Radius Arm Replacement - torque bolt in driving position?

[_R_J_K_]

Just think, everytime you turn that steering wheel, all the twisting, pulling/pushing of all components are subjected to....

Throw stopping and starting into that too, pulling and pushing back and forth with the weight of the car when you're on and off the brakes.

 

[_R_J_K_]

The thing about the factory bushes too is that they normally have these voids in them for NVH, but realistically just allow the bush to flex more and wear out faster. You can see them in this photo on the left and right hand side of the bush. The voids are perpendicular to the wheel when installed, so the center of the bush moves back and forth.

 

[figjam]

The worst cars I’ve ever owned for needing bush replacements were the Ford Territory .....................

Our SY2 Territory, which did not know what a dirt road was, needed a complete rebuild of the rear suspension at 60Km. I had unhappy words with the Ford dealer, but as usual, 'normal wear and tear, sorry'.
75Km later the Pedders setup is still as good as new.
As for the front suspensions falling out of the earlier Territories, penny pinching cheap, and crap engineering design, which only took 5 years for Ford to discover the fix.

 

[J_D 2.0]

The nature of the beast means all suspension components wear out....Just think, everytime you turn that steering wheel, all the twisting, pulling/pushing of all components are subjected to....And then think, how can something not wear out being subjected to that....

Well yes, eventually everything wears out but mechanical sympathy can extend that timeframe considerably.

 

[greenacc]

Someone has been running into gutters or wheel stops in parking spots (or there’s previous crash damage). The radius rods should never need need replacing under ordinary circumstances.

I’ve never had to replace any suspension components at all on my SV6 with 320,000kms on the clock and the wheel alignment can still be dialled in perfect as I make sure not to run into anything with the front wheels.

Not sure what gives you that idea. Maybe if the car is only driven to the shops by grandma in a new suburb with smooth roads? Any other normal driving conditions will eventually fatigue the rubber.
Imagine if the song went...
Nothing lasts forever, except suspension bushes...

 

[vc commodore]

Well yes, eventually everything wears out but mechanical sympathy can extend that timeframe considerably.

Agreed....The most common gutter scraping I see doesn't effect any suspension components....It trucks wheels and tyres, that's all.

Hitting those lovely concrete stops in shopping centres....Yes that certainly helps stuff the bushes quicker....

Pot holes....Don't think I've ever heard of people deliberately hitting them....Sometimes avoiding them is impossible....

I have also found people that just potter around their area that has reasonable roads don't have to much trouble wearing suspension components out...If you like getting out and about, that helps components wear out quicker

 

[anthonylardo]

Wow this took off.
Thanks for the suggestions.
To the smart arse that said why would I get an alignment with "stuffed parts", they're slightly sloppy (like, you push it with a prybar and it flexes a a bit) they're not flogged out. I needed an alignment after i did front and rear struts. TruTrac told me to come in for a touch up after I do the radius arms.
The car actually drives *insane* having a proper setup. Let's face it, most tyre shops don't know what they're doing.

As for radius arm bushes not needing replacing ever? Just, wow.
It's a tuned V8 wagon, of course I'm going to send it.

 

[Brettly-2008]

As for radius arm bushes not needing replacing ever? Just, wow.

Well to be fair, this is what you said originally: "Was advised my radius arms need replacing" The radius arm itself is a solid chunk of metal, the bushes on the other hand...

 

[vc commodore]

Wow this took off.
Thanks for the suggestions.
To the smart arse that said why would I get an alignment with "stuffed parts", they're slightly sloppy (like, you push it with a prybar and it flexes a a bit) they're not flogged out. I needed an alignment after i did front and rear struts. TruTrac told me to come in for a touch up after I do the radius arms.
The car actually drives *insane* having a proper setup. Let's face it, most tyre shops don't know what they're doing.

As for radius arm bushes not needing replacing ever? Just, wow.
It's a tuned V8 wagon, of course I'm going to send it.

The smart ass that said why get an alignment with stuffed parts has been doing alignments for 25 years in tyre shops and knows if something is stuffed, it is pointless getting an alignment, because it won't prevent premature tyre wear which is why you get alignments in the first place....

The people that did the job shouldn't have charged you because once those parts have been replaced, you will need to get another alignment to make sure all alignment settings are where they are surposed to be to prevent that premature tyre wear.

And if that place does alignments for a living, they should know better than your average tyre store...But alas, with them aligning the car with stuffed parts are no better than your average tyre store...

If you think it drives insane with stuffed parts, imagine what it will be like when those parts are in good condition

 

[anthonylardo]

Well to be fair, this is what you said originally: "Was advised my radius arms need replacing" The radius arm itself is a solid chunk of metal, the bushes on the other hand...

Alright, should have said bushes, but it makes sense to do the whole arm. Knowing my luck the ball joints will go next.