I am in some need of new sway bar links all around.

I know this isnt too tough of a diy fix.

My questions are is there much of a difference form just getting OEM parts to getting like moog, or just some more pricey one. Would it actually make a difference and make it stiffer?

and second question is how crucial is the torque spec. Would I just be able to use a socket and do it without a torque wrench carefully or is it that important?

Any other advice or anything would be appreciate too, thanks.

 

Yes the parts quality makes a HUGE difference. Use poly ones; you can get em from some of the board sponsors, Summit/Jeg's/speed shops, even hanging on cards at AZ.

There is no "torque spec". You just tighten em until the rubber gets squoze to slightly larger than the washers.

The right length is about 2½ - 2¾", both front & rear, measured as the length of the sleeve. It's not real critical. Mostly you just want the arms of the bar to be approximately level when the car is at rest.

 

Thank you, that helps a lot. Ive heard ramps are good because its all even with some pressure on the suspension too.

 

Another question is there a difference on the rear and front sway bar links at all or is it just the same?

 

The rears are a little longer than the fronts. You can go to Advance Auto and get the Energy Suspension ones. They have the longer ones which are better for the rear and the shorter ones for up front. Just replaced mine not too long ago and they make such a nice difference youll notice after replacing the oem ones

 

If your end links need replacing, you should also check the sway bar bracket bushings. If they need to be replaced, I suggest poly bushings. Works very well on my car. It's another easy job.

 

The Spohn site shows the same part number for both front and rear.

JamesC

 

My car is a WS6 with stock springs. I don't know if that will be different but..

The ones I removed from the front had a 2.25" sleeve length.
What I purchased for the rear is a 2.625" sleeve length which was the closest to the one I removed - I don't recall the actual measurement right now. The sway bars are in the proper orientation.

In my case, they are different.

The Spohn end links are Prothane end links with 3.5" sleeve lengths. Those definitely don't fit my car.

 

In this application, that's a bunch of "measure with micrometer, mark with chalk, cut with axe". Regardless of who lists what for which cars in whatever catalog, or whatever whoever had put on it whenever for whatever reason.

Adding a passenger, or going from a full tank of fuel to an empty tank, or changing from manifolds to headers or installing subframe connectors, or even the change in downforce between sitting still and driving at highway speeds, changes the ride height and therefore the "ideal" length more than that. Meaning, all that micrometer work is down in the noise somewhere; you can't swing an axe that close.

A certain level of precision is always mandatory. One of the arts of this hobby is figuring out when you've arrived at "good enough". I'll never forget the time I walked into a speed shop with Skillet, who was replacing a bunch of wore-out stock valves in some stock emissions heads (i.e. screwing up), and he goes up to the counter and tells the guy to give him "the best ones you got". Guy whups out something like hollow-stem sodium-filled titanium valves and hardened lash caps. Skillet DAMN NEAR DIED of a heart attack on the spot when he looked at the price: it was more than he paid for THE WHOLE CAR, just for the EXHAUSTS. When he recovered, I asked the counter guy to pull him some Manley Street Flow ones, which were ... more ,,, .... ummm ...... sensibly priced, for the application at hand; maybe $100 for both sets at the time. Skillet was much happier. Point being, with your "attention to detail" just like your choice of parts, there always comes a point when any further consumption of resources is A WASTE. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muda_(Japanese_term): scroll down to the fifth of the seven.

As said, something in the range of 2½ - 2¾" is fine on both ends of most of these cars. The newer and more "stock like" your springs are, the longer they'll need to be; the more wore-out and sagging your springs are, or if you've lowered the car, the shorter they need to be. It's not particularly critical though.

"WS6" makes no difference to any of this. It's just a bunch of wore-out sagging old used-up stock stuff, same as any other W or F RPO on these cars these days.

 

My Camaro Bible lists the torque at 12 foot lbs. This is what I set mine at and seems to be just right. For what it is worth- Edward.

 

The correct "torque" varies with the hardness (durometer spec) of the material, since what really matters is NOT the tightness of the hardware, but rather the finished dimensions of the bushings.

12 ft-lbs might be fine for stock ones. Won't be near enough for poly ones.

 

For what it's worth, mine is in the neighborhod of 28" fender height all the way around. Everything but the springs are new up front. The rear has yet to be gone through.

 

My Spohn sleeve length is 2.25 or thereabouts.

JamesC

 

LOL and so true!!!!