Installed RacingBeat Rear Links, ..goodbye TwosRUs Options

[azian_advanced]

So here's the story. As i was in the middle of upgrading my suspension from teins to even better teins, i had sheared one of the studs off of the TwosRUs links because it had fused with the sway bar. apparently links should always be greased up since they swivel and rub with the sway bar while going over bumps so i can imagine the heat or friction occurring and cause the bolts to seize. so instead of ordering another pair, i decided to try something else. after a quick search, i found out a couple of members are using racingbeat rear links off of a 90-97 miata without problems.

After a quick comparison between the two I have to say that not only are the RacingBeat links more affordable than the TwosRUs ones ($59 vs. $75 for the pair), but they're imo beefier and better designed. the studs don't have spherical joints unlike the TwosRUs links and instead have urethane bushings so it provides a stiffer connection with the sway bar and the struts. these can also be adjusted in length just like the TwosRUs links.

..so if you're going to upgrade springs and/or rear endlinks, go for these.. just make sure you grease all the bolts and between the washers and swaybar for easy removal in the future. Now I just need to find similar ones for the front...


Link: 90-97 Miata Sway Bar Rear End Links














RacingBeat Miata vs. TwosRUS ST185 Rear Links





The TwosRUs links in their prime






This post has been edited by azian_advanced: Sep 21, 2012 - 2:01 AM

[azian_advanced]

the links need to be of equal length so that the sway bar isn't pre-stressed.
while pre-stressing is not necessarily a bad thing, it just means that you won't get the same roll stiffness doing LH turns as you would doing RH turns (and vice versa).

they're also adjustable so that you can change the direction of force the end link is putting on the sway bar the moment you start getting body roll.
ideally, you want the link to be 90 degrees with the sway bar where it meets the sway bar bushings. it'll allow more torque to transfer from one end of the sway bar bushing to the next during cornering.
basically, it'll maximize the performance of the sway bar.


i made a diagram to show the angle i'm referring to.




during auto-cross events where you're always cornering left and right & putting more cornering loads on the suspension, it'll be better to have it at a slightly higher angle.
for example, if at maximum cornering load the angle (in the picture) reaches a minimum of 86 degrees which is when the suspension achieves its highest length of travel giving you a maximum deflection angle of 4 degrees (90-86=4), then it would be better to have it set to around 92 degrees when static (90+4/2=92) so that deflection angles range between 88-92 degrees and always maximizing the anti-roll performance of your set-up.

This post has been edited by azian_advanced: Apr 23, 2012 - 10:11 AM