Hi all,

The picture below shows my latest new product. Its a wide trackwishbone complete with threaded bushes to take rose joints. Picture hows a top wishbone but we can also do the same for the bottom wishbones, and also for standard book track width wishbones.

For more details, and prices, please contact me off list darren@gtstuning.co.uk

I've not yet added these to the website.

Kind regards,

Darren
Rescued attachment rod-end-wishbone-small.jpg

Nice - now those I do like!

Ding dong, raising them there stakes can't be bad.

Adjustable castor angle if I'm not mistaken.

I like it.

Paul G

Paul,

Depends which way you locate the spherical bearing, should be horizontal really, so not any advantage.

Ned.

Ned,
Not sure I follow.

Surely if you offset the rod ends and have more thread showing on the upper wishbone front rod end and the lower wishbone rear rod end then that will give you more castor because the upper balljoint will be farther back and the lower balljoint will be farther forward.

I would expect that the rodends would be oriented so that you could fit them to existing suspension mountings with appropriate spacers either side of the rod ends (which could also be spaced differently to affect castor as well)

Personally I would tend to use the spacers to give "optimum" castor and just use the threads on the rod end for fine tuning.

Cheers,
Craig.

ps. Nice design Darren - I shall add these to my wish list for my next build!

Craig,

Rose joints should be used horizontally so the standard locost mounts would be changed. This is because braking and acceleration are the biggest forces rose joints have to deal with and they cope better with these when mounted horizontally. Mount them vertically in place of bushes, shimmed out with washers and there's the risk under extreme load (or after they've worn a bit from purlonged ie road use) the bearing could pull through the joint which wouldn't be very nice....

The above said, Hicost uses rose joints in place of bushes in the standard mount way, but I don't know how often they need replacing..

Ned.

Ned,

You are correct in theory, but, that doesn't stop people using them as direct replacements and getting away with it. I would ultimately prefer to see them mounted as they are photographed, but in most applications of this type this is not practical.

Kind regards,

Darren

Ned/Darren,
Okay I see what you're both getting at now. I remember a similar discussion a while back too.

All I would say is what I said back then and that is to use a "big enough" and good enough quality rod end. As you will both appreciate, there are rod-ends and ROD-ENDS! As a rule of thumb, and IIRC, the axial loads can only be up to about 10-15% of the maximum radial load but if you use a good quality 1/2" or 5/8" rod-end this should still be pretty safe on a lightweight car. Also, if the rod-end does "dislocate" then by using a large spacer, or a thick penny washer either side of the rod-end, then the consequences of the dislocation will be contained. It is extremely unlikely that you will lose control of the car unless you are really pushing your luck when it lets go!

I'm using rod-ends on all my rear suspension joints already but I'm stuck with nasty Lolocost front wishbones with Nylon bushes for the time being at least (You live and learn...).
This will be one of my first upgrades once I get the car on the road I suspect and the new GTS wishbones are just the ticket I think!!

All the best,
Craig.

Trying to adjust the castor by altering the rod ends (as in Darren's pic above) can really only be done if the bores of the rod ends are mounted horizontally (the opposite of Darren's pic), and even then, only if wide mounts and spacers are used.
The wishbones will have been made to a theoretical width (rod end centre to rod end centre) in a jig. If you then wind one rod end in and the other out, the number of turns/thread pitch won't retain the same width (unless you're extremely lucky).
If you try and force them, at best, the rod ends will have some side pre-load, and at worst, you'll pop one out.
The proper way to make rod end type wishbones adjustable for castor is to have a clevis joint at the apex of the wishbone which allows the legs of the wishbone to move independantly of each other.
I doubt if Darren intends for his wishbones to be adjusted for castor using the rod ends.
Darren, would you care to comment?
Rescued attachment adjustable_wishbone.jpg

Ummhh, yes.

Too knackered to think too hard, but, i think looking briefly at your comment that i agree.

Kind regards,

Darren

Rorty,

I agree with what you're saying and craig i have the bloody lolocost front wishbones too, so a quite probable solution for me too when all road worthy..

Ned.