So what's the deal with expensive tie rod ends?
I'm looking at it and the circle track guys have them selling for $12 a pop where here I am looking at $156-$200 to replace 4. Is there really a difference in tie rod ends? I thought they would have standardized the taper on the ball stud like they did the thread. Any reason the circle track tie rod ends won't fit? They're 5/8-18 thread and I'm going to be using their hex stock turn buckles which can be ordered at any length...

 

Are you comparing cirlce track to OEM style TRE's? if so there is not alot of comparison.. one is DOT approved for hiway use and the other is not.. as it is for race only.. the reason the one is so expensive is because it is requires in order to move your car.. the automotive parts places will always beat you to death when it is essential to have. heck I remember needing a fan clutch for the Jeep... the dealer wanted 120$... the parts stres around them did not have one... figure it was a deal between them and the dealer.. I went 10 miles with my heat on to keep the engine cool.. and pulled into a store, and bought the clutch for the fan for 30$.......

 

Yes I'm trying to compare them PHYSICALLY. I could care less about DOT approval. According to the DOT my prom tuning is illegal. I walk a fine line but if it makes my car safer I'll do it.
Example; Worn out "OEM style TRE's" that are too expensive to replace right now or brand new racing TRE's that see more abuse in one night than my car see's in a year... which one do you think is safer .
I completely know why they're charging as much as they do but I want to know if the circle track TRE's will fit or not. Are the taper ball studs a different angle, length, thread, shape, depth? If the angle is the same then I'd rather get 2 sets of these TRE's for $100 than pay $200 for 1 set of the lower grade NAPA parts.

 

I bought a lot of stuff on Speedwaymotors.com for my G body and they're probably Moog stuff as far as I can tell. I got my tie rods new from a company on ebay for $10 each. Brand new high quality stuff. They're on there all the time, but I forget their name at the moment.

 

DOT number checks are for that purpose.. saftey through abusive hiway running. Physically rod ends are nicer than poly ends.. but the poly ends last alot longer. At some point you will run accross a place or have an accident and when they find something that is not approved for hiway use, then it will default to your fault. You can bet insurance companies now are going to be all over any reason at all to make it so they do not have to pay. was hard enough as it was.

 

TRW oem replacement outer ends were $27 each.

 

The circle track TRE are not heim joints, their just G-body parts. Most are made by Moog or TRW. JP, just go to the parts store and have them pull up both the g-body and the f-body parts and see if they are different. You should be able to see or measure with a caliper the difference if the ball joint taper is different, I ASSume they are not, because that would require two different size tools to do the same job. The length might also be different, but here's where the non stock adjuster length will come in handy.

 

If I remember, many of the circle track places had Camaro pieces as well. It may have been 2nd gens though. The tie rods are different.

 

Yeah, probably 2nd gen, the metric and f-body chassis are the popular choices for turning left. I'm a metric man, but I think a 3rd gen would do very well on dirt with it's low CG and torque arm setup. If I ever get any money and time I'm going to build a dirt track car. Heck it's the only form of racing within a 2 hour drive of here. *** the boondocks suck!