Front anti sway bar end links. Choices of types.

[scotman]

Original equipment type; Non adjustable and not grease-able. These parts have been revised five times! It is definitely a part that was less than stellar from early on. If your Fiesta makes it past 30,000 miles and one of these hasn't failed, you probably should get a pair of new ones because the handling is very likely to be very mushy without even realizing it.
They retail for about $35 each. I won't call them shit. But, you can do much better for less cost.


Moog # K80104 (this part number might have changed) ; steel construction, much more robust ball and socket ends. Grease-able joints. These are the gold standard of rough service parts! Thank you , Moog engineers and product planners!
These retail for around $25 each.




Whiteline adjustable end links #KLC-140-255; You are now stepping into the boutique world of suspension tuning parts!
These are very good quality parts. They are fairly lightweight yet durable. They are not grease-able.
Being adjustable, you must take some time to play with the length adjustment to get the handling feel that works for you.
Prices are going to vary greatly. $160 list to about $95 a pair. Only sold in pairs. www.sales@whiteline.com.




Powergrid adjustable end links; this one is a few dollars more than the whiteline links. But they have a couple of significant differences. First one is a patented design and material spec that offers greater degree of articulation and secondly a very innovative spherical joint that is sealed and self lubricating and non binding. If a person can get excited about a suspension component, an argument could be made for this one. These are around $175 a pair, and worth every single penny. These parts are so robust that i don't think that they will ever " wear out" on a light car like our Fiesta's. contact Chip at www.powergridinc.com for an application.

 

[scotman]

These are the Fiesta end links that i have used and can honestly form opinions on, Because i spent my money and took my chances. They cover the range of various types. But, everyone is welcome to add their own experience with what they have used. It becomes important to get the right version of end links as the miles pile up. There is the opportunity to get a good upgrade at negligible expense.

 

[Handy Andy]

Giving this thread a bump!

Good info....

 

[scotman]

I was thinking about taking a pair of the Moog heavy duty links and making a version that matches the “optimized” dimensions of the adjustable links. Being carbon steel, the Moog links will be a simple cut and weld proposition! I have no idea how many people would care about doing something like that. But, it would be a much less expensive way to get sharper handling.

 

[Handy Andy]

Thanks for doing up a good close shot of those instructions.

Are these links available in different lengths?

The "standard" link length is about 12" (a foot).

I'm looking at getting 2 but need to be about 14" at mid-point for adjustments from 13" to 15" for my ride's height.

I Stand Corrected!:

• Inspecting my car before winter I decided to try and measure the links - they are only about 8" but when you work with a lift kit that raises the vehicle when you install a spacer on the strut to increase road height - that change forces the Sway Arm aspect to become more upward movement in the sway arm throw distance when hitting bumps it needs to be a shorter link - without that change in length - the raising of the struts mount distance, that changes the distance that the SWAY ARM mounting location for "center slot" swing is.
• Where? In the area of the engine compartment where that sway arm sits - it is given only so much room to twist and rise and fall with road bumps and pavement problems - there, the aspect is no longer centered - it's decreased OPPOSITE of the DIRECTION you went. I went higher (ride height). So that meant the Sway Arm tilted downwards - lowering the arm. This can affect how far the wheels can "drop" - so you'll need a shorter link to reset the center aspect so that you don't stop the arm from doing its job when one-wheel drops into a pothole or both wheels need to roll over a crossbuck (railroad tracks). The link needs to be shorter - not as long as the Stock OEM one is.
• - when you LOWER the car, the mount (your strut) shifts the resting point of the link on the Sway bar rotating it upwards - changing the Sway Arms aspect to be given more room to rotate downward than upwards - you brought the body of the car down to the control arm and engine mounting level where that control arm is. Where it is on the engine base plate assembly. So that makes the desired link length LONGER to reset the sway bars throw - the length it can work and twist.

​

 

[scotman]

I think that chip can put together any length of link. I watched Chip put the first pair of links together out of a bin rack filled with a huge range of rod lengths, hardware and the joints.
you really just need longer links to normalize the preload on the anti sway bar.

 

[Dave88LX]

One of those "might as well do it while I'm in there" parts...
I typically buy the best option available within reason when replacing parts. I don't want to be back in there again any time soon. I don't believe I'll need boutique links on a daily driver.
Mevotech any good? Doesn't bother me a bit to pay the $44 compared to the $20 for Moog.

 

[Handy Andy]

No matter the choice, make sure you get an adjustable link set.

Why?

Well, the "preload" you'll need - why? Your 150-mile commute.

You'll be dealing with road crown and a consistent drift on those higher crowed roads that you'll have fatigue from while you fight that wheel from taking you into the ditch or into the oncoming lanes. That commute - the Pre-load can help with the drifting issue and the constant pull from the wheel trying to correct and stay in your lane.

I've "lifted" my car to help offset bad roads and potholes that can easily make my car a piece of scrap metal. Living in the rustbelt of lower Michigan upper Indiana areas the roads - in one state are great and comparing it to the other, are like Apples to Oranges - they're both fruit and it stops there...

When I lifted it, I also shimmed a preload height adjustment into one of the strut mounts, which lifts to offset a pre-load so the cars drivability on higher crowned roads is better than before.

I highly recommend you get the adjustable links to help you tailor your drive for your commute.

Shims to the body height only can do so much.

The Sway links are direct connecting to the struts - so the pre-load can help more in drivability and drifting that cannot be compensated for in the shimming of the strut height to "level off" the drifting.

So, to help you prevent a disaster from forming when you swap to the new design, get a chance to work into this change - doing a lot all once might leave you more confused about how to improve the handling.

Work in steps - I'd highly recommend that you get the adjustable links first to help ease you into the new way of controls and drivability methods. Working with and adjusting preload can give you a feel for the cars innate desires to be a tight steering rack and you want to work with this oversteer you have as a means of effective control of dodging others in maneuvers - especially when it comes to distracted driving and phones that many are using.

Another aspect I haven't seen or heard too much about in this forum that I've had to make corrections to - is the alignments of the front and rear tires and also a centering of the steering wheel to help correct that drift and wander.

 

[scotman]

What Andy said is true to form.
The Fiesta is not a particularly alignment sensitive car. It was built to very close tolerances and has very little negative camber with almost no provision to get more. The caster is “set” when the lower arms are bolted into the subframe and the toe adjustment is the most critical because it has direct effect on tread wear and steering feel. Worn tie rod ends are the most common root cause for tire wear and vibration in the steering.
Inner tie rods have not been an issue with this generation of Fiesta.
If you want sharper handling, increasing the effectiveness of the front anti sway bar with adjustable end links and polymer frame bushings on the brackets for mounting the bar will deliver the responsiveness you want.
Concerning the rear suspension, there are polymer bushing kits in a couple of durameters available. The stock rear bushings have been reported to fail in some cases where the fiesta is used to carry heavier than normal cargo. The condition causes the suspension to deflect and steer the rear axle a bit.
Doing the rear axle beam bushings is a two man job. I will do an install thread for that on my next Fiesta.

 

[Dave88LX]

I do feel it's a chore as-is to keep the car tracking straight. My commute is 98% highways vs. backroads if that matters any. Not sure if there's a lot of crown to Interstates and Beltways, but I'm sure there has to be at least some to keep the rain off.

I've posted elsewhere that at 80K miles, I'm ready to upgrade the suspension as well with some B6 or B8 dampers along with appropriate springs if there's a better-than-factory spring.

No concerns with weight load etc., it's just me driving back and forth.

Interesting points though. I'm not sure how much is worn and needs replacing at this point? I'm sure the struts and shocks are pretty past their usable life.

 

[Handy Andy]

While you're thinking through all of this - one thing more - look into a sway bar kit for your back crossmember.

Now, before the grumbles and rumbles begin, you mentioned already you're on 80K+ miles and looking into those new shocks and struts - the front sway link - your issue with fights with the wheel during the commute - add up to telling me that even though it's a sturdy car, a small variance in one wheel is off to the other moment is possible.

Pre-load being what it is, is basically a rebalancing of the cars suspension to "flat" when you have a tank of gas and a person in the driver's seat - so without Preload to help rebalance the car to flat - the car tilts to one side and the weight on the front and rear "shift" when a fluid like gas is, is thrown into a tank that is just ahead of the rear axle-member

Got some form of laser levels? 24" length kind, or a means to make a couple?

Why?

One thing not mentioned yet in balancing and suspension is "Thrust Angle"

You're going to have to investigate that drift.

​

Might need to make part of your Garage or parking space a "Try-Square" and make up a jig to help you find out how far off the rear wheels will drift on you - or about that Tie-Rod end that might not be exactly "true" to steering axis.

The only way to find out is to use parallel and laser levels with crosshair sights offer the cheaper and more effective methods of finding the errors - by how the lines are not meeting true to each other.

 

[scotman]

B6 is more like a good quality heavy duty damper. B8 is a premium handling enhancer, not much more than a few bucks in price separating them and very different valving strategies.
I would have purchased a set of Monroe’s or Gabriel’s, but my recent past experience with installing them on family and friends vehicles is that their quality is not very consistent. Everything from visible oil on the piston to front struts that had very different compression and rebound speeds from left to right sides!
So, they get no more love from me.

 

[Dave88LX]

Ah man...I appreciate the detailed technical response Andy. The sway bar stuff is a lot to wrap my head around right now...I need to re-read that with a clear head...but it's "just a DD"...I don't want to get too carried away with everything...I'll read again tomorrow.

You are sending a very "overthinking compulsive spreadsheet" person down a deep rabbit hole. LOL

As for the B6 and B8, it's my understanding that the B6 is for factory height springs and the B8 is for lowered height springs? What I mean by that is I couldn't run B8's with the factory springs...

 

[scotman]

It’s not “just a daily driver”. It’s YOUR daily driver! The fact that you have a high performance Camaro in your garage is an indication that you are someone who has fairly high expectations from what you drive. That doesn’t mean you, or I, expect every car we own to have 450 horses under the hood.
But, if I have to get new suspension parts, I want to do an upgrade. Tire choices are going to have an effect on the end result. Even on a relatively simple car like Fiesta.

 

[Dave88LX]

It’s not “just a daily driver”. It’s YOUR daily driver! The fact that you have a high performance Camaro in your garage is an indication that you are someone who has fairly high expectations from what you drive. That doesn’t mean you, or I, expect every car we own to have 450 horses under the hood.
But, if I have to get new suspension parts, I want to do an upgrade. Tire choices are going to have an effect on the end result. Even on a relatively simple car like Fiesta.

I hear what you're saying...I guess I feel that I don't have intimate suspension knowledge to properly tune them. You're right in regards to the comment about the Camaro though! Where can I get mag-ride for the Fiesta? Haha.

I don't have any of those sorts of lasers/levels etc. I don't believe, however I'm not opposed to dropping the car off and getting an alignment done on it.

Threw Michelin X-Ice on my steel wheels for the winter; going to pick out a new 3-season wheel/tire package in the spring. Been happy with Conti XC DWS in the past on previous rides.