Originally Posted by
syfi
Totally agree...that's why I went with these.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/aaf-all57112
These tubes are made of strong, swedged DOM steel with a gold anodized finish for looks and durability.
I was always a little leary of the sets that MikeR designed simply because of the material he used and those same ball socketed ends. The dirt track boys go through these on a regular basis especially when they go the cheaper route and use the SS or aluminum rods which tend to strip easier then the chromoly ones.
Many other auto enthusiast groups, the Jeep/rock crawler/desert racers in particular, have learned to never use tractor supply joints. Those joints are weak and wear fast. That's why there is an entire industry devoted to manufacturing rod ends and links that can withstand abuse. I previously linked to many of those manufacturers in one of MikeR's old threads. As you note, the dirt track racers go through those very quickly, and they use them on the track. I wouldn't run them, and they're not designed to run on any street driven vehicle.
For example, I run a set of custom control arms with Currie "Johnny Joint" rod ends on my Jeep. Sure, they are more expensive than tractor supply joints. But, they put up with a lot of abuse, continue to be quiet, are serviceable, and I've yet to see one broken.
I've never seen an animation of the Crossfire's suspension. What will happen when one of these cheap tie rods breaks? Is it controllable at speed once it breaks?