[LOLSTi]

Originally Posted by 2jzgte

Can a human exert the force a car will put on a fender brace while driving/cornering/braking/etc ...... No.

Thanks.

[HarlanPepper]

Hey guys. I've been reading through some of these sway bar / fender brace / endlink threads, as I have a set of Cobb sways sitting in a box in my apartment.

I spoke with Cobb yesterday and they said they revised the endlink nuts to the locking type 6-8 months ago, so they are no longer a problem.

Given 70s-gearhead's post about using the Cobb endlinks with the front bar that makes me think I should go the Cobb route. Of course, differing opinions spring up...

Hard to justify $300 for a set of endlinks for Front & Rear. Maybe go Cobb front & KB rear? And now I need fender braces (or don't according to some)? Not to mention whether I should have bought the adjustable mounts for the sways from Cobb (I didn't, just got the standard ones). Anyway, I am a bit confused at the options. I'm starting to think I need:

* Cobb Front Endlinks (per 70s-gearhead's info in the Cobb forum)
* Kartboy Rear Endlinks (to save a few $ over the Cobb?)
* TiC Fender brace (optional)

If anyone can set me straight here, I'd appreciate it.

[LOLSTi]

You don't need anything(especially adjustable rear sway mounts), except for rear endlinks for use with aftermarket swaybars.

There are plenty of people running Kartboy links front and rear that are perfectly happy on the track (see:LOLSTi). You won't notice any kind of performance increase with any type of endlink, and they will both last a lot time.

The fender braces have always been a bit of a discussion. Most of the theorists say that will not help, but virtually everyone who has them likes them, even some of the naysayers. It's definitely a good buy for the price.

[psuLemon]

Rear endlinks are a must with sways, fronts are sufficient but if you get them you will have piece of mind. You can get both f&R kartboys for 180, so its worthless to get the cobbs. We are still working on the data for fenderbrace but that might take some time to data log.

[wdb]

Originally Posted by psuLemon

The only thing that concerns me is the bend in the GT spec one. It does have the support the the TIC, but I wonder if there is any benefit from the other bar. My friend is a automotive engineer and i see him this week. So we will try to get a theory by monday.

Theory? Bend? Man, you need to take a closer look at Bruce's picture. Stock/TiC/STi/etc.: 4 bolts. GT Spec: EIGHT BOLTS; THREE BEEFY SQUARE SECTION BRACES. It's not even a fair comparison.

I have a street car, I don't need anything as monstrous as the GT Spec. TiC spent a TON of time designing theirs for strength coupled with ease of installation. When I put these in, and I will (eventually) do it, they'll be TiC.

[VSGTS14]

Originally Posted by HarlanPepper

Hey guys. I've been reading through some of these sway bar / fender brace / endlink threads, as I have a set of Cobb sways sitting in a box in my apartment.

I spoke with Cobb yesterday and they said they revised the endlink nuts to the locking type 6-8 months ago, so they are no longer a problem.

Given 70s-gearhead's post about using the Cobb endlinks with the front bar that makes me think I should go the Cobb route. Of course, differing opinions spring up...

Hard to justify $300 for a set of endlinks for Front & Rear. Maybe go Cobb front & KB rear? And now I need fender braces (or don't according to some)? Not to mention whether I should have bought the adjustable mounts for the sways from Cobb (I didn't, just got the standard ones). Anyway, I am a bit confused at the options. I'm starting to think I need:

* Cobb Front Endlinks (per 70s-gearhead's info in the Cobb forum)
* Kartboy Rear Endlinks (to save a few $ over the Cobb?)
* TiC Fender brace (optional)

If anyone can set me straight here, I'd appreciate it.

honestly, it's really up to you. i have had both and really liked the cobb besides the hardware falling out...if it's revised though then they should pwn n00bs...that's the only reason to went to kartboy because i didn't want to deal with my nuts falling off

[psuLemon]

Originally Posted by wdb

Theory? Bend? Man, you need to take a closer look at Bruce's picture. Stock/TiC/STi/etc.: 4 bolts. GT Spec: EIGHT BOLTS; THREE BEEFY SQUARE SECTION BRACES. It's not even a fair comparison.

I have a street car, I don't need anything as monstrous as the GT Spec. TiC spent a TON of time designing theirs for strength coupled with ease of installation. When I put these in, and I will (eventually) do it, they'll be TiC.

For a street car you really dont need anything. That is almost a given. I myself want the TIC one just to stiffen the front, but if there is a reason to go with the GT spec, people at least have the reasoning why. That is what I was thinking about.

[stretch]

Originally Posted by wdb

Theory? Bend? Man, you need to take a closer look at Bruce's picture. Stock/TiC/STi/etc.: 4 bolts. GT Spec: EIGHT BOLTS; THREE BEEFY SQUARE SECTION BRACES. It's not even a fair comparison.

No doubt the GT Spec brace is stronger- the theory is whether the additional reinforcement is necessary. Perhaps it is, perhaps not.

[psuLemon]

Originally Posted by stretch

No doubt the GT Spec brace is stronger- the theory is whether the additional reinforcement is necessary. Perhaps it is, perhaps not.

Thats what i was trying to get at. ahahah.

[AnorexicSTI]

Originally Posted by VSGTS14

honestly, it's really up to you. i have had both and really liked the cobb besides the hardware falling out...if it's revised though then they should pwn n00bs...that's the only reason to went to kartboy because i didn't want to deal with my nuts falling off

Which swaybars did you run?

I started another thread and some people are saying the Hotchkiss work just fine with Kartboy endlinks. I thought the COBB were just repainted Hotchkiss bars? So can somebody please confirm whether the Kartboy endlinks really don't work with the COBB front swaybar or is that 70's gearhead guy an exception (possibly with some other suspension mod not mentioned that may be causing that problem)?

[70s-gearhead]

Originally Posted by STIGUY88

Which swaybars did you run?

I started another thread and some people are saying the Hotchkiss work just fine with Kartboy endlinks. I thought the COBB were just repainted Hotchkiss bars? So can somebody please confirm whether the Kartboy endlinks really don't work with the COBB front swaybar or is that 70's gearhead guy an exception (possibly with some other suspension mod not mentioned that may be causing that problem)?

The rest of my front suspension is close to stock - I have prodrive springs and cusco camber plates - neither of these mods would affect how the sway bar attaches to the endlinks and control arms. Why not measure your cobb bar and compare it to what I have 41 7/8 inches. If your bar is the same size, you will find that a solid endlink like the kartboy will not fit without some type of spacers.

[stretch]

Figured I'd chime in here:

I just had to lubricate my Kartboy rear endlinks after about four months of use. They have been squeaking horribly for the past month and a bit more subtly the month prior. It became bothersome when I switched to quieter winter tires. My wife would cringe and described the rear of the car as sounding like it was about to fall off.

Regreasing the bushings is very easy, but I still found it surprising that I had to do this. The bushings are nearly sealed once installed. I checked the bushings when I got them and there was a very small amount of what I think was white lithium grease on them. So, they did come greased (Kartboy forgot to grease some a while back). My (hopefully long-term) fix was to stuff as much grease into them as possible, waaaay more grease than they came with. The metal rod inside the bushing was starting to oxidize and in hindsight I wish I had sanded it down. Nonetheless, the bushings are totally quiet again.

Anyway, I figured I'd mention that the Kartboy's are not maintenance free. I originally thought it was the sway bar bushings being noisy, but upon removing them and moving the sway bar freely, it was obvious the noise was coming from the endlinks alone.

[TheHammer]

Kartboy FTW.
No noises or issues from the rear endlinks with Cobb sway bars.
I am running both fr/rr COBB 25 mm bars.
Front end links are really not needed for my applications.

[TheHammer]

Kartboy FTW.
No noises or issues from the rear endlinks with Cobb sway bars.
I am running both fr/rr COBB 25 mm bars.
Front end links are really not needed for my applications.

[AnorexicSTI]

Originally Posted by 70s-gearhead

The rest of my front suspension is close to stock - I have prodrive springs and cusco camber plates - neither of these mods would affect how the sway bar attaches to the endlinks and control arms. Why not measure your cobb bar and compare it to what I have 41 7/8 inches. If your bar is the same size, you will find that a solid endlink like the kartboy will not fit without some type of spacers.

How did the COBB endlinks work out for you? Any noise? Is the performance any better than stock for the front? Obviously, rear needs to be replaced since they are prone to breaking.

After doing further research and seeing the ANGLE at which the Kartboy bushings are at (see recent thread on endlinks by Boostjunkie I think), I have concluded that I want the COBB endlinks, noise or not.

To me, it does not seem natural for the endlink to be solid and then for the bushing and bolts to be at these crazy angles as the suspension moves up and down... it is like the bushing will provide "slop" before the swaybar takes affect... to me, a solid spherical endlink seems to be the only way to go. No bushing slop, no crazy angles.

Questions for you COBB or Hotchkiss endlink owners - do they need to be maintained at all or is it even possible to service them? How long do they last before developing "slack" and hence "rattle noise?"