arbs / droplinks questions (again...sorry!)

[GuyM]

[/quote]

sorry to pinch this pic of someone else post but can i ask a fairly basic question about front arbs & droplinks.

the quality H&R arbs like this, have 3 hole positions. in this pic am i right in saying this is set on the "softest" setting?
Is it a false economy to drill an extra set of holes in a standard arb (there looks to be just about room to drill one set of extra holes in the flat bit)and therfore mount the droplinks further back from the end, making the arb setting stiffer?

In doing so would i be weakening an arb that is just not up to the job? (18mm arb i think on a 325i purely track car)

secondly - both front and rear droplinks (standard ones - not like the ones in the pic) have seen better days - can i just buy the poly/rubber bushes from bmw/powerflex etc or is it worth buying the whole drop link (4 in all).

Sorry if this second topic is opening a can of worms - i've done a search on this and found loads of input but i'm afraid i'm still unclear!! Also the rubber mounts that hold it to the subframe are on the way out - new ones of these too i guess, or do they not really tighten things up?

[mikekean]

i dont see why you couldnt drill another set of holes there is plenty of metal there to still be strong enough. and i just bought some genuine BMW drop links for mine the other day from my stealer so you can still get them.

[handpaper]

Did it. It works

But only on the 20mm (Touring/M-Tech) bar. There isn't room on a 19mm bar for another hole

[Jeepster]

Firstly, yes the pic shows a bar on the softest setting. Handpaper has answered the other question.

Secondly, if the drop links are worn then get new ones, now i have Eibachs on my e36, the front bat is set tight and it does like to kill drop links, the ball joint just snaps out of the cup. It doesn't do it often, but next time I will buy proper uni-ball ones like those in the pic. Basically, if you tightening the bar, its worth getting one like those in the pic, it will probably be cheaper in the long run.

thirdly, the bushes used to clamp the bar in place are worth replacing for poly ones, if you did that without anything else you would feel a difference. As your going to be tracking the car, its well worth the few quid to get them.

[gareth]

a cheap upgrade if you can find one is the 325i cab front ARB which is 21 or 22mm iirc.

[GuyM]

thanks for the advice

i have managed to get a cab ARB so it is just a bit stronger.

will probably drill out the holes and get uprated droplinks - but i know as with anything on a track car - once you upgrade one area you move the stresses onto the next weakest point so it just goes on and on!

any suggestions on where to get the those uni-ball droplinks and what i can expect to pay?

[shorty73]

whiteline do them but there not cheap. For the fronts just get a male and female rose joint and a lock nut. For the rear get two females and some stud with two locknuts. Do a search for "rod ends" or "rose joints" and you'll find some. Want some with around 15-20 deg of misalignment. Set your ride height on the car and measure between the two hole centres for an idea of the length you want ( allowing for some adjustability)

On the other hand part with some money for whiteline ones........like I did

[kimbo]

I think we get our rose joints from a co. called McGill Motorsports, via ebay. They do std and heavy duty and prices are very good. Recommend that you use the heavy duty type and if using on the road get the rubber gaiters for weather protection (otherwise they sieze up and squeak like a bar steward).

Kim.

edit - here's the link http://stores.ebay.co.uk/McGill-Motorsp ... idZ2QQtZkm