I have a rod ended PHB. I'm pretty sure it is respnosible for a clunking in my car(over road imperfections). I got under it and shook the car side to side. Everything is tight (bolts), and there isn't enough slop to see movement, but the noise is coming from the rod ends.

Do I just have to live w that?
I don't want the slop of the stock PHR, and want the articulation allowed by a rod end (vs a poly bushing).

This is a UMI D/A PHB. It seems of high quality, and has less than 3k miles on it (1 yr old).

 

have you kept the rod ends lubed? if not, and they have rusted, it will cause noises.

also, you can zip-tie some rubber heater hose around the rod end to help dampen the noise

 

Everyone seems to think I'm kidding when I say they will make noise eventually. I think what you are hearing is normal, and is something you have to live with when you decide to use rod-ended parts. Some people have a higher tolerance for it than others. My tolerance for the rattling is fairly low...I'll have to see how it is now that it is no longer my daily driver.

 

There is no visable rust on them. I have not lubed them but, UMI describes the rod ends as: "- QA1 ¾” Hard Chrome Plated, Teflon/Kevlar Self Lubricating Race Rod End"

I'm liking the idea of dampening the noise w rubber though. And coating it w lube cannot hurt.

 

You're basically trading a quiet slop for a tight noise. The rubber mounts that come stock do a great job of dampening road noise but flex quite a bit under load. The exact opposite can be said with the rod ends. It's metal on metal with a very thin layer of grease seperating the two.

You could try a polyurethane PHB, I really don't think you'd notice any discernable difference besides less noise and slightly less articulation.

Marty

 

I use thin flexible rubber washers on either side of all my rod ends..... dampens the noise considerably, and doesn't inhibit articulation. Night and day difference. Only rattle when the road surface is real bumpy.

 

Thats what I want 2 hear!

 

On the plus side...

I just had my 1st win at an autocross competition yesterday! Didn't notice the rattle at 40-110 mph and high rpm!

 

u have to be dead on with the fitment. mine dont make any noise at all. check the install.

 

Since I've installed mine I havn't heard any noise, kept lubed and not been on more then a few months.

 

Were standard or 1/2" bolts used?

 

dont mean to jack the thread but why start a new one when we are on the topic...

what lube did you guys use?

 

R U serious?
2-bolts....how do you do it wrong?

And stock bolts were used. UMI provides CNC machined aluminum adapters to keep everything tight.

 

Yeah, what lube you guys use on the rod ends?
I am thinking astroglide is not going to work.

 

**** man, KY FTMFW !!!!

but seriously, white lithium grease is what i will be using on my rod-ended stuff

 

Why he's asking is the stock bolts are 13mm and the holes they go into are 1/2". That leaves a little slop which can make some noise. There is a thread about it here somewhere.

 

Right I remeber reading something about that. I beleive UMIs adapters solve this issue though.

Which is the possible problem, the holes on the cars brackets, or the rod end centers?

Because the aluminum adapters are supposed to fill the gaps between the rod end and brackets..and they slip into the rod end itself to make the factory bolt fit snugly...
or at least that is my understanding.

I'll PM UMI, see if he will chime in.

 

Interesting topic. I'm working on making some LCAs and a panhard rod with rod ends.

 

that was for the LCA's, not the PHR....the UMI PHR's use the OEM mounting hardware. if there was an issue with doing that, they would offer at least an optional bolt upgrade kit like they do with the LCA's, but they don't.

oh, and i got to thinking about enclosing the rod-ends....i'm probably gonna try getting some of that pipe insulation stuff, the soft closed-cell foam stuff that you use to wrap your pipes with to keep them from freezing in the winter.....

get a piece where the I.D. (inner diameter) is roughly equal to the size of the O.D. (outer diameter) of the main bar.....cut off a piece about 10" - 12" long, then cut it in half length-wise, so you have two half-circles about 10" - 12" long (one for each side). then right in the center (at the 5" - 6" point), cut out a little piece that will fit around the spacers on the rod-ends when it is folded over itself length-wise, creating a closed end where the rod-end is, enclosing it and protecting it from the elements. make sure to lube up the rod-end real good first, then wrap the foam around it......use some duct tape to wrap around the foam (to keep the zip-ties from cutting into it when you cinch them down hard, and to help keep them from deteriorating as quickly), then zip-tie it to squeeze it down tightly around the rod, forming a tight seal.

not only will that help seal it from the elements, but if there is any squeaking/clunking, it will help drown out the noise, too

 

They sell rubber boots that slip over the rod end. I think they are about 5 bucks a piece. Check this links in the Canyon carving stickie. They should protect the rod ends from the elements and look good too.