VN-VS front sway bar links, downgrading (aka upgrading?)

[vlad01]

As most know the VN-VS front links are a nightmare for reliable long life especially with no genuine bushes available.

All aftermarket kits are of Z bar design, still problems exist from the weird angles at full lock.

noticed one day that the control arms have provisions for smaller but straight links. A guy at the wreckers I go to mentioned going back to the old VB and circa style links which use these provisions.

He claims much better road feel and the reliability is a no brainier for even me as there is no angles just straight up down action.


So my question is, is this ok to do? I expect there will be a little softer swaybar action due to the control arm having some leverage on the swaybar instead of direct like the later type. whats was holdens reason going for the VN-VS strut mounted type?


Anyone else done this before?

[VK_3800]

A lot of guys do it, you see it recommended on the Commodore forums all the time. Not sure I would simply due to the decrease in effectiveness that you mentioned (the VN-VS links are 1:1 movement with the wheel, earlier ones are not). If you had a bigger sway bar it may be OK.

I've never figured out how people bend them so easily, our roads suck and I've never had any problems. You shouldn't be loading the sway bar anywhere near full lock (something wrong with your driving style if you do!)

Its not really going to hurt anything though.

[vlad01]

they do bind up a bit at full lock, the steering gets heavy towards full lock and you can hear the links creaking as your turn.

Thats ok to live with but I have lost a link mid driving so effectively no swaybar. The nylock nuts unwound them selves and the link dropped off.

Have worked some small mods to prevent these issues but still with the bushes getting flogged after 6-12 months is the main problem, they clearly get pinched when at full lock due to the steep angles.

But and a big but! the bushes are experiencing ozone deterioration more than the flogging itself. The rubber becomes cracked all over very quickly, but the original factory bushes are fine but just flogged a bit after 20 years.

Apparently Holden don't sell these bushes anymore, if they do then that solves all my problems.

The poly bushes are a no no, they break almost straight away, split and fall off.


Yes I do drive my car hard, but not like other holden owners doing burnouts, I never done that in my car but I push the car to its limits with handling and cornering so yeah suspension parts wearing out is understandable, thing is its only the front links that give up from time to time, everything else I have refined over the years to give me a fool proof and bullet proof suspension setup that has yet to fail after 150,000km of abusive rally style driving.


I am going to apply this "R & D" to my current VP project but with further improvements which I know work flawlessly. Just the links arhh!

[VK_3800]

Just buy a bigger bar if you're happy with changing them.

Something else to be aware of is most people over-tighten sway bar links, you should only just be able to see a very small amount of bulge, especially if they're urethane.

[vlad01]

Yes I have learned that too tight is bad.

as for bigger bars, don't think you can get more than 30mm bar.

say if I go to the max which is 30mm then go to the old style links then effectively I might be really at an effective rate of 27 or 28mm.


next time I am at holden, i'll see if I can get genuine bushes as the aftermarket are garbage, ozone sensitive.

[VK_3800]

I think I've seen up to 32mm but if you're driving it on the road that's probably a bit big anyway

[vlad01]

yeah I'll stick to 30mm and the 1:1 links but with my improvements to help longevity.


I have seen these ball joint type links now but they look like junk to be honest, sounds good in theory but I bet they fail even quicker.

[Holden202T]

well i can tell you for a fact that in a VZ commodore SV6 ute with those ball joint links i have just ticked over 210,000kms and they are still the original items

[vlad01]

yeah thats original holden designed and manufactured parts, what I see being sold is more than likely cheap nasty Chinese junk that will probably snap first corner.

I take any "new" (copied) design aftermarket part with a mountain of salt until is proven to work.


I bet there was no R & D done at all on the VN-VS ball joint upgrade links.

[Holden202T]

if what your saying is right then wouldn't that justify spending a bit more to get a genuine one from holden ?