Aftermarket toe rods

[Bluemustang]

To anyone who has done before/after, what do aftermarket toe rods ACTUALLY do for handling BESIDES providing more adjustability?

Is it much different than the stock toe links? Just to be clear, not talking about the toe knuckle bearing, just the toe rods themselves. Thanks.

Also, what is the difference between the Steeda and BMR toe rods? Is it more the eccentric bolts that distinguishes the two?

@SteedaTech @BMR Tech

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[Red65]

Well, considering that the stock toe rod is just stamped steel, theoretically moving to a thicker, more solid design of the aftermarket rods will reduce toe changes under hard launching and cornering. They also have more adjustability than eccentric bolts, as well as the inability to shift during usage. Depending how hard you're pushing the car, eccentric bolts can have a tendency to shift and move throwing off the adjustment that was made prior. As far as differences between the brands, it's mostly user preference. The actual design strength is good enough between almost all of them that you would never reach the breaking point of any of them short of wrecking the car. Best thing to do is research which brand has the best QC regarding the bushing material and the coating.

 

[Roadway 5.0]

Best thing to do is research which brand has the best QC regarding the bushing material and the coating.

Well said. In my day job, choosing contractors that are ISO certified is often paramount. That’s why for my car I choose Steeda.

http://www.steedamanufacturing.com/quality.html

 

[WhiteyDog]

Both companies are top notch. I myself have MANY Steeda suspension parts on my car, and I just ordered 3 more. No problems. Ever.

 

[BMR Tech]

To anyone who has done before/after, what do aftermarket toe rods ACTUALLY do for handling BESIDES providing more adjustability?

Is it much different than the stock toe links? Just to be clear, not talking about the toe knuckle bearing, just the toe rods themselves. Thanks.

Also, what is the difference between the Steeda and BMR toe rods? Is it more the eccentric bolts that distinguishes the two?

@SteedaTech @BMR Tech

Aftermarket toe-links really do not provide much benefit to the average S550 enthusiast. Rarely will you see me "pushing" them, or even Vertical Links on the consumer - because these two modifications are typically not needed.

That being said, a quality aftermarket toe-link does has some benefit. First and foremost they are much more rigid than the OE piece. When talking alignment, the components that control it are always best when they are most rigid.

The second benefit that I like are the lockout plates. I was actually shocked when I saw other's release theirs without them, they are very important on a car that gets abused heavily. The lockout plates ensure consistent alignment accuracy by preventing the OE eccentric adjuster from losing clamp / slipping.

The third benefit, is alignment ease and accuracy. I do my own alignments and absolutely DESPISE the factory adjustment style. With the aftermarket pieces, you can make much finer and accurate adjustments to aide in making the alignment match side-to-side.

We use the highest quality and very strong parts on our TR005 Toe-Links. There are some fine details that make most of the offerings slightly different, but I do not personally believe there is a huge difference in quality and strength between the most common offerings available.

What I will say is that when you do a bearing upgrade on the toe knuckle side and an aftermarket toe-link, you do increase the odds of increasing NVH above and beyond what you may want or expect. When each side has the ability to rotate freely you increase the chances of having clicking noises.

 

[Bluemustang]

Aftermarket toe-links really do not provide much benefit to the average S550 enthusiast. Rarely will you see me "pushing" them, or even Vertical Links on the consumer - because these two modifications are typically not needed.

That being said, a quality aftermarket toe-link does has some benefit. First and foremost they are much more rigid than the OE piece. When talking alignment, the components that control it are always best when they are most rigid.

The second benefit that I like are the lockout plates. I was actually shocked when I saw other's release theirs without them, they are very important on a car that gets abused heavily. The lockout plates ensure consistent alignment accuracy by preventing the OE eccentric adjuster from losing clamp / slipping.

The third benefit, is alignment ease and accuracy. I do my own alignments and absolutely DESPISE the factory adjustment style. With the aftermarket pieces, you can make much finer and accurate adjustments to aide in making the alignment match side-to-side.

We use the highest quality and very strong parts on our TR005 Toe-Links. There are some fine details that make most of the offerings slightly different, but I do not personally believe there is a huge difference in quality and strength between the most common offerings available.

What I will say is that when you do a bearing upgrade on the toe knuckle side and an aftermarket toe-link, you do increase the odds of increasing NVH above and beyond what you may want or expect. When each side has the ability to rotate freely you increase the chances of having clicking noises.

Thanks Kelly. That is a great response and exactly what I was looking for.

As you know I had the BMR TR005 links on my car and experienced that NVH increase you referred to above. It really shouldn't be a surprise because once you start stacking aftermarket performance part it increases the likelihood of unwanted NVH. Just par for the course. And while the noise is now gone with OEM links on there, I starting thinking about what I might be losing now handling wise.

I notice that my rear end kicks out quite often after I shift into 2nd gear and started wondering if the OEM toe link eccentric bolt slipping could be anything to do with that but it sounds like it wouldn't. The car isn't under heavy abuse like a track environment or constantly tracking or dragstripping it. I assume with the FP Knuckle bearing on there I shouldn't have much movement in that component.

@BmacIL did say something to me that was interesting re: the OEM toe links: that they tend to add a self-stabilizing force at high speeds. I assume that means allowing the wheels to toe-in. Don't remember how he described it or quite how it works but figured it worth mentioning. But if not for the clicking/clunking noise of the TR005 BECAUSE I have the FP Knuckle Bearing - I'd still have them on my car presently. Not a fault of the component just how it is.

Thank you @Red65 also. Great post with very good information. I appreciate the detailed response.

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