[Liquidpaper]

Getting them installed Monday. Might take some time -- it's a pretty intensive process for F-Chassis BMWs. I'll post a review once I get it done.

[Iceman51sn]

Fantastic! Very much looking forward to your review. I'm curious as to the quality of the endlinks?

[ketema]

I've got my car in the shop getting my hotchkis bars installed. What do end links do and/or improve?

[Liquidpaper]

Originally Posted by ketema

I've got my car in the shop getting my hotchkis bars installed. What do end links do and/or improve?

They do a few things. They allow you to retain the stock geometry of the bar when your car is lowered, and they allow corner balancing on the front -- you can adjust the front links to add or remove pre-load on the front bar.

I didn't even know Hotchkis had bars out for the M235i yet.

[ketema]

Originally Posted by Liquidpaper

They do a few things. They allow you to retain the stock geometry of the bar when your car is lowered, and they allow corner balancing on the front -- you can adjust the front links to add or remove pre-load on the front bar.

I didn't even know Hotchkis had bars out for the M235i yet.

Cool. I pinged Donovan to get pricing.

Pretty sure I'm the first person to get the Hotchkis production bars. I badgered them almost daily lol.

[x233]

Originally Posted by ketema

I've got my car in the shop getting my hotchkis bars installed. What do end links do and/or improve?

You can change the sway preload with them, therefore, change the balance of the car (make it more or less prone to understeer), and limit weight transfer in a corner or when changing directions sharply (make it more or less stable and responsive).

Typically, if you make the front end links shorter the front end will be stiffer, therefore, more prone to understeer mid-corner but will be more responsive (sharper initial turn in) and more stable on a straight but less comfortable on less than perfect roads.

If you make them longer (effectively makes the arm of the sway bar longer) the front end will be softer and less prone to understeer mid-corner (to the point of outright oversteer depending on your settings) but slightly less responsive (slushy initial turn in) and less stable on a straight but generally more comfortable.

[Dan GSR]

dinan says its a 6 hour job

[Liquidpaper]

Goods before install.

[Pparana]

those links look way too long, could be wrong, but I am not sure you will be able to get the bar parallel.

[Liquidpaper]

Just got my car back last night. The endlinks are the right size, but the hardware on the ends needs to be swapped, so I'm using the stock endlinks right now. They do just fine for a modest (1 inch) drop. I think if you were slammed on coilovers or something, you might need them more.

Survey says -- awesome upgrade. A gigantic pain in the ass to get the sway bars installed (very expensive if you aren't doing it yourself), but definitely stiffens the car up and kills any body roll the car might have had.

[ocN55]

Originally Posted by Liquidpaper

Just got my car back last night. The endlinks are the right size, but the hardware on the ends needs to be swapped, so I'm using the stock endlinks right now. They do just fine for a modest (1 inch) drop. I think if you were slammed on coilovers or something, you might need them more.

Survey says -- awesome upgrade. A gigantic pain in the ass to get the sway bars installed (very expensive if you aren't doing it yourself), but definitely stiffens the car up and kills any body roll the car might have had.

Did the front and rear sway bars require dropping that subframe? Sounds like a really involved install from what I'm reading.

[Liquidpaper]

Originally Posted by ocN55

Did the front and rear sway bars require dropping that subframe? Sounds like a really involved install from what I'm reading.

Yes, installing both the front and rear sway bars requires dropping the front and rear subframes. The rear isn't that bad, but the front basically requires you to disconnect the motor-mounts, brace the engine, and drop the subframe to get at the sway bars.

To be honest, although I like the upgrade, if I wasn't tracking the car, I wouldn't bother. It's too much of a hassle.

[Pparana]

Originally Posted by Liquidpaper

Just got my car back last night. The endlinks are the right size, but the hardware on the ends needs to be swapped, so I'm using the stock endlinks right now. They do just fine for a modest (1 inch) drop. I think if you were slammed on coilovers or something, you might need them more.

Survey says -- awesome upgrade. A gigantic pain in the ass to get the sway bars installed (very expensive if you aren't doing it yourself), but definitely stiffens the car up and kills any body roll the car might have had.

I have had the sways on my car since February, the stock links will interfere with the steering under deflection. Uuc makes a end link kit if that set does not work out, you need the bar parallel to the ground with no preload.

I will post a picture of what the stock end links looked like after a track day running hr springs and camber plates when I get to my shop and can dig them out, absolutely destroyed them.

[ketema]

Originally Posted by Pparana

I have had the sways on my car since February, the stock links will interfere with the steering under deflection. Uuc makes a end link kit if that set does not work out, you need the bar parallel to the ground with no preload.

I will post a picture of what the stock end links looked like after a track day running hr springs and camber plates when I get to my shop and can dig them out, absolutely destroyed them.

Can the end links be installed after sways without re dropping the subframe?

Post pics of the damaged stock one please.

[ketema]

Originally Posted by Liquidpaper

Just got my car back last night. The endlinks are the right size, but the hardware on the ends needs to be swapped, so I'm using the stock endlinks right now. They do just fine for a modest (1 inch) drop. I think if you were slammed on coilovers or something, you might need them more.

Survey says -- awesome upgrade. A gigantic pain in the ass to get the sway bars installed (very expensive if you aren't doing it yourself), but definitely stiffens the car up and kills any body roll the car might have had.

Damn. Another part from GC that needed adjustment after the fact? I actually ordered a pair, but they didn't get shipped out in time and then the seats were already in so I canceled. Hearing this I'm glad I didn't get them.

[Pparana]

Originally Posted by ketema

Can the end links be installed after sways without re dropping the subframe?

Post pics of the damaged stock one please.

Yeah they just bolt to the shock and the bar, could be done on a jackstand. Sway bar connection is done with the car on the ground.

[Pparana]

Also I replaced the rear ones, there plastic from the factory. The factory rear sway bar was about as thick as a pencil, not sure if the plastic ones would bend too much. For a 150 bucks seemed reasonable.

[i8ur911]

Originally Posted by Pparana

I have had the sways on my car since February, the stock links will interfere with the steering under deflection. Uuc makes a end link kit if that set does not work out, you need the bar parallel to the ground with no preload.

I will post a picture of what the stock end links looked like after a track day running hr springs and camber plates when I get to my shop and can dig them out, absolutely destroyed them.

Interested in seeing pics of this. I have H&R springs and sways with F8x LCA's....so far end links are good after multiple autocrosses....no track days with sways yet though.

[Pparana]

Here are the Picts, they also make the bar hit the tie rod ends under certain conditions, may not be an issue w the 228 since it is lighter. If you look at your bar and it is chipped up, then you know it's hitting.


Kind of hard to tell from photos but drivers side is a little bent.

[Pparana]

More photos, iPad wan me to do one at a time

[Pparana]

And one more

[i8ur911]

Very interesting......I'm gonna have to check out my links now. Thanks Pparana!