Sway bar end links, how tight do I tighten them??

[crazyfireman]

I need to know how tight to tighten my sway bar end links, and if I should tighten them in the air or with the car on the ground???Thanks in advance!!!

[TPI Monte SS]

The car should be on the ground to tighten all suspension bolts (like upper/lower A-arms) and the endlinks too.

[sinned]

The looser the links are the more time that elapses before they become effective. Basically loose bushings or very soft bushings make the bar less effective. If you have the proper size on the car the bushings should be a tight as you can get them, some run without them at all.

[crazyfireman]

Thanks I tightened mine all the way with the car on the ground.

[zbugger]

Just so you know, it's also another way to tune the suspension.

[Norm Peterson]

There is a torque spec for OE rubber bushed endlinks (15-ish ft-lbs I think I've seen).

Yes you can tune the suspension somewhat by clamping the things down. But it's not a long-term solution, particularly with poly-bushed aftermarket endlink kits. Unless you like replacing them on a semi-regular basis, that is. Poly will cold-flow under excessive sustained compression or may split, and endlink bolts will break in fatigue if subjected to too much bending.

Understand that clamping the bushings more tightly not only tightens up the axial direction of the endlink (the "good" direction) - it also stiffens the bushings against allowing the control arm and sta-bar ends to move in their respective arcs. Structurally, this is increasing the [bending] moment at the bushing connections (the "bad" directions, as far as the endlink bolt is concerned). The sta-bar is a pretty decent grade of steel and at least 1" OD, and the depth of the control arms runs their bending stiffness up, while the endlink bolt is only 3/8" or so and threaded. Guess which piece is the "weakest link"?

BTW, this issue isn't limited to aftermarket endlinks. Ford has had this issue arise in their Explorer/Expedition SUV chassis equipped with hard endlink bushings frequently enough that Moog has developed a "problem solver" (read: softer material) endlink kit as replacement. I've seen this one personally.

My basic recommendation for poly-bushed endlinks is snug plus just a little, with something like Locktite to prevent self-disassembly. Probably 5 - 7 ft-lbs tops (never bothered to measure it).

If you're willing to do a bit of work on a brand-new endlink kit, you can take some of the end-moment resistance out of the poly bushings without giving up too much of the axial stiffness by modding the bushings and the "washers" that they bear against.

It's not too late to back off the endlink torque and correct the situation . . .

Norm

[crazyfireman]

Thanks I order new poly bushings and will torque them to 5lbs.