uprated drop-links

[p fandango]

made these up using universal parts off ebay (all from mcgillmotorsports actually). Only ordered them Friday morning & they were on the doorstep today. Couldn't find my spare so had to take a wheel off to see how compared to the standard ones. Standard are about 8mm thick, while these are 16mm. I'm looking to use M12 rosejoints on mine which will be even thicker, but will mean enlarging the hole in the shock & anti-roll bar. Price came to £58.50, but £15.60 was for the weather proof boots which i doubt we'll use.

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http://imageshack.us/a/img607/4002/img0046fbq.jpg

[claymore]

So,can you list the parts up and a link to the web site?

[Harvey]

Look good,will be interesting how they last as the brass will wear (as its alot softer than the stock ones ) you will need to fit the boots,I thing you will have to use some studlock on the threads as they will take a pounding on our roads
What is the weight diffrance from the stock items,

[p fandango]

So,can you list the parts up and a link to the web site?
2 x lhd M10 rose joints LINK (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380472816243)
2 x rhd M10 rose joints LINK (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380472819052)
1 x pack of 10 lhd locknut LINK (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/160561203053)
1 x pack of 10 rhd locknut LINK (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180851727933)
2 x 300mm turnbuckle LINK (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/180790423987)
4 x weather boot LINK (http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380444144576)
you'll also need 4 x M10 nut & bolt to fit them, & a small spacer on the top mount between the droplink & shock to sit it right

[p fandango]

Look good,will be interesting how they last as the brass will wear (as its alot softer than the stock ones ) you will need to fit the boots,I thing you will have to use some studlock on the threads as they will take a pounding on our roads
What is the weight diffrance from the stock items,
i haven't got a standard one off the car to weigh it, but i'll weigh these later

[Wobbly Dave]

Without the weather proof boots - they will fail like my QBM ones did. I suppose it depends on how often you intend to use the car.

[p fandango]

Without the weather proof boots - they will fail like my QBM ones did. I suppose it depends on how often you intend to use the car.
i've bought the boots, but a bitch to get on so for the price just replace them every year if need be

[p fandango]

What is the weight diffrance from the stock items,
these weigh 0.5kg each, that seems a bit heavy lol

[Harvey]

these weigh 0.5kg each, that seems a bit heavy lol

What are the advantage of these over stock ones,have you seen or bent the link rod.
That is a fair bit of weight to add to the sprung mass of the suspension.
I know the volvo ones are quite expensive,but there are some good quality pattern parts around.
At £15 each.

[PHIL V70R]

nice.....

[p fandango]

What are the advantage of these over stock ones,have you seen or bent the link rod.
That is a fair bit of weight to add to the sprung mass of the suspension.
I know the volvo ones are quite expensive,but there are some good quality pattern parts around.
At £15 each.
Hopefully it'll improve the efficiency of the anti roll bar, having a bar 20-23mm thick connected at each end by a 8mm drop link can't be passing all the lateral movement to it

[woz]

What are the advantage of these over stock ones,have you seen or bent the link rod.
That is a fair bit of weight to add to the sprung mass of the suspension.
..At £15 each.

There is no benefit whatsoever - its the word "uprated " which makes people do it, but its not uprated anymore than putting a steel bumper instead of plastic.

Fatandheavy would be a better decription. Now using 8mm tube instead with low friction ball joints might count - IF it was lighter than standard. Whatabout an alloy rod, or even carbon fibre. That might cocunt buit bet you would never notice the difference> Better off turning a few mm off the inside of the wheels to reduce the unsprung weight AND rotarional inertia at the same stime.

Waste of time and money. I guess if its a full race car and you have bent one I could understand it - but hands up anyone who has had one of these ACTUALLY fail??

Thought not.

How many times have I posted this?

p.s. you could get the same effect on your handling by just putting a load of lead on your lower arm. Cheaper too!

[woz]

Hopefully it'll improve the efficiency of the anti roll bar, having a bar 20-23mm thick connected at each end by a 8mm drop link can't be passing all the lateral movement to it
Sorry Pedro - it wont. In any case the A/R bar doesn't resist lateral movement at all - only roll motion. The ball joints see to that - the link rod can only be in direct tension or compression unless the B/j is seized. Thats whole the point of it.
To resist lateral motion, you need stiffer TCA bushes.
Woz:>) Grabted they may look nice though.

[JT]

There is no benefit whatsoever - its the word "uprated " which makes people do it, but its not uprated anymore than putting a steel bumper instead of plastic.

Fatandheavy would be a better decription. Now using 8mm tube instead with low friction ball joints might count - IF it was lighter than standard. Whatabout an alloy rod, or even carbon fibre. That might cocunt buit bet you would never notice the difference> Better off turning a few mm off the inside of the wheels to reduce the unsprung weight AND rotarional inertia at the same stime.

Waste of time and money. I guess if its a full race car and you have bent one I could understand it - but hands up anyone who has had one of these ACTUALLY fail??

Thought not.

How many times have I posted this?

p.s. you could get the same effect on your handling by just putting a load of lead on your lower arm. Cheaper too!

well they will be put to the test on my car, so we'll find out:)
http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa454/johnnytempest/th_5898407082_120861e193_b.jpg

[Harvey]

Just to add seen a Renault with plastic drop links,and they were very small items as well.

[p fandango]

Just to add seen a Renault with plastic drop links,and they were very small items as well.
Their French, so there technology doesn't count for anything lol

[p fandango]

Fatandheavy would be a better decription. Now using 8mm tube instead with low friction ball joints might count - IF it was lighter than standard. Whatabout an alloy rod, or even carbon fibre. That might cocunt buit bet you would never notice the difference> Better off turning a few mm off the inside of the wheels to reduce the unsprung weight AND rotarional inertia at the same stime.
compared to the overall weight of the components that are already unsprung, especially as you say the rotational parts "uprating" the droplinks is going to make no noticable difference at all


Waste of time and money. I guess if its a full race car and you have bent one I could understand it - but hands up anyone who has had one of these ACTUALLY fail??

Thought not.
even steel has some elasticity, so once the cornering load has been removed they'll return to the original form. Another Volvo forum is having an issue with poor design of the droplink mounts on some coilovers, all that have failed have had "uprated" droplinks. Perhaps flex in the standard links is saving the tabs from snapping on others?


How many times have I posted this?
wouldn't really know, & tbh even if i had read it before i'd still be doing exactly the same

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http://i50.tinypic.com/rj349w.jpg

[p fandango]

Sorry Pedro - it wont. In any case the A/R bar doesn't resist lateral movement at all - only roll motion. The ball joints see to that - the link rod can only be in direct tension or compression unless the B/j is seized. Thats whole the point of it.
i'd agree with you, if the droplinks were in a perfect linear position on all axis, & compression was perfectly verticle but its not (otherwise their'd be no need for need for ball joints). With the G force's pushing a 1.6tonne car on an 8mm bar at an offset angle its going to try & get rid of that energy in the easiest fashion, which with a bar that thin is going to be outwards at the weakest point (the middle)

[FIREBOLT]

You can see where the top ball joint of the droplink has been hitting the inner wing & bending the tab on the strut on all three of the above pics. Obviously slammed their cars & still think they can drive on full lock.

I have adjustable drop links for my V40 as it will sit so low, with standard length droplinks the angles are so extreme they would fail in no time. Aong with the issue the cars above are having.
The shortest droplinks are for the front, as they now attach to the lower arm. I can if I want use the longer ones to attach to the struts instead. Depends what feels better when driving. They also weigh about half that of the oem links.
http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb257/EVOLVO97/SAM_0883.jpg

[p fandango]

You can see where the top ball joint of the droplink has been hitting the inner wing & bending the tab on the strut on all three of the above pics. Obviously slammed their cars & still think they can drive on full lock.
as you can see on the coil-over thread, only 1 of them is what i would call "slammed". The first pic (who has the highest ride height) has gone thru 2 sets now

[Harvey]

Looking at this photo they have also changed the anti roll bar I would guess it thicker stronger so the next weakest link to go was the tabs welded on strut.

http://i50.tinypic.com/rj349w.jpg[/QUOTE]
Are they that much bigger to hit the bodywork on lock.

[FIREBOLT]

as you can see on the coil-over thread, only 1 of them is what i would call "slammed". The first pic (who has the highest ride height) has gone thru 2 sets now

Ok then, lower than standard, either way they are still hitting in the same place on all 3 pics. Could be a mixture of things from extra camber (they look like D2 coilovers so probably have adjustable top mounts?) moving the strut closer to the inner arch. Or maybe the ball joints do not have the same amount of movement as oem drop link. Causing them to bind at full lock & bending the strut tabs instead. The tabs look to have been worked back & forth.

I certainly wouldn't have fitted a second set without finding the cause of the fault first.

[p fandango]

Ok then, lower than standard, either way they are still hitting in the same place on all 3 pics. Could be a mixture of things from extra camber (they look like D2 coilovers so probably have adjustable top mounts?) moving the strut closer to the inner arch. Or maybe the ball joints do not have the same amount of movement as oem drop link. Causing them to bind at full lock & bending the strut tabs instead. The tabs look to have been worked back & forth.
they have had contact of some sort, but going by the marks wouldn't say its been repeatative. As you can see the droplinks are different manufacturers, what are the chances of them all having limited movement


I certainly wouldn't have fitted a second set without finding the cause of the fault first.
the first failed after 4 days so was put down to a manufacturing fault i believe

its a shame i've binned my lining, i wouldn't be surprised if there are others with contact marks on the inner wing with different suspension manufactures

[JT]

I have 3.5 degree of camber on the front and the struts don't rub the inner wing, but then again, I very rarely use full lock.
Maybe as mentioned before, what some of us use on a track, won't work on the road

[p fandango]

Looking at this photo they have also changed the anti roll bar I would guess it thicker stronger so the next weakest link to go was the tabs welded on strut.
i'm not sure if they are all running IPD bars. Tabs would be the next weakest if the links weren't absorbing/flexing ;)

[FIREBOLT]

Looking at this photo they have also changed the anti roll bar I would guess it thicker stronger so the next weakest link to go was the tabs welded on strut.

The tabs should only have an up & down load applied to them, these have been bent back & fourth. The ball joints should allow for this movent & not bend the tabs.

[p fandango]

The tabs should only have an up & down load applied to them, these have been bent back & fourth. The ball joints should allow for this movent & not bend the tabs.
here's a pick of mine on full left & full right lock, as you can see the angle movement of the droplink really isn't that much. You can also see that on full right lock it would make contact with the arch lining if i'd got them, but again really wouldn't be enough to bend a tab back & forth enough to snap it

http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/992/rightlock.jpg

http://imageshack.us/a/img834/1160/leftlock.jpg

[FIREBOLT]

Just thinking when I last saw this! The anti roll bar was moving left to right rather than twisting, causing the drop links to hit the body. These were with aftermarket bars & were sliding in the bushes. Think they re-made the bars with collars either side of the arb mounts to hold them in place.

[JT]

http://i1198.photobucket.com/albums/aa454/johnnytempest/ipdarb.jpg