Suspension Springs, struts, coilovers, sway-bars, camber plates, and all other modifications to suspension components for Clubman (R55), Cooper and Cooper S (R56), and Cabrio (R57) MINIs.

Suspension Can someone please help me understand the need for adjustable endlinks up front

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Old 09-20-2013 | 08:03 PM
Mindspin311's Avatar
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Can someone please help me understand the need for adjustable endlinks up front

So I bought my suspension from another member and he included adjustable endlinks for the front.

I have been staring at the front suspension setup for months and Ive yet to fully understand why a longer endlink is needed for when the car is lowered.

Someone please educate me. Thanks!
 
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Old 09-20-2013 | 08:11 PM
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Ideally the end of the sway bar should be parallel to the ground. When you lower the car and keep the OEM non-adjustable endlinks then the swaybar is not parallel. Technically you don't the eadjustable ones, but to get the "best" performance you should. That being said, I've lowered the car and don't have them, I do on the back sway bar though.

Typically the way the geometry works you need shorter ones for the rear and longer ones for the front.

Check out the end of the document on the installation for the rear end links on NM site:

http://www.nm-eng.com/media/attachme...328856_ins.pdf
 

Last edited by cerenkov; 09-20-2013 at 08:19 PM.
  #3  
Old 10-04-2013 | 11:44 AM
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Adjustable endlinks are used to make sure that when the driver is in the car, and all else being set, there is no preload on the bar. Put simply... You don't want swaybars to "be on" while going stright, only when turning. Adjustable endlinks allow for that and should be set while the car is loaded and on the ground.
 
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Old 10-04-2013 | 06:21 PM
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Melangell
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DON'T... Work on the end. Leave the front alone. Call Way if you have any questions.
 
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Old 10-06-2013 | 07:54 PM
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Originally Posted by Melangell
DON'T... Work on the end. Leave the front alone. Call Way if you have any questions.
Ill pass on calling him.


I was asking more bout why aftermarket links are longer. When the front is lowered, what can the swaybar potentially contact? The axles?
 
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Old 10-07-2013 | 05:48 AM
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From what I remember, adjustable front end-links are shorter.

When you start lowering the height of the front coilover, the neutral position that the front control arm changes. Maybe it's best to call it the control arm's position when the suspension is loaded with you in the car. Imagine the angle the control arm is positioned in a stock configuration. As you lower the ride height with the spring perch, you're essentially shortening the working range of the coilover. Another way to imagine it is that as you lower, you're shortening the coilover and as you increase ride height, you're making it longer. Kind of hard to describe this stuff with words.

The problem is that the stock end-link is too long and it will bang into the front control arm when you lower the car a lot. By having an adjustable end-links, you can position the neutral position of the front swaybar so that everything is not interfering.

When you start installing everything, and lowering it all, you will see this firsthand. It's kind of hard to visualize until you start to actually wrench on the suspension.
 

Last edited by countryboyshane; 10-07-2013 at 05:58 AM.
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Old 10-07-2013 | 06:21 AM
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Originally Posted by Mindspin311
So I bought my suspension from another member and he included adjustable endlinks for the front.

I have been staring at the front suspension setup for months and Ive yet to fully understand why a longer endlink is needed for when the car is lowered.

Someone please educate me. Thanks!
I have lowered my car about 1/2" from stock and added adjustable links to the rear. I had not intended to do this to my front but I am beginning to rethink that as well. If you want to sell your front links let me know.

Thanks, Swimbaxter
 
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Old 10-07-2013 | 07:52 AM
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double post.... OOPS
 
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Old 10-07-2013 | 07:53 AM
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For a lowering spring you don't need them. When I had H&R springs which dropped the car 1.4" the fronts did not have interference issues. From that point, you would only need adjustable end-links for the front and rear if you want to try and reduce swaybar pre-load. I still would not even bother because you'll never get it perfect since there is no way to corner balance the car.

FYI, I'm lowered about 2.6" all around. The front end-links are required at this point because of interference issues with the stock links.
 
  #10  
Old 10-07-2013 | 08:41 AM
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Originally Posted by countryboyshane
For a lowering spring you don't need them. When I had H&R springs which dropped the car 1.4" the fronts did not have interference issues. From that point, you would only need adjustable end-links for the front and rear if you want to try and reduce swaybar pre-load. I still would not even bother because you'll never get it perfect since there is no way to corner balance the car.

FYI, I'm lowered about 2.6" all around. The front end-links are required at this point because of interference issues with the stock links.
I am currently running Alta endlinks up front and I have a knock/clunk sound coming from the front end over sharp, low speed bumps.

By looking at this picture, lowering the car effectively pulls the swaybar upwards. so maybe its contacting the axles?

 
  #11  
Old 10-07-2013 | 11:52 AM
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Maybe. It get's tight in there once everything is lowered a lot.

I've heard some stories about their end-links too. That might be a place to check too.
 
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