Rear sway bar end links - what brand?

[pampadori]

I recently had to remove the motor and trans to fix a gearbox issue. I usually remove the rear sway bar to provide extra clearance removing the transaxle. I noticed however, that the rubber bushings were pretty well shot so I decided to add new ones to the shopping list.
THats when i noticed lots of recent reviews for the Lemforder brand end links claiming they didn't last more than a couple of days. Was this a bad batch or is it something that is just faulty with their design?

The URO end link review (there is only one on Pelican) also mentioned a very short life.

SO what has everyone had good luck with? Any suggestions?

[Lyle O]

I just went ahead and upgraded to the Tarett Engineering adjustable drop inks when I faced this several years ago. They were only a bit more expensive than the stock version, but far better in performance, quality, and overall value.

[UROParts]

Hi Pampadori, we've sold 177 of part# 930 333 071 00 (rear left) in the last year with no returns or complaints, and 197 of part# 930 333 072 00 (rear right) with no returns or complaints. We've been selling these rear links for almost six years now, and there are no issues noted in our engineering logs for those items.

The review you mentioned says, "The angle of the top and bottom backers are welded on at the wrong angle by more than 20 deg." Sounds like he installed each link on the wrong side of the car...lol. We'll have engineering check it out though, just to confirm it was user error.

[chrismorse]

Originally Posted by Lyle O

I just went ahead and upgraded to the Tarett Engineering adjustable drop inks when I faced this several years ago. They were only a bit more expensive than the stock version, but far better in performance, quality, and overall value.

I updated my 74 to a later model 18 mm rear bar and bought Elephant adjustable links primarily, because they were "sealed", hopeing to extend the life and Zero out any preload when corner weighting the chassis.

Rubber will likely be cheaper, quieter and not as precise, or adjustable, your choice :-)

chris

[pampadori]

@UROParts I guess that is food for thought.
I noticed your kit on Amazon also. However, it doesn't have any reviews. Hopefully some folks will post their real world experiences here and I can make an informed decision.

[HaroldMHedge]

For my 87, I ordered heavy duty Prekom factory style drop links off EBay. I believe these are the same ones being sold by Rebel Racing, research from Pelican. They are much stiffer than my 30 year old ones and have worked well over the past year.

Prekom - Porsche parts, Ferrari parts

[pampadori]

I can't bring myself to say that company name without chuckling to myself! I'll go have a search on eBay. Thanks for the input!

[Jonny042]

Originally Posted by UROParts

Hi Pampadori, we've sold 177 of part# 930 333 071 00 (rear left) in the last year with no returns or complaints, and 197 of part# 930 333 072 00 (rear right) with no returns or complaints. We've been selling these rear links for almost six years now, and there are no issues noted in our engineering logs for those items.

The review you mentioned says, "The angle of the top and bottom backers are welded on at the wrong angle by more than 20 deg." Sounds like he installed each link on the wrong side of the car...lol. We'll have engineering check it out though, just to confirm it was user error.

Really have to commend URO for stepping up and supporting their products like this. There are other recent examples of product design changes, etc.

Keep up the good work!

[Marc Bixen]

Go with Uro, or step up to Tarrett, or Elephant, but stay far away from the Lemfoeder. Absolute junk. Other shops have been installing them and I have 6 sets on the bench that pulled the bushings clean out of the link. Cheap garbage. The Uro has the metal rolled over to capture the bushing like the O.E. unit. Note to the moderator: Pelican shouldn't even sell the Lemfoeder's, all you'll get is upset customers...

[pampadori]

THanks Marc! I'll pull the trigger on the URO then.

@UROParts and Pelican Parts - I feel like you both would benefit from having more customers provide product reviews. There are 3rd party vendors that provide services around product reviews and they work. If there were a half dozen reviews for the URO part on this site, i would have already purchased them without hesitation. just a suggestion if anyone is watching here.

[UROParts]

^ Couldn't agree more Pampadori, few buyers leave reviews at Pelican. Perhaps they could email their customers a few weeks after the sale and ask for feedback? Lots of retailers do this, and offer a 5% discount reward for a review.

No idea why there aren't reviews for these end links on Amazon yet, most of our items there are 4 or 5-stars. Lots of people check Amazon reviews even if they're purchasing elsewhere. The downside to Amazon is that it's easier for people to buy the wrong part and then leave a 1-star review, or they leave a 1-star review for slow shipping, or some other issue completely unrelated to the part. We try to reply to those with a bit of common sense.

We also try to reply to old reviews for parts that have been redesigned and improved. An item might have poor reviews from 2012, but the current product is completely different and is terrific. People won't buy that item unless they're aware it's been overhauled though, so it's a challenge getting the word out.

*** 2/19/18 EDIT ***
Just received the report from engineering: the bushings eyes were indeed welded at slightly the wrong angle, though nowhere near "20 degrees" as exaggerated in the review. We've removed these end links from inventory and are scheduling a production run of corrected links. The new ones should be available in about six months. If anyone had an issue with these links in the past, please send us an email or PM with your purchase details and we'll put you on the list for a warranty replacement pair at no charge.

[dustim04]

Choose Tarett Engineering is you want something stiffer.

[UROParts]

Originally Posted by UROParts

*** 2/19/19 EDIT ***
Just received the report from engineering: the bushings eyes were indeed welded at slightly the wrong angle, though nowhere near "20 degrees" as exaggerated in the review. We've removed these end links from inventory (scrapped them) and are scheduling a production run of corrected links. The new ones should be available in about six months. If anyone had an issue with these links in the past, please send us an email or PM with your purchase details and we'll put you on the list for a warranty replacement pair at no charge.

Fall 2019 update: we now have version 2.0 of our Rear Sway Bar Links in stock, 930 333 071 00 (LH) and 930 333 072 00 (RH)! These have the angle between the bushing eyes corrected, which should definitely improve bushing longevity.

If anyone has the version 1.0 of links 93033307100 and 93033307200 and had bushing issues, please contact "sales at uro parts dot com" with a copy of your purchase details and we'll be happy to get you the new version under warranty replacement.