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BENT DRIVER SIDE INNER TIE ROD, HELP!!!!!!!!

FLtrackdays

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no it is definitely installed the correct way. Here is the stock one under the car in the same orientation. Let me know if you see something different?

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I didn’t look back further but are you on 18 inch wheels, that inherently make you lower, in addition to your lowering springs? The Eibach lowering springs were too low for track use in my case & caused more tension than the rods could take. I’m now back up to an acceptable height on my Ohlins & have adjustable parts to give me more wiggle room, aggressive track alignment in my case. Also start on the “softest” sway bar settings. That’ll be way stiffer than the OEM sway bars.

Regardless, no more bent tie rods for me after we did all of the above. Hope that helps!
 
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DylanHunter

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I didn’t look back further but are you on 18 inch wheels, that inherently make you lower, in addition to your lowering springs? The Eibach lowering springs were too low for track use in my case & caused more tension than the rods could take. I’m now back up to an acceptable height on my Ohlins & have adjustable parts to give me more wiggle room, aggressive track alignment in my case. Also start on the “softest” sway bar settings. That’ll be way stiffer than the OEM sway bars.

Regardless, no more bent tie rods for me after we did all of the above. Hope that helps!
Yeah I swapped down to 18inch square set up! I think aftermarket tie rods will solve my issue! How much did you raise your ohlins up, what’s stock ride height?
 

tracer bullet

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I didn’t look back further but are you on 18 inch wheels, that inherently make you lower
Usually the tire sidewall goes up accordingly, and the overall diameter remains the same (or at least as close as possible). Is that not the case in the supra world, people drop the wheel diameters but keep the tire sidewalls the same? That would be... odd, but possible.

Yeah I swapped down to 18inch square set up! I think aftermarket tie rods will solve my issue! How much did you raise your ohlins up, what’s stock ride height?
What size tires are you running?

Also have you looked thoroughly to see if there are any marks on any nearby parts that might say if things are contacting each other? Any rubbing marks for example, shiny spots?

Do people with this issue have something in common like sustained high G corners, or crappy bumpy roads, neighborhoods with speed bumps?

I think that idea of checking full steering wheel lock each direction is a good one. Suspension geometry is kind of cray, you could have things moving a whole lot closer together with the steering maxxed one direction or the other.
 

FLtrackdays

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Usually the tire sidewall goes up accordingly, and the overall diameter remains the same (or at least as close as possible). Is that not the case in the supra world, people drop the wheel diameters but keep the tire sidewalls the same? That would be... odd, but possible.
Many people will run 275/40 tires on an 18 inch wheel. I’m personally running 275/35—18s. There are a ton of tires in that range (which I realize has variations) and I’ve been driving on a contingency tire that size as well. My car is finally setup for it & feels fantastic!

For me that was really the key. Getting her setup properly. Every car is different depending on your individual components. Most of us that track regularly are not driving full OEM parts or on the same bits. Having someone that knows how to put it all together really helps. Some peeps know how to do it all on their own. But I’d say that’s the minority. It’s not always as easy as it sounds. Especially someone with limited mechanical knowledge, loves drive hard & break things - like me ?.
 
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licklobster

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the bars can be either way. the stamping isnt consistent between their bar batches.
 

tracer bullet

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Many people will run 275/40 tires on an 18 inch wheel.
That would be basically identical to a 255/35 on a 19" wheel, which I believe is stock size ont he rear. The 255/35 on a 19" wheel for the front is actually smaller and so a 275/40 on an 18" is actually a little bit bigger overall. So the overall diameter is the same and if it did play a role in lowering the car, it wouldn't from this alone.

Also, wheel and tire diameters shouldn't really lower a car. OK, yes the underbody of the car measured with a ruler would be closer to the ground of course if you actually put smaller wheels on (which it doesn't look like people are doing). But typically when talking about lowering a car it's compressing the suspension with a shorter spring. But the overall wheel diameter can go up or down, and if that's the only thing that changed, the distance between the center of the wheel and the fender arch above it will not be affected at all. And so the suspension won't be affected either, meaning that wheel / tire changes won't bring that anti-roll bar any closer to hitting something.
 

razorlab

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Also, regardless of wheel and tire diameter, any lowering would be from a change to the springs, or the weight of the car increasing, or similar. The overall wheel diameter can go up or down, and if that's the only thing that changed, the distance between the center of the wheel and the fender arch above it will not be affected at all, and so the suspension wont' be affected either.
I’ve lost count of how many times I have told him this.
 

FLtrackdays

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That would be basically identical to a 255/35 on a 19" wheel, which I believe is stock size ont he rear. The 255/35 on a 19" wheel for the front is actually smaller and so a 275/40 on an 18" is actually a little bit bigger overall. So the overall diameter is the same and if it did play a role in lowering the car, it wouldn't from this alone.

Also, wheel and tire diameters shouldn't really lower a car. OK, yes the underbody of the car measured with a ruler would be closer to the ground of course if you actually put smaller wheels on (which it doesn't look like people are doing). But typically when talking about lowering a car it's compressing the suspension with a shorter spring. But the overall wheel diameter can go up or down, and if that's the only thing that changed, the distance between the center of the wheel and the fender arch above it will not be affected at all. And so the suspension won't be affected either, meaning that wheel / tire changes won't bring that anti-roll bar any closer to hitting something.
I’ve lost count of how many times I have told him this.
But I like the way tracer bullet said it ?

I do realize the diameter is close on 275/40-18 as our OEM and exactly why I tried it.

Here’s what the AI ? birdy told me:

”But switching from a 275/40-18 to a 275/35-18 tire will lower your car slightly because the overall diameter of the tire decreases. The overall diameter difference is approximately 1 inch (from about 26.7” to 25.6”), which means the ride height will drop by half of that, or about 0.5 inches, as the wheel hub sits at the radius center of the tire.
This change in tire size will also reduce the sidewall height, potentially altering how your coilovers compress and rebound. A smaller sidewall provides less cushioning, which might make the suspension feel stiffer and could slightly affect how much travel your coilovers experience during compression. However, the overall impact on coilover function should be minimal unless you are operating near their travel limits or have a very specific setup
.”

In my case it’s a very specific setup that I don’t want to alter much if I don’t have to. It shouldn’t make a difference to most people however.
 

tracer bullet

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Just to be clear, yes, the car is lowered, if you measure the frame to the tarmac. But it's not lowered from a suspension's viewpoint and would have no effect related to the various arms and such coming together. From the bent tie rod standpoint, the wheel and tire sizes have no effect. Something else is up.

Will be interesting to know if a cause is found.
 

razorlab

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Easiest way to explain it is that hub stand alignments would be completely useless if things changed depending on wheel/tire diameter.

Screenshot 2025-03-31 at 11.39.16 AM.jpg
 

FLtrackdays

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Easiest way to explain it is that hub stand alignments would be completely useless if things changed depending on wheel/tire diameter.

Screenshot 2025-03-31 at 11.39.16 AM.jpg
What do you think is bending his rod or recommend would be the best thing for him to try if the geometry isn’t changing from being lowered?
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