Toe Links <BG>

Post by **Shug** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:35 am

If you've read my report on Mexi Towers, you bay be aware that I had an 'issue' with my toe links...

Now, I had thought I may get some warning (the balljoints going loose & clunking, or something) but with NO warning whatsoever, my left toe link just snapped entering a corner on the road. On inspection, it looks like the balljoint has seized and the forces on the threaded shaft have been too great and it just snapped.

9 times out of 10 I'd have been in a field. I thankfully saved it (through more luck than anything else)

Why do they go?

They are an established weak point and it you are tracking the car & running on sticky rubber (A048s and the like) then don't um and ahh about getting uprated ones. Just do it. My order goes in today. Several people sell them - Eliseparts.com, elise-shop.com & tadts.com

I believe the problem still exists on the S2 and it's not necessarily an age or fatigue issue. Sometimes they will just break - and the tendency is to be when they are at full load - which would usually see you transported straight to the scene of the accident...

mac · Post by **mac** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:37 am

Shug,

I was advised by Lotus Motorsport that I don't have to uprate my toelinks when I went on to 48's.

Mac

Post by **Shug** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:42 am

Did they give a reasoning? If they use the same balljoints as mine, I'd say they were being a little optimistic.... I know my toe links (as a later S1) are much better than the early ones (which used bolts into the joints, which stripped, the newer design has a stud as part of the balljoint) - but it still snapped....

The other reason is that the balljoints are in single-shear - meaning the loadings on it are taken sideways through the bolt. The uprated ones, give you a plate to bolt or rivet on the subframe, which covers the joint and converts the loading to double shear - making the indoard one, at least, much stronger.

mac · Post by **mac** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:53 am

I'll have a route my e-mail and see if they did or not and post back.

Cheers

Mac

Lazydonkey · Post by **Lazydonkey** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:55 am

Mine went on an 03 plate VX with 24k on the clock.

Fooking scary.

....and as you all know i drive like a

Lotus / Vauxhall replaced the part (and the wheel that was machined when it broke) but said there was no uprated part available and no recall necessary. AFAIK its happened to a couple of other VX's too

Post by **Shug** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:57 am

mac wrote:I'll have a route my e-mail and see if they did or not and post back.

Cheers

Mac

That would be interesting - not doubting them, I just don't know if the S2 is a different (or better) design. If so, would like to know what's different.

Ta

Post by **Shug** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:58 am

Lazydonkey wrote:Mine went on an 03 plate VX with 24k on the clock.

Fooking scary.

....and as you all know i drive like a

Lotus / Vauxhall replaced the part (and the while that was machined when it broke) but said there was no uprated part available and no recall necessary. AFAIK its happened to a couple of other VX's too

AFAIK, the standard Elise uprated kit should go on. That's unless things were changed, anybody know?

There was no recall either - it was purely for track use and a Motorsport upgrade. Although I'd imagine the larger unsprung weight of the 220 wheel package would stress it more than the diddy 16" S1 rears....

Lazydonkey · Post by **Lazydonkey** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:06 am

Could be the wheels wot done it, but then there are a lot of VX owners running A048s / R888s and even more who drive their car harder than I do and i only know of a couple of failures on Vx220.org.uk.

I kicked up a HUGE amount of fuss with vauxhall and they were adamant that no uprated part was needed..................it is on my list of things to do though..........rear wheel steering at 90mph is not something i wish to try again.

mac · Post by **mac** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:12 am

Shug,

I don't recall seeing a uprated toe link kit for the S2 on the lotus website. I'm pretty sure that what's fitted to mine is also fitted to the 135R's which come with stickies as standard.

I might drop them a wee e-mail and find out what they did, if anything.

Cheers

Mac

Post by **Shug** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:13 am

This is the sort of thing that a minute manufacturing defect (even the tiniest fault at the right bit of metal) can cause. One expects that Lotus don't shell on the best quality they can afford for these parts, so defects may come into it. Certainly, where mine split looks like it was started at a flaw in the casting.

At the end of the day - if you fit a new rod with quality rod-end bearings then you can be sure. If Lotarse/Poxhall replaced one under warranty, they would probably leave themselves open to all sorts of legal ramifications.....

mac · Post by **mac** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:17 am

Shug wrote:This is the sort of thing that a minute manufacturing defect (even the tiniest fault at the right bit of metal) can cause. One expects that Lotus don't shell on the best quality they can afford for these parts, so defects may come into it. Certainly, where mine split looks like it was started at a flaw in the casting.

At the end of the day - if you fit a new rod with quality rod-end bearings then you can be sure. If Lotarse/Poxhall replaced one under warranty, they would probably leave themselves open to all sorts of legal ramifications.....

It is worth noting that "lotarse" and their motorsport division do have a different ethos on quality and durability - but then they aren't driven by efficiencies and mass production.

Mac

Post by **Shug** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:23 am

I was actually using Lotarse to differentiate the production business from the motorsport guys. The post was a reply to Lazydonkey and recalls, so any recall would be done by the car division - not likely to happen.

I am, however, interested if the S2 has a better design than the S1. As it would be much cheaper to buy the parts for the S2 & retrofit, if possible.

Would be very interested to see what setup the S2 Exiges in Brit GT are using at the moment. I'd lay a fiver on it being a double shear, rose jointed design.....

Rich H · Post by **Rich H** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:42 am

I thought that the double shear bracket was only for ali hubs and the later ones were steel?

Which bit failed?

Post by **Shug** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:44 am

Yes - on the outboard end, double shear brackets are made for the ali uprights and the steels are left alone. Bu on the inboard end, you also get a bracket that's bolted or riveted to the subframe, making the inboard one double shear. That's independant of whether it's steel or ali uprights.

On mine, the inboard balljoint sheared at the beginning of the thread into the rod itself.

mac · Post by **mac** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:46 am

I'll be whipping my undertray of either tonight or tuesday night - I'll take some photo's of my inner ball joints when I do.

Mac