Adjustable End Links…Anyone install these on their CX-5?

[AL Cx5]

Those links have the following lengths:

• 135-175mm: can only adjust 15mm shorter than stock for use at the rear
• 205-245mm: not usable on these cars
• 255-295mm: barely reaches stock length up front, let alone the extra length needed for a lowered car

Yep, they are working, over 5000 miles on the rears. The front links are at 12" long. I don't intend to measure the rear. They work.

Car is lowered 1.5" front, 1.75" rear. We are not trying to look like a tunner. We don't worry about hitting curbs and such. A little lower, 70# less unsprung weight. Spun forged wheels, after market sway bars with urathane bushings and coilovers make this a fun car to drive.

I'm one tune away to completing our engine tune and will put a check mark on modding this car.

It turned out better than I anticipated. Great handling but not at the expense of comfort. Power right were it's needed and 5 mpg FE improvement. Almost a sports car and almost a muscle car.

 

[N7turbo]

More info for the thread. If you don't believe loaded sway bars can affect ride quality, you need to read this thread: https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=794197

So I've been playing around with the front sway for a few weeks now. Luckily a nice function of the asts is adjustable endlink collars. I've been lowered for about 2 years now but still on stock endlinks.

The car felt solid but had a little more front sway then I expected along with harshness in the front. So I really dialed in the links today to make sure there was almost zero preload on the front sway.

Let me tell you the difference is night and day in the drive. Its so much smoother on bumps and just across the board.

I am on H&R and Koni Yellows. Put them on in 2015. My Front is ~1.5 inches lower than stock. Strange how I didn't notice this earlier, but the ride was crap. A year or so into the new setup my front shocks went bust. For a long time I didn't know if it was the shocks or my mind. Eventually, I ordered new struts under warranty and had them replaced.

After replacing the front struts this summer under warranty, and installing new OEM end links i nthe process, I realized my ride was HORRIBLE. Any road imperfections would mean the car would jump sideways. What surprised me was that even on its softest setting, the Koni struts were rigid beyond just a little bit of compression. I was very disappointed. No idea how I never felt this before, especially when my front struts were blown and the car sat even lower.

Long story short: I ordered adjustable end links. Set them to 13 inches (stock is 11.5), and holy crap!, the ride improved. Suspension can now do its job without interference from a pre-loaded sway bar. Instead of being rigid, it is now a lot more proper. Even my wife noticed the difference in the ride quality. Quite simply, my short end links forced the sway bar to rotate upwards. This alters the geometry of the bar in a bad way. For me, it was about 13.5 inches from the center of the wheel to the top of the wheel well.

Longer front end links are NOT AN OPTION when lowering an inch or more. They are a NECESSITY. The install is very easy, thank fully. Just do it.

Further reading:
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1169947
https://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1670590

 

[AL Cx5]

Sway bars control body roll. To much or to little body roll effect ride quality. Ride quality is subjective.

I set our CX5 with Megan bars on the second hole to see how much stiffer it made the ride. It was too stiff for my wife so they went back on the furthest away hole. Yet it's NOT stock. Changing to urethane sway bar bushings was another upgrade in handling at a mild change in ride. Note: on smooth pavement there is no change in ride. On broken, uneven pavement, the ride is stiffer. I LIKE for the car to give the driver more feed back on uneven pavement to SLOW DOWN and not beat the suspension to death.

For our tastes, we like the quicker, precise handling of aftermarket bars. Making a quick evasive maneuver, these bars shine over OEMs. They have worked superbly several times all ready.

I read these posts complaining and two things come up for me:

Did the buyer think modifying the suspension wouldn't change the dynamics? This might be their first venture into modifying a car. I have had a few suspension failures over the years and learned from them.

Did the buyer spend some time tuning the coilovers to his/her tastes? These guys seem to all pay for the install and may not be inclined to reach up under the rear wheel well and adjust the damper. I didn't read where they spent some time adjusting the damper settings. Well???

On the Accord and CX5, I have spent time adjusting the damper settings to our tastes. The BC Racing RC coilovers have 30 different damper settings. The RC series are for street cars. I ended up putting 9 clicks from full soft on the front and 7 on the rear. When I have the car by myself for a few days, I'll stiffen up the ride and enjoy going down some winding roads.

Finding a few complainers is about right. Then there are the other +200 or more who were happy and enjoy their ride and don't frequent this forum. This install required that I work with BC Racing to get the ride and ride height where we wanted. It was more involved than the Accord. Mostly because some many folks modify Hondas vs Mazdas.

BC Racing went the extra mile to get me happy. Sending 4 different shipment of replacement parts at their expense. I was willing to turn wrenches and then turn more wrenches. This maybe more than many folks are willing to do. Honestly, I was on my last effort before demanding a refund. BC Racing was always respectful and helpful. Reassuring they would make it right. The end product is just what I was aiming for. Today, it drives way better than stock. I'm an expert at changing and adjusting front and rear parts. Repairs down the road should be a breeze.

Not many folks are not transparent on the effort that went into getting the suspension correct, particularly on CX5s that are not modified much. The knowledge base is much smaller than many other platforms.

My advise, be prepared for a journey. It might be a one and done or not. The end results are satisfying.

 

[N7turbo]

@AL Cx5 do your BC coilovers have the same mounting location for the sway bar links or is it different than stock? I'm aware some coilovers move the mounting point.

 

[AL Cx5]

@AL Cx5 do your BC coilovers have the same mounting location for the sway bar links or is it different than stock? I'm aware some coilovers move the mounting point.

Same as oem

 

[N7turbo]

If everything goes according to plan, these are going on tomorrow.

 

[N7turbo]

Turns out I got bad information.

The above links DO NOT FIT. The studs are larger than stock. Apparently we need M10 after all. I was told M12—from two sources.

Back to the drawing board.

 

[AL Cx5]

Turns out I got bad information.

The above links DO NOT FIT. The studs are larger than stock. Apparently we need M10 after all. I was told M12—from two sources.

Back to the drawing board.

I'd drill it out. It's only 0.079" difference. Might take 5 min per hole.

When modifying we more often than not have to encourage the part to fit. It's rare that the bolt just drops in...

 

[N7turbo]

Either that, or just upgrade the sway bars to ones with M12 holes

Megan Racing does not publish that information on their site so I sent an inquiry to them.

 

[AL Cx5]

Either that, or just upgrade the sway bars to ones with M12 holes

Megan Racing does not publish that information on their site.

Now you’re talking!

I'll measure a hole in my Megan....

 

[N7turbo]

So I realized that would be a no-go because you would also have to drill out the hole on the strut.

Looking at other options...

This would work up front:
https://superprousa.com/products/trc10245-superpro-sway-bar-link-kit

This would work in the rear:
https://superprousa.com/products/trc1045-superpro-sway-bar-link-kit

Then there's Corksport. They haven't responded to my inquiry but if you read between the lines they give +/- 9mm from stock. That implies 141-159mm and 281-299mm, which is a really small range. I don't see how that could support their 2" lowering springs.

 

[AL Cx5]

Now your talking!!

I'll measure a hole in my Megan....

I measured 11.5mm on the rear. It was not easy to get an accurate measurement.

 

[N7turbo]

Mods, please merge this thread into this one as it's time to move to the next phase.

I would like this thread merged with the other. I'll post this here so it all stays in order when merged.

I plan on installing these tomorrow.

 

[Antoine]

I would like this thread merged with the other. I'll post this here so it all stays in order when merged.

I plan on installing these tomorrow.

View attachment 330188

Done.

 

[N7turbo]

The links are in.

Before & After:

It should be obvious what the difference is!

So the question is: did relaxing the sway bars fix the crashiness of my suspension that I was experiencing over every road imperfection? The short answer is yes. It seems I have my damping back. It's still a bit rough but I have another thing to try for that.

The final zero-preload sway bar link lengths with the Corksport 2" lowering springs are:

Front: ~342mm
Rear: ~125mm (set to 122 for better thread engagement--I wanted at least two full turns on the threads)

This is measured stud-to-stud.

Now to chase down the clunks. I believe I have discovered the causes and am addressing them very soon.

 

[N7turbo]

If someone is looking for a cheaper option, these might work. I can't vouch for them, but the lengths and studs are correct. As it sits I have the Super Pros maxed out, so a little more length would be nice.

Universal Adjustable Sway Bar End Links 310mm-370mm, 10-12mm stud

When you are needing to replace old worn out sway bar links, but want to upgrade a bit these universal adjustable length endlinks are the perfect solution. Universal Vehicle Fitment With Matching Measurement Specs. Heat Treated Hardened Steel Alloy Heavy Duty Ball Joints; M10 Stud With M12...

coiloverdepot.com

Universal Adjustable Sway Bar End Links 110MM-140MM, 10-12mm stud

When you are needing to replace old worn out sway bar links, but want to upgrade a bit these universal adjustable length endlinks are the perfect solution. Universal Vehicle Fitment With Matching Measurement Specs. Heat Treated Hardened Steel Alloy Heavy Duty Ball Joints; M10 Stud With M12...

coiloverdepot.com

But my biggest question in all of this is, why didn't the lengths I thought I needed turn out to be accurate? Especially at the rear—those should have been 150-51=99mm. But I ended up at 125mm, or only a 25mm shortening. The only answer that makes sense is that there is factory preload and the sway bars aren't actually at "zero" stock. But I'm not going through the trouble to figure that out. All that matters is that it's correct now.

 

[N7turbo]

I learned the hard way—use plenty of blue threadlocker on all of the threads where nuts will be or they will come loose due to vibration. Torque alone isn't enough. As soon as vibration breaks the nut loose, there is nothing to hold it on and it will make noise. Threadlocker stops that. I also added zinc M12 washers between the center shaft and the jam nuts as these didn't come with any. They help get a good even torqueing without digging in to the metal.

Try to achieve an even amount of thread engagement on each end of the shaft. I did that by counting the number of turns each joint took to get to my desired length (off the car) then locked the top jam nut into place, leaving the bottom loose to finish on the car. For the Super Pro links you'll need to put a 16mm wrench on the shaft to hold it in place while you use a 14mm wrench to turn the nuts. The order that I found that worked best is:

1. Top jam nut on center shaft (off car)
2. Top sway bar nut
3. Bottom sway bar nut
4. Finally, the bottom jam nut on the center shaft.

Keep in mind that if you don't know the ideal length you'll be using, you'll need to leave both jam nuts loose on the shaft until you are under the car at ride height (full compression). I was able to do it this way because I was taking them off to re-do them, and this made the job easier under the car.

Normally you'd do the very top nut first with the wheels off. Wheels back on, car is up on ramps, then you do the bottom nut. Then you work on the center section. Up front, once I was "done", I had to bring the car back down off the ramps, jack up one side and reach around/through my wheel (may be hard with stock wheels, in that case, take them back off) to get a better torque on the top jam nut on the center section. It's just not possible while laying under the car to get a good angle with your arms all the way up there.

All in all this is a job I do not want to have to do again.

 

[AL Cx5]

Glad you got your end links nice and tight.

Loctite is so handy until its time to remove! I often forget I applied or the manufacturer used it. I pull out the mini torch, warm it up and off with the nut or bolt.

I learned to put a jack under the brake disk after setting the E brake. Jacking the wheel applies some load to the link making it easier to loosen or tighten.

I have a set of long box wrenches to get things tight. I often double wrench with another box wrench to get the final turn and hope nothing slips or breaks...

All these little tricks makes me appreciate tradesmen. If I hadn't done it myself, I would NEVER appreciate their knowledge and skills.

I don't know about you, the first 100 miles I was checking my end links almost dailey.

Now you can enjoy you ride!!! Well done.

 

[N7turbo]

Loctite is so handy until its time to remove! I often forget I applied or the manufacturer used it. I pull out the mini torch, warm it up and off with the nut or bolt.

Well you better be using blue 242 for this so you don't have that problem! The breakaway torque isn't too hard to overcome with some muscle.

 

[N7turbo]

The adjustable sway bar links fixed my ride quality. Night and day! The car now just rides a little firmer than stock. This needs to be on the list of required supporting mods with lowering springs.