the street. Noticed a "thump" today sometimes when cornering. Took a peek under the car and the passenger rear end link is SEVERLY bent! The bend is close to 40 degrees and will probably snap soon.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Damn...and i am dropping my car off tomorrow at Helix to replace my 15% pulley with the 19% one. Guess I can't really "test" out the car until I get the endlink replaced with a stouter version.

 

sorry to hear about it, but i was reading all these tread about
swaybars but no one seemed to care about endlinks. so i thought
the mini's endlinks must be super tough!

on my cars that i changed swaybars, i always do endlinks at the
same time.

 

Don't know how common this is but I've only noticed this sort of thing posted once before. Hasn't happened to me yet.

The guys at Helix sometimes have leftover parts they've taken off other cars....wouldn't hurt to ask.

Alta makes heavy duty end links - you can also get them from ProMINI.

 

>>Don't know how common this is but I've only noticed this sort of thing posted once before. Hasn't happened to me yet.

Most of us that have upgraded rear swaybars have not upgraded Links. It is known that the links can bend and break and they are not super tough. In fact they are pretty dainty.

The end link probably was stressed too much by the suspension set up you were using including your wheels and how hard you were cornering. The stiffest setting is not always the best- it really depends on the whole picture. Report it to Helix and see what they say about changing things to avoid the problem in the future.

>>The guys at Helix sometimes have leftover parts they've taken off other cars....wouldn't hurt to ask.
That is a good idea.

>>Alta makes heavy duty end links - you can also get them from ProMINI.
Several companies make end links but the problem is that with some designs is that with the wider diameter of the end link it will not fit with aftermarket springs and aftermarket rear swaybar-certain combinations don't do well and there may be limited options for which sway bar setting will work.
Alta sway bar drop links (rear) for $120 or $119
http://outmotoring.com/adjustable_sway_bar_links.html
http://www.webbmotorsports.com/suspension.php


Promini links for $110
http://www.promini.com/products/swaybarlinks.shtml


Moss Mini adjustable links, fronts for $160 and rears for $90
http://www.mossmini.com/Shop/ViewPro...eIndexID=37892

 

I snapped a rear link last year while autocrossing. I was running the Madness bar on full stiff at the time. I went to the dealer and bought a replacement and a spare.

Later in the year I went ahead and upgraded to the alta links, both front and rear.

 

Is the drop link the same as a rear control arm? Sorry, I'm new to all this suspension stuff.

 

do those sphrical bearings in the endlinks rattle? i had a similar design on a
protege5's aftermarket endlink kit and it rattle on each little bump it was
going over. especially noisy in bumpy parking lots.

made the car sound like a piece of junk

 

>>Is the drop link the same as a rear control arm? Sorry, I'm new to all this suspension stuff.

No, the link attaches the sway bar to the suspension. There is one per side. There are two rear control arms. Control arms are beefier than swaybar links.

 

>>do those sphrical bearings in the endlinks rattle? i had a similar design on a
>>protege5's aftermarket endlink kit and it rattle on each little bump it was
>>going over. especially noisy in bumpy parking lots.
>>
>>made the car sound like a piece of junk

I'm not sure if they rattle or not, but I check and tighten them frequently and they do have a tendency to loosen.

 

>>I'm not sure if they rattle or not, but I check and tighten them frequently and they do have a tendency to loosen.
I havn't had the break but I did have a loosening - so applied loctite and now check more before track days

 

>>I snapped a rear link last year while autocrossing. I was running the Madness bar on full stiff at the time. I went to the dealer and bought a replacement and a spare.
>>
>>Later in the year I went ahead and upgraded to the alta links, both front and rear.


dpayne1,
do you have the original 2 hole Madness bar or one of the later revised bars (3 holers)?

thanks

 

I've had the two hole Madness rear swaybar and had no problems with the stiffest setting on my MCS with H-sport springs and adjustable rear control arms, neg camber at 0.75 degrees.

Just for comparison here is an adjustable rear control or trailing arm. $240 for a pair.
http://www.promini.com/products/adjtrailarms.shtml

It allows for the rear suspension to be adjusted for negative camber up to about 4 degrees. Stock setting is about negative 1 to 1.5 degrees. Can be bought as lower pair or a total of four for the rear.

 

BC -

Are you certain that you do not have a clearance problem somewhere? I would check to see if the bar has shifted or if the bar or link has made contact with the spring somewhere. I have the 3 hole version 2 bar on the middle hole, and am running the Konis very stiff and have never had a problem. If there is any contact point, all of the load will go to the link and will bend it like a matchstick.

 

>>>>I snapped a rear link last year while autocrossing. I was running the Madness bar on full stiff at the time. I went to the dealer and bought a replacement and a spare.
>>>>
>>>>Later in the year I went ahead and upgraded to the alta links, both front and rear.
>>
>>
>>dpayne1,
>>do you have the original 2 hole Madness bar or one of the later revised bars (3 holers)?
>>
>>thanks
>>
I had the original 2 hole Madness Bar - I have since moved on to the HSport Competition rear bar (the hollow 3 holer).

 

>>BC -
>>
>>Are you certain that you do not have a clearance problem somewhere? I would check to see if the bar has shifted or if the bar or link has made contact with the spring somewhere. I have the 3 hole version 2 bar on the middle hole, and am running the Konis very stiff and have never had a problem. If there is any contact point, all of the load will go to the link and will bend it like a matchstick.


The bar has welded in "washers" that keeps bar from shifting. I checked and it hasn't shifted. There also seems to be enough clearance around the spring. The bar is loaded differently from side to side since the bent link is still on the car- I'll get the link replaced and will check the clearance all around when the car is on the ground and suspension loaded.

 

bluemcs- you're saved probably because you're using the koni's in a stiff
setup. id recommend everyone using aftermarket swaybars to get endlinks.
you might get away with the softest setting, but you never know. plus they
dont cost that much and, if you car is slightly slanted from the lowring springs,
you can setup the endlinks to flatten out the car.

 

"if you car is slightly slanted from the lowring springs,
you can setup the endlinks to flatten out the car.

??? do you mean to put in intentional skew via the sway bar to try to compensate for un-even springs?
Bogus.

 

>>bluemcs- you're saved probably because you're using the koni's in a stiff
>>setup. id recommend everyone using aftermarket swaybars to get endlinks.
>>you might get away with the softest setting, but you never know. plus they
>>dont cost that much and, if you car is slightly slanted from the lowring springs,
>>you can setup the endlinks to flatten out the car.

Nah, the bar was the #1 mod. I ran it for 7,000 miles b4 I got the Koni's on garbage NY roads, autocrosses and some track time.

All you really need is one adjustable link for fron and rear to set the load.

 

there is a school of thought htat claims you need both to be adjustable, not only to take out un-wanted pre-load, but also to compensate for a less efficient force application angle from the link to the sway bar due to a lowered car.

 

>>there is a school of thought htat claims you need both to be adjustable, not only to take out un-wanted pre-load, but also to compensate for a less efficient force application angle from the link to the sway bar due to a lowered car.<<

Ok, so due to the lowered car you need shorter links so that the angle is back approaching stock (assuming that stock is the most efficient angle)? I would guess that 90 degrees to the bar is the most efficient angle.

Makes sense! As usual. I'll take two.