Quote:
survivorman previously said:
ok fellas, help me understand these things, what there purpose is and if I should swap them out.....here is the low down.
I just lifted my FJ(OME) heavy front, medium rear.....so it has about a 3 in lift going. I have seen that the lower control arms get bent up pretty good offroading(and I will be swapping these out for sure) but dont really understand what the DO?
also that goes for the rear upper links.....what do these do? and have seen where a member makes these....do I really need to swap them out? if so is it something I can do on my own in my garage?
last question sway bar links(jesus how many links does this FJ have? lol) ok I know there is a pair in the rear....and a pair upfront, I know that adding sway bar collars to the aluminum rings or in place of them will help to keep the front links from breaking(so I think I will just do that) but the rear links? do these need to be swapped out? and what do they do exactly?
sorry if this is all newbie questions but my brain is a sponge and I am trying to soak it all up......its all very confusing to me and I dont know if I really need to spend the money to upgrade some of this stuff....or just keep it stock
any help or insight would be MUCH appreciated....I thank you
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The rear upper links work in conjunction with the lowers to connect the rearend to the chassis and to keep the rearend from wrapping up or twisting when applying power or brakes. They are not as high on the priority list to replace as the lowers. The factory pieces look very weak but I have never actually seen one broken. (yet)
The main reason for replacing the uppers is to be able to adjust your pinion angle back to factory specs when lifts above 2" are installed. Most companies 3" suspension kits only give 2" in the rear and 3" in the front to try and level the vechicle. The factory upper links will still function properly at that height. When you go higher in the rear you need to rotate your pinion angle back up to eliminate driveline vibrations and that is where the adjustable upper links work so well.
The sway bar links are infamous for breaking and bending. Having heavy duty sway bar links is not the complete answer. I think everybody has realized that the factory sway bar collars that center the sway bar and keep it from binding the links loosen up and move and that allows the links to fail. A good sway bar collar eliminates that problem. The rear sway bar links are very short from the factory and when lifting the FJ they are now operating at a severe angle that promotes failure in these too. We will have new adjustable rear links out shortly to cure this problem.
JonB
