Adjusting end links on Whiteline rear sway bar

[SlowJim]

Hey guys,

I searched but did not find anything on this. I am going to be setting my bar to the 2nd or 3rd hole in a few weeks for autox season, and was wondering about the end link length. As I understand it, the best practice for adjusting preload (front or rear) is:

1) Put weight in passenger seat equivalent to your weight
2) Adjust links so that there is no friction on the bolt in the hole you are using and bar is parallel to ground
3) Tighten to 75ish ft-lbs

However, on the Whiteline rear bar, it can 'pivot' in place about the axle. See pics for reference (not mine)

So, if I set the end link to its shortest position the bar can be rotated up so that there is no friction of the bolt in the hole. Conversely if I set the link to its longest position the bar can be rotated down so that there is no friction. In the pic it seems to be angled up quite a bit.

Am I overthinking this? How do you experienced autox and road course guys adjust your bars?

Thanks.

 

[Lucky_13]

I think you want no pre-load when the car is loaded. In the last pic, it looks like that bar will move after you set the car down and the axle goes up. You can leave the jam nuts loose and adjust after the car is down.

 

[SlowJim]

Right. But the question is, does it matter if the bar is parallel to the ground or not at ride height? It's hard to tell when this bar is parallel due to the kink.

 

[csamsh]

Right. But the question is, does it matter if the bar is parallel to the ground or not at ride height? It's hard to tell when this bar is parallel due to the kink.

Not really.

Easiest way I came up with is to load the suspension and then adjust. Make sure the end link goes in and out of the hole easily and you won't have preload

 

[SoundGuyDave]

First, you want the test-weight loaded in the DRIVER'S seat, not the passenger seat... ;-)

Easy way to null out the preload: Leave the jam-nuts loose on one end link, get the car on the floor and settle the suspension (roll back and forth, bounce the car a couple times). Spin the adjuster barrel back and forth, until you find the spot where there is minimal or no resistance to turning. Snug the jamb nuts. Jack up that corner, pull the wheel, and tighten the jamb-nuts properly, apply a paint stripe across the rod-end, the jamb-nut, and the barrel top and bottom, re-install the wheel, drop on the ground. Re-settle the car, and verify that the end-links are free to pivot slightly with minimal effort to confirm that nothing slipped during the tightening, remove the weight, and test-drive.

 

[SlowJim]

d'oh!