Setting Adjustable End Links For Ride Height

How are people setting their adjustable end links when they settle on a coilover height. Example, for winter I raise my ride height 2 coilover turns, for spring/summer I'm raising my rear to eliminate reverse rate and add more traction in the front end. Right now my Whiteline adjustable end links were installed with the same length as the OEM end links but I get clicking when parked and turning the wheels (Not coming from my new hand tightened strut bearings, Audi TT-RS strut mounts, Tyrol Subframe kit)

You best set the adjustable endlink everytime you changed the height.

And it is very easy to do.

You said your endlink is the same as OEM length; did you measure it when it is off from the car, or when it is on the car and on load?

I measured the OEM end links off the car which were the same length as the Whiteline end links installed on the car with load. How does one adjust the end links and know that it's set to the proper length for the final ride height?

Ahhh, ok ok. Equal length endlink will cause pre-load for Golf even when its riding on equal height - and this is based on my experience with more than 10+ VW Golf MK6 (and its siblings the Audis). But my experience is on RHD car.

Nonetheless it is pretty easy to set the correct length (no pre-load), but quite a lot to do just to adjust it.



For best results have the fuel at half full, and here we go:

1. lift the car and remove the wheels (for front).

2. Install the adjustable endlink on left side at its shortest setting but have the adjustment rod free.

3. Install the adjustable endlink on right side at its shortest setting but have the adjustment rod free.

4. Determine which side needs lengthening; and speaking from experience is always the right endlink which needs lengthening. To check, begin to adjust the right endlink rod until it feels loose and you are able to move it with just two fingers without any kind of resistance to it. It will make click2 noise once its free. One side must always stay at the shortest setting so the endlink rod is at its max durability strength.

5. Once you determine the side which needs to be adjusted (in this example the right side), tighten the left adjustable endlink adjustment rod. Be sure the balljoint is dead center on shock and swaybar.

6. Put wheels back on, put car on the ground, move it back and forth to let the suspension to settle down.

7. Now determine do you want the endlink to be free from pre-load with driver, driver+passenger, or no passenger. I always set mine with driver only. Hop inside the car, or get someone closely equal to your weight to hop inside the car (driver side in this example).

8. With driver inside the car, now reach for the right side endlink's adjustment road and begin adjusting the length until you find that sweet spot you found on step 4 - except this time the car is with load and is on the ground.

9. lift up the car, remove wheel, tighten the right side endlink. Be sure the balljoint is dead center. And you're done.


Your car would be:

1. More comfortable as now the swaybar only stiffen up when there is load during cornering. Soaks up bumps like it isn't there (literally). This is because there is no pre-load tension of the swaybar (keep in mind swaybar is a spring).

2. Precise and equal weight on steering between turning to the right and turning to the left.

3. Allow greater damper tuning precision, especially when you're dead serious with corner weighing.

4. Allow the use of bigger swaybar without making the suspension overly stiff.


For the rear, go for Powergrid. Tell Chip Minich you do not want the supplement bracket. And have it install the same way with the front.

What do you mean here?

"For the rear, go for Powergrid. Tell Chip Minich you do not want the supplement bracket. And have it install the same way with the front."

Also, what are your thoughts on the Neuspeed Rear Anti-Sway Bar Support Bracket?
http://www.moddedeuros.com/products...09-rabbit-10-13-golf-05-13-jetta-06-10-passat

HYDE16 said:

What do you mean here?

"For the rear, go for Powergrid. Tell Chip Minich you do not want the supplement bracket. And have it install the same way with the front."

Also, what are your thoughts on the Neuspeed Rear Anti-Sway Bar Support Bracket?
http://www.moddedeuros.com/products...09-rabbit-10-13-golf-05-13-jetta-06-10-passat

Click to expand...

Back then I was experimenting with how to remove swaybar preload for the rear swaybar. If you use Whiteline rear adjustable endlink you will notice the balljoint will never, ever stay dead center now matter what you do to it.
http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=65814

Long story short I share this experience with Chip and he suggested I tried out a supplementary bracket, but that didn't work. So then I just install the rear endlink without the bracket and it works like a charm.

And so I then concluded the problem with whiteline rear adjustable endlink is the fact that its balljoint is too stiff. It wont return back to center once it moves due to load etc, and this only happens on the rear due to the way the rear suspension is on the Golf. On the other hand the Powergrid endlink uses super great THK balljoint that is flexible and hence it will return back to center.

034 Motorsport seems to offer great solution too as it is spherical bearing so it would be flexible. Just avoid the Whiteline rear endlink. It's no good for the rear.

You just have to remember these:

1. Be sure to adjust the endlink on flat ground.

2. Never ever guesstimates the length, as if it is excessively pre-loaded you will snap the endlink or the endlink bracket on the shocks. Both happened to me in the past before I understood the concept of adjustable endlink.


About the Neuspeed swaybar bracket - if they recommend it for their 28mm swaybar then get it. That thing is to avoid subframe crack (Honda Civic EG/EK owners should know this as that happened a lot when adding super big swaybar for the rear without subframe bracket).

It isn't that complicated, dudes.

HYDE16 said:

how should I adjust these? Right now they are the same length as the factory end link front and rear.
Should I be adjusting these for better traction/pre-load or due to the fact that I want to adjust my ride height to have a "rake" for better front end traction?

Click to expand...

HYDE16 said:

I’m not sure if I want pre-load or no pre-load like this person discusses in their procedure.

Click to expand...

Generally and firstly, you want NO preload at all.

The questions are, do you want to have your car corner weighted,
should it be optimized for one single driving situation, e.g. with a
driver and 3/4 full of fuel like those do who use to drive on track?
I had this done, and that's exactly where someone needs both the
adjustable coilovers and endlinks.

If you plan to get the corner weights adjusted, the that guy surely
will know how to do the job properly.

Ok, if you don't want or don't have someone with the necessary
scales for corner weight adjustment near you, then you can do the
endlinks on yourself quite easily.

Remember, still no preload. To achieve this you most probably need
to adjust unequal lengths left and ride, ahh right, as most cars aren't
same weight left and right. Just see where the engine is sitting, which
is much heavier than the gearbox. I'm not exactly a small guy, but I
wasn't able to compensate for the engine's weight. The car's still heavier
on the passenger's side (LHD, RHD will even be worse).

Here we go:

1. set tire pressures evenly, place car on even ground (check before)*
2. loosen one end of at least one endlink on each axle
3. adjust coilover height to your needs (same left + right !!! )
4. loosen lower bolt of rear damper, bop the rear a couple of times, then retorquen bolt**
5. adjust one endlink (the side you didn't loosen) so that it's a appr. 90° to the sway bar, torquen it***
6. then set the other side of same axle so that it fits the hole in the sway bar without force
7. do the same on the other axle
8. done

When you later check this again with slightly different weight (fuel level)
you'll notice this "adjustment" is "out". Every situation simply requires
its own adjustment.

So, don't over do it.



* place some weight on the driver seat if this is what's most relevant

** any time when you changed rear ride height; just loosen a few turns, don't remove it

*** angle will affect sway bar stiffness slightly - 90° is softest

A lot of the times people are not aware of the benefit of having adjustable endlink and how having no pre-load really improves the car's control and comfort.

I even do it on my other car with standard suspension as it's just that good to have an adjustable endlink to refine the ride. Because, as Bruce said also, most cars (I like to say all cars, but I haven't driven all of the cars in the world) are on unequal height on all 4 corners, and there will be swaybar pre-load.

And even if the car is sitting on equal height there's still a chance that the swaybar is still pre-loaded.

But most seems to see adjustable endlink as a mean to have a shorter endlink only, and not take advantage of adjusting it to remove pre-load; and here is where I often saw damage on the adjustable endlink itself, and/or the shock's endlink bracket. Take your time to understand how it works, and you won't regret it.

Everyone who had a ride in my car would asked me how did I managed the set the car to ride so good with stiffer chassis/suspension yet remained so compliant. I would always tell them the key is having an adjustable endlink to remove unwanted pre-load. And all the time they gave me a disbelief looks on their face, but that's ok because I couldn't believe it either when I successfully did it the first time!

So if you're serious with suspension setup, be it for street or track, get an adjustable endlink and set it right. You won't look back!

Would it not work to simply install endlinks while the car is on the ground and adjust each side until just tight (no preload) then tighten jam nuts?

BadAssBass said:

Would it not work to simply install endlinks while the car is on the ground and adjust each side until just tight (no preload) then tighten jam nuts?

Click to expand...

Basically, that's it.

So when you jack the car up to take the wheel off, do you jack up the hub as well when tightening (shortening) the links to replicate a load on the car?

Also, anyone know any cheaper adjustable end links besides the DIY ones from the mk5 forum?

Thanks.

Which endlinks would ya'll recommend for the front? I wanna try this out!

resilientsoma said:

So when you jack the car up to take the wheel off, do you jack up the hub as well when tightening (shortening) the links to replicate a load on the car?

Also, anyone know any cheaper adjustable end links besides the DIY ones from the mk5 forum?

Thanks.

Click to expand...

bumpssssss

Annnnnd I'm going for a corner balance next week where they will address this.

Danz5k1 said:

2. Never ever guesstimates the length, as if it is excessively pre-loaded you will snap the endlink or the endlink bracket on the shocks. Both happened to me in the past before I understood the concept of adjustable endlink.

Click to expand...

+1
First set of adjustable endlinks were installed by a mechanic and within a couple of weeks one of them bent and snapped. :thumbdown: After some discussion with the vendor, he sent me another set free of charge. :clap:

When I installed my B14's a few months later I installed the 2nd set which snapped within a few days. :yikes:


I now stick to stock endlinks...

The fact is, it's not at all easy to adjust the damn things without a lift. The car has to be flat, on the ground and with someone at the wheels (weighted down) to adjust them properly.