Cusco rear adjustable arms/links help

[wlelandj]

Well, I've checked and rechecked bolts, etc. Heck, it may even be normal, but I just wanted check with the NASIOC knowledge base to be sure. On left-to-right and right-to-left transitions or bumps that occur on one side (which causes much the same "adjustment") I get an thunk, bump, whatever. For those unfamiliar with the links, lateral and trailing, they have pillow ball mounts and are fully adjustable here's a pic of what's essentially my rear , it's the second pic from the top.
I'm assuming when I had them installed and an alignment done they set it back to factory specs. I also got the rear knuckle bushings which are installed in the wheel side mounting point of the trailing arm. It's these bushings that are at the top of the list of suspects as, while they don't allow any f/r or l/r movement, you can rotate the trailing arm circumferentially to some degree without a lot of effort. From what I can tell, neither the stock or STi arms would allow this with their bushings. That could be good or bad. The second suspect is, seeing as the arms are length adjustable, should they've lenthened any of the arms more before setting the allignment? They handle like a dream btw, but if I can or if it's possible, I'd like to elliminate the noise. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks
-Leland

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[wlelandj]

Well, I just got back from and extended drive after readjusting the swaybar and end links. At first it sounded worse, but after I got to my destination (90 miles) it seemed to be better...more settled The noises always occured at low speeds anyway, if I hadn't mentioned that. The noise is much less now and doesn't occur as often so I'm encouraged. The ends of the Kartboy endlink's bushings looked a little ratty. Maybe I'll try the Perrin endlinks and HD end link mounts too.
BTW, any suggestions on setting up these adjustable bars or things to try?
-Leland

[wlelandj]

Thanks a lot guys for all your help! J/J

I know these aren't a common items and similar items can be had for MUYCH less $$$ through MRT and STi. Just got the Cusco bug I guess. They ARE great products

Anyway, problem solved!!! I figure this thread, if nothing else, can point people in the right direction and possibly save a lot of time if they end up with strange sounds from their suspensions. The problem ended up being the swaybar setting of all things.

In a last ditch effort to diagnose the sounds (they were back btw, in full force, when I drove the car again) I removed the endlinks completely to take the swaybar out of the equation...the sounds were gone! Well, I couldn't drive it like that, so when hooking the bar back up I went ahead and set to 24mm instead of the 23mm I had it set on previously. I took the car out for another test drive and the noises were still gone. I test drove it on every kind of suface I could think of (railroad tracks, rough, smooth, tight curves with and without bumps in the turns, fast, slow, etc.) and the "thunks" never returned.

The best that I can tell is that the new lateral links and trailing arms stiffened up the rear enough to make the 23mm swaybar setting ineffective. That or the endlink bushings aren't stiff enough to resist the new level of force applied to them. Whatever the reason, I'm glad the noises are gone. I liked the 23mm setting though which was completely neutral. With the bar now set on 24mm, the rear feels more planted and I can imagine at the upper limits it would come around more quickly. Perfect for you oversteer fans.

Hope this helps anyone diagnosing sounds from the rear after an install. I think I'd remove the swaybar endlinks first as that's much easier to do then rechecking bolts, (depending on what was installed) though you should do that too after driving on the suspension for a little while.
-Leland

[kidatari]

Good stuff, wlelandj. You keep reinforcing my desire to get my hands on these parts. Now if I could only wrap my hands around some cold hard cash to buy these! Glad to see that you got that thump diagnosed. Now all you have to do is get those Zero2R's, so I can be overly jealous about your suspension

[wlelandj]

kidatari- Thanks, at least someone was interested in the thread Boy don't I wish I could get those coilovers. Unfortunately my house needs a new roof Talk about feeling like you're just giving your money away. Even so, my conscience won't let my dip into that money. Damn conscience

*rant on*To any apartment dwellers out there thinking about buying a house because it's a "good investment" DON'T DO IT! I say save your money and if you really must have a house, build your own. Then you have the problem of finding a builder that won't screw you or at least not screw you where it counts. With the money I've put in it and what it still needs (forget about the wants) at best I might, just might be able to sell it for what I paid, maybe a little more. Ah, the money I would have, if only I were back in a apartment.*rant off*
-Leland