ARB drop links
Discussion
YRRunner said:
Not recommended by my preferred service guys, as they wear out far too quickly.
I find that comment a bit strange because the original rear drop link design has a rose joint on the bottom, which needs to be regularly replaced. This is because the rose joints used on the originals require regular lubrication to protect the ball race which, if not done, causes them to seize. This lubrication can also attract debris onto the rose joint which gets pulled into the ball race, causing wear.The rose joints I use on my drop links are teflon lined, so they do not require lubrication. This liner wipes the ball race clean every time it moves. Covering it in grease just makes the dirt stick, causing premature wear. The maintenance guidelines I provide specifically advise against lubricating them. I fitted my rear drop links to my Cerbera in 2006 and they are still fine — some 22k miles later.
Rose joints fitted with rubber boots do require regular lubrication because, contrary to public belief, rubber boots are not totally water tight - so water can enter down the thread into the boot where it sits and corrodes the joint. Lubrication is needed to stop this corrosion.
Another misconception is that the bolt which goes through the rose joint eye is the bearing — so, despite what the fitting instructions say, some make the mistake of not doing it up tight enough — which means that the rose joint will move slightly on the bolt. This allows some movement, which can be mistakenly interpreted as wear, when all that is needed is to nip the bolt/nut up. The bolt is there to clamp the race to the ARB or wishbone and not to act as a bearing.
Another myth is that rose joints lead to harsher and noisier suspension because there is no compliance. This can be true but it is not as straightforward as it seems. Rose jointing wishbones etc will remove compliance — which makes the suspension/steering more predictable. However, a rose jointed ARB link does not introduce any harshness as the suspension bushes still provide the compliance. What a rose jointed drop link does do it is make the ARB work like it was designed to do — i.e. as soon as the car starts to roll, it applies a correction force. Because the ARB does not have to compress the rubber bushes that the original drop links have, this correction is gradual and progressive. So much so, that many users of my drop links have found that they have been able to soften their shocks because they no longer need a stiffer setting to compensate for the lack of a correctly working ARB. The result is a more compliant ride without an increase in body roll.
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