SPL Front-Endlinks (with whiteline sway bars) - Bearing worn out
 

I have the SPL front endlinks with the left side low bearing having a little play and making noise under light load about 10-15mph on uneven ground, this war verified by a mechanic and then isolated and simulated in the shop you can actually feel the bearing move when you put your fingers to it.

Kind of annoying...

Was there a point to this thread?

Might want to contact SPL, surely they have some kind of warranty.

Damn, so everyone does break or at least wear out. Chalk this up as a part always needing replaced and serviced.

The point is to just inform everyone who doesn't care that something I got on a 370z wore off lol, yes, that's not much of a point, but... so????

I wish they'd make the lining out of something else, like titanium!

After how long?

Other than noise, what other signs told you there was a problem?

Check with SPL to make sure you're installing them and setting them up correctly as well. 99% of people who have adjustable end links don't set them up properly. If that's the case you're probably pre-maturely wearing them out.

what is the correct way?

Basically they are length adjustable so you can set them up to have no preload on the bar when the car is sittings still. So to install them correctly you have to connect them to the sway bar while the car is sitting on the ground or on a set of wheel blocks or something supporting its own weight. Then adjust the length of the end link to meet the sway bar. If you attach it while the car is off the ground and the suspension is unloaded then when it gets back on the ground there is already stress and pressure on the links while the car is just sitting there, even more pressure when the bars start to move under the load of cornering. That's the whole reason aftermarket links are length adjustable and not just stronger versions of the stock links. Setting them up properly also helps maximize the effectiveness of the sway bar.

Ok that makes sense...

but...

When you disconnect the two end links the bar can move up and down freely...so how do you know where it should be before connecting the endlinks?

Do you see what I am saying? If the endlinks are at full length the bar can be pointed down and vis versa short links and pulling the bar up to reach them

Parallel to the ground.

Seb and Specialty Z installed em. I'm sure he did it right, and we've checked installation. The left one wore out, the right one is fine.

Nothing really. Just a clanking noise at low speeds.

Cool. Thank you!