i have a well known after market trac bar with a heim joint and every two years i have to replace the heim joint because it is shot. anybody else doing the same?

 

Yes , and bushing also!

 

nice. i thought they would of lasted longer.

 

That's pretty normal. Heim joints are nice because they are almost zero friction - no binding. The down side is that they wear out rather quickly.

 

Wow. Considering the cost of heims, I'm glad I found this out now. Glad I stretched my factory arm. I'll just throw in some better bushings when it's shot.

 

How does one know the heim is going bad??? Mine has been in over two years.

 

The wear usually occurs inside the bore, where there's unprotected metal to metal contact. Loosen the boltthat clamps the joint together, and give it a shake. There's always a little bit of slack, but it should not rattle. If it rattles, replace it.

A good joint will have a teflon lined ball. The teflon will usually last a lot longer than than the bore does. But if you use a cheap joint, there's no teflon. So you get wear at both places.

Spend the money and get a quality steel replacement. Aluminum components do not belonge there.

I don't recommend a rod end with a zerk fitting. The hole for the fitting creates a weak spot, and decreases the load capacity of the part. And you're not going to grease it anyway.

Also, I highly recommend a rod end seal. Use a dry lube and a seal washer to keep all the crud out. Don't use grease - it's a dirt magnet.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SIT-WS6250/