New rear toe link brace for the Elise/Exige - LotusTalk

iana · 03-05-2009, 02:13 AM

New rear toe link brace for the S2 Toyota Elise & Exige.
Developed in Australia
The SSC rear suspension toe link brace kit has been developed to increase stability and minimise rear toe movement and the possibility of ball joint failure under extreme conditions.
It achieves this by applying firm control over the rear suspension movement which increases stability in transition from heavy braking to corner entry.
We have developed this brace on our Exige race cars and are now offering kits for road / track cars.
Our brace differs from other solutions in that we replace the outer fitting at the hub and all movement is via 4 Rose ( Heim ) chrome moly rod ends.
We use aluminium link arms which will bend before the end fixings shear in the event of a side impact, to protect the chassis and to reduce the weight of the factory link rods.
Materials: -
Taper hub fixings, chassis adapters and brace ends are all turned from HT steel.
Brace is seamless steel tube.
Link arms are turned and knurled corrosion resistant aluminium with left and right hand threads.
Rose joints are chrome moly steel - the best (US) QA1.
All steel items other than the Rose joints are zinc plated.
The kit is easy to fit and is completely reversible, but you will need to have the wheel toe professionally reset.
Weight: -
SSC Complete kit - Tube Brace, alum link arms, rose joints, hub & chassis turnings, chassis bolts/nuts/washers = 2.3 kg
Factory steel link arms pair + hub & chassis fixings, nuts = 2.4 kg
SSC kit ‘unsprung’ items: Alum link arms, 4 lock nuts, 4 rose joints, pair taper hub uprights with 2 washers and 4 nylocs = 1.4 kg

We currently have 3 kits in stock for Toyota engine cars - 111R Elise, Federal (US) Elise, Elise S, S2 Exige, Exige S. We have 2 kits in stock for S1 and 2 kits for S2 Rover cars.
We can only sell as a complete kit. The cost of the kit is Aust$ 895
Insured international air freight to anywhere would be Aust$92 (7-10 days)
Payment via bank transfer. Currency conversion rate at time of transaction.

Happy to answer any questions – preferably by posting questions here.
Some background to SSC here: -
Simply Sports Car - Lotus - Home

Dragon · 03-05-2009, 04:17 AM

That is some sexy work... I also like that it eliminates the stock ball joint on the end.

iana · 03-07-2009, 01:12 AM

I have had a few PM's re the brace and will summarise questions here:-

Will not foul stock or Quicksilver exhaust manifold but one of US aftermarket exhaust systems will. The Brace is 28mm OD and sits on a 32mm chassis adapter / rod end holder (the rod end goes over the end of the adapter) - so the brace extends 60mm max out from the chassis face.

Fitting is easy and all bits are supplied. The thin alum heat shield material around where the chassis adapters (30mm dia) go needs a slight trimming. You probably of course realise that there are ways of setting the arms to close to correct but rear wheel toe should be professionally set. Fitting is also a good time to consider your ideal toe setting and camber.

We have S2 Rover kits in stock - shorter brace and different hub fitting system. If you are S2 Rover then let me know and will send you a pic of the hub fixing. Otherwise kit is the same components.

I had a different type of aftermarket brace, that retained the factory outboard ball joints on my 111R, but when I changed to this one I noticed elimination of squirming in rear end when coming off heavy braking and turning into corner on track days. When I originally replaced the factory system after 15000 k including 2 track days on R spec tyres I noticed that the factory outboard hub fixing bolts were slightly bent so when the SSC brace was developed, I changed to it immediately. The SSC taper turned hub fixings are en-25 ht steel and threads are 12mm x 1.5 pitch.

This was designed by Lee Knappett and refined over 2 years on 2 race cars - one of which has just been through the torture of the Bathurst 12 hr race with 3 drivers, stayed together and won its class.

Lee has tried numerous rod ends over time and these QA1 (US) chrome moly with internal Teflon coating are simply the best.

All steel turnings are high tensile and zinc plated.

Yes the pair of alum arms with rod ends, washers, nuts are lighter than the pair of factory arms with ball joints by 1kg (2.2lb).

In fact the whole kit with brace tube and chassis adapters is lighter than the factory arms.

Let me know if you would like any further info.

spf4000 · 03-07-2009, 02:34 AM

How much are the replacement Heim joints?

iana · 03-07-2009, 09:46 PM

QA1 XMR8 (1/2" x 1/2") about US$20 each.

iana · 03-08-2009, 03:47 PM

Some photos of the new toe link brace kit on an S2 Toyota Exige (same as Federal Elise).

Outboard fixings are also replaced with turned ht fixings incorporating a taper for hubs and to take Heim rod ends.

turbophil · 03-08-2009, 04:50 PM

Iana,

Very cool... The real cool part about your brace is that you fixed the outer mounting locations, as it's the next weak link and it DOES break... I'd bet that with the better than OEM rod ends and superior hardware used that the double sheer bar isn't even required anymore... Just a guess.... Any thoughts on that?

Best,

Phil

iana · 03-08-2009, 09:20 PM

Phil,

Link arm is now firmly held at the hub. This was previously the weak link after the inboard was put in double shear.
We are confident that the arm fixing at the hub will not move (19mm en-25 steel with hub taper and 12mm fine threads). 2 years on 2 race cars has proven it. And the US (the best) chrom moly Heim rod ends on our recent class winner in the gruelling Bathurst 12hr are as good as new.

And a bonus is it is lighter than stock.

Some pics of the SSC rear toe link brace testing for your enjoyment.

iana · 03-14-2009, 07:33 PM

To answer a few more queries: -

Post cost will vary to countries other than the USA.

Kit includes installation instructions, and the kit is straightforward to instal, but professional rear toe alignment is necessary. We can provide geometry specs if required.

The factory ball joint bolts at the hubs can fail. When I installed the SSC Toe link brace on my 111R, I noticed that both of the factory hub bolts were slightly bent. I had only done 2 track days on sticky tyres to that point. We have seen one of the factory hub bolts shear in a side impact.

The turned chassis adapter in the kit is keyed on the back to go into the chassis keyway on Toyota S2 models- Picture of detail of brace to chassis connection attached.

The 10mm chassis bolts supplied are 12.9 grade.

Ian

Dragon · 04-03-2009, 11:33 AM

Sent you a PM, but didn't get a response... Just wanted to see if mine had shipped and if so when it went out...

My biggest fear is breaking the stock links when I'm out doing Auto-X... Well actually it's one breaking when I'm balls deep in to a turn on a mountain in the middle of the jungle with a 150 ft cliff off to the side of the road...

Thanks...

spf4000 · 04-03-2009, 08:36 PM

Didn't get a response either...

Dragon · 04-04-2009, 06:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dragon

Sent you a PM, but didn't get a response... Just wanted to see if mine had shipped and if so when it went out...

My biggest fear is breaking the stock links when I'm out doing Auto-X... Well actually it's one breaking when I'm balls deep in to a turn on a mountain in the middle of the jungle with a 150 ft cliff off to the side of the road...

Thanks...

Quote:

Originally Posted by spf4000

Didn't get a response either...

Got a PM, Mine was mailed out on the 30th...

iana · 04-19-2009, 11:28 PM

All kits now sent and ftting instructions emailed.

Nil stock now but will have more in 4 weeks.

Good cornering and thank you,

Ian
SSC

iana · 05-05-2009, 03:40 PM

More of these available soon.

Differs from other solutions on the market - alum link rods with Heim joints both ends.

Now had 2 years testing on 2 race cars.

lt0302 · 05-05-2009, 04:02 PM

I must have missed it......$$$

lt0302 · 05-05-2009, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lt0302

I must have missed it......$$$

found the price......I did not read australian initially!!

Dragon · 05-05-2009, 04:04 PM

I finally got mine installed over the week end..

JungleJim · 05-05-2009, 05:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iana

We can only sell as a complete kit. The cost of the kit is Aust$ 895
Insured international air freight to anywhere would be Aust$92 (7-10 days)
Payment via bank transfer. Currency conversion rate at time of transaction.
[/url]

For those who missed the fine print. price is AU$
Convert this amount :

Results:
661.59077 US Dollar
0.73921 US Dollar per Australian Dollar

ChrisH · 05-05-2009, 11:39 PM

What kind of maintenance is required for this toe link brace? That is, greasing the joints, replacing the joints periodically, checking bolt torques (like we do with the stock links), etc.

iana · 05-06-2009, 12:14 AM

No maintenance required for the SSC Toe link kit.

The rod ends (Heim joints) will wear but will last for years unless on a race car.

You can check for rod end wear whenever you have a rear wheel jacked in the air - by grabbing the tyre at either side and push/pulling vigorously. Should be rock solid.

Rod ends are QA1 chrome moly. 1/2" UNF x 1/2" hole.
MXR8 x 2 with R/H thread and MXL8 x 2 with L/H thread.
Teflon/Kevlar self-lubricating race.

03-05-2009, 02:13 AM	#1 (permalink)
iana 111R Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 94	New rear toe link brace for the Elise/Exige New rear toe link brace for the S2 Toyota Elise & Exige. Developed in Australia The SSC rear suspension toe link brace kit has been developed to increase stability and minimise rear toe movement and the possibility of ball joint failure under extreme conditions. It achieves this by applying firm control over the rear suspension movement which increases stability in transition from heavy braking to corner entry. We have developed this brace on our Exige race cars and are now offering kits for road / track cars. Our brace differs from other solutions in that we replace the outer fitting at the hub and all movement is via 4 Rose ( Heim ) chrome moly rod ends. We use aluminium link arms which will bend before the end fixings shear in the event of a side impact, to protect the chassis and to reduce the weight of the factory link rods. Materials: - Taper hub fixings, chassis adapters and brace ends are all turned from HT steel. Brace is seamless steel tube. Link arms are turned and knurled corrosion resistant aluminium with left and right hand threads. Rose joints are chrome moly steel - the best (US) QA1. All steel items other than the Rose joints are zinc plated. The kit is easy to fit and is completely reversible, but you will need to have the wheel toe professionally reset. Weight: - SSC Complete kit - Tube Brace, alum link arms, rose joints, hub & chassis turnings, chassis bolts/nuts/washers = 2.3 kg Factory steel link arms pair + hub & chassis fixings, nuts = 2.4 kg SSC kit ‘unsprung’ items: Alum link arms, 4 lock nuts, 4 rose joints, pair taper hub uprights with 2 washers and 4 nylocs = 1.4 kg We currently have 3 kits in stock for Toyota engine cars - 111R Elise, Federal (US) Elise, Elise S, S2 Exige, Exige S. We have 2 kits in stock for S1 and 2 kits for S2 Rover cars. We can only sell as a complete kit. The cost of the kit is Aust$ 895 Insured international air freight to anywhere would be Aust$92 (7-10 days) Payment via bank transfer. Currency conversion rate at time of transaction. Happy to answer any questions – preferably by posting questions here. Some background to SSC here: - Simply Sports Car - Lotus - Home Attached Images

03-05-2009, 04:17 AM	#2 (permalink)
Dragon Hydrocarbons Rule Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Okinawa Japan Posts: 1,742 Images: 2	That is some sexy work... I also like that it eliminates the stock ball joint on the end. __________________ 2006 Exige; BWR Supercharger, Adj Sway Bar, Ohlins Suspension, BSK Oil Catch Can, Moroso Oil Pan, ORC Clutch, Custom Exhaust, Black Volk Racing CE28N's w/ Toyo R1R's, 2 piece rotors, Pagid Blue Pads, BSK Wet Carbon (Side Skirts, Front Lip Spoiler, Gas Cap Cover, Center Console, Door Panels), Dry Carbon rear Diffuser, Harness Bar, BWR Gauge Mount, OMP Superquadro steering wheel, LETSLA Short Shifter, V2arms, Rear Tow Link Brace, RLS Battery Bracket, BOE Tow Bar, Stickers.

03-07-2009, 01:12 AM	#3 (permalink)
iana 111R Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 94	New type of rear toe link brace I have had a few PM's re the brace and will summarise questions here:- Will not foul stock or Quicksilver exhaust manifold but one of US aftermarket exhaust systems will. The Brace is 28mm OD and sits on a 32mm chassis adapter / rod end holder (the rod end goes over the end of the adapter) - so the brace extends 60mm max out from the chassis face. Fitting is easy and all bits are supplied. The thin alum heat shield material around where the chassis adapters (30mm dia) go needs a slight trimming. You probably of course realise that there are ways of setting the arms to close to correct but rear wheel toe should be professionally set. Fitting is also a good time to consider your ideal toe setting and camber. We have S2 Rover kits in stock - shorter brace and different hub fitting system. If you are S2 Rover then let me know and will send you a pic of the hub fixing. Otherwise kit is the same components. I had a different type of aftermarket brace, that retained the factory outboard ball joints on my 111R, but when I changed to this one I noticed elimination of squirming in rear end when coming off heavy braking and turning into corner on track days. When I originally replaced the factory system after 15000 k including 2 track days on R spec tyres I noticed that the factory outboard hub fixing bolts were slightly bent so when the SSC brace was developed, I changed to it immediately. The SSC taper turned hub fixings are en-25 ht steel and threads are 12mm x 1.5 pitch. This was designed by Lee Knappett and refined over 2 years on 2 race cars - one of which has just been through the torture of the Bathurst 12 hr race with 3 drivers, stayed together and won its class. Lee has tried numerous rod ends over time and these QA1 (US) chrome moly with internal Teflon coating are simply the best. All steel turnings are high tensile and zinc plated. Yes the pair of alum arms with rod ends, washers, nuts are lighter than the pair of factory arms with ball joints by 1kg (2.2lb). In fact the whole kit with brace tube and chassis adapters is lighter than the factory arms. Let me know if you would like any further info.

03-07-2009, 09:46 PM	#5 (permalink)
iana 111R Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 94	New type of rear toe link brace QA1 XMR8 (1/2" x 1/2") about US$20 each.

03-08-2009, 03:47 PM	#6 (permalink)
iana 111R Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 94	New type of rear toe link brace kit Some photos of the new toe link brace kit on an S2 Toyota Exige (same as Federal Elise). Outboard fixings are also replaced with turned ht fixings incorporating a taper for hubs and to take Heim rod ends. Attached Images

03-07-2009, 02:34 AM	#4 (permalink)
spf4000 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 606	How much are the replacement Heim joints?

03-08-2009, 04:50 PM	#7 (permalink)
turbophil Plug Whisperer Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Kansas City/ Overland Park Posts: 2,544 Images: 6	Iana, Very cool... The real cool part about your brace is that you fixed the outer mounting locations, as it's the next weak link and it DOES break... I'd bet that with the better than OEM rod ends and superior hardware used that the double sheer bar isn't even required anymore... Just a guess.... Any thoughts on that? Best, Phil __________________ \| '05 GG LSS Elise \| A Track Chariot \| BOE ClamHinge \| BOE TVS SuperCharger 280whp/180wtq \| EFI Standalone Engine Management \| BOE Fuel Surge System \| BOE Lotus Tow Package See my car at BOE Fabrication: www.boefabrication.com *----->Last Updated: 9/25/2009* If something ain't worth doing right, it ain't worth doing... *Whoever thought working on a Lotus is hard, clearly hasn't tried it. Pick up a wrench and get some grease under your nails*

03-08-2009, 09:20 PM	#8 (permalink)
iana 111R Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 94	New type of rear toe link brace Phil, Link arm is now firmly held at the hub. This was previously the weak link after the inboard was put in double shear. We are confident that the arm fixing at the hub will not move (19mm en-25 steel with hub taper and 12mm fine threads). 2 years on 2 race cars has proven it. And the US (the best) chrom moly Heim rod ends on our recent class winner in the gruelling Bathurst 12hr are as good as new. And a bonus is it is lighter than stock. Some pics of the SSC rear toe link brace testing for your enjoyment. Attached Images

03-14-2009, 07:33 PM	#9 (permalink)
iana 111R Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 94	New type of rear toe link brace To answer a few more queries: - Post cost will vary to countries other than the USA. Kit includes installation instructions, and the kit is straightforward to instal, but professional rear toe alignment is necessary. We can provide geometry specs if required. The factory ball joint bolts at the hubs can fail. When I installed the SSC Toe link brace on my 111R, I noticed that both of the factory hub bolts were slightly bent. I had only done 2 track days on sticky tyres to that point. We have seen one of the factory hub bolts shear in a side impact. The turned chassis adapter in the kit is keyed on the back to go into the chassis keyway on Toyota S2 models- Picture of detail of brace to chassis connection attached. The 10mm chassis bolts supplied are 12.9 grade. Ian Attached Images

04-03-2009, 11:33 AM	#10 (permalink)
Dragon Hydrocarbons Rule Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Okinawa Japan Posts: 1,742 Images: 2	Sent you a PM, but didn't get a response... Just wanted to see if mine had shipped and if so when it went out... My biggest fear is breaking the stock links when I'm out doing Auto-X... Well actually it's one breaking when I'm balls deep in to a turn on a mountain in the middle of the jungle with a 150 ft cliff off to the side of the road... Thanks... __________________ 2006 Exige; BWR Supercharger, Adj Sway Bar, Ohlins Suspension, BSK Oil Catch Can, Moroso Oil Pan, ORC Clutch, Custom Exhaust, Black Volk Racing CE28N's w/ Toyo R1R's, 2 piece rotors, Pagid Blue Pads, BSK Wet Carbon (Side Skirts, Front Lip Spoiler, Gas Cap Cover, Center Console, Door Panels), Dry Carbon rear Diffuser, Harness Bar, BWR Gauge Mount, OMP Superquadro steering wheel, LETSLA Short Shifter, V2arms, Rear Tow Link Brace, RLS Battery Bracket, BOE Tow Bar, Stickers.

04-03-2009, 08:36 PM	#11 (permalink)
spf4000 Registered User Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 606	Didn't get a response either...

04-19-2009, 11:28 PM	#13 (permalink)
iana 111R Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 94	New type of rear toe link kit All kits now sent and ftting instructions emailed. Nil stock now but will have more in 4 weeks. Good cornering and thank you, Ian SSC

05-05-2009, 03:40 PM	#14 (permalink)
iana 111R Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 94	New type of rear toe link brace kit More of these available soon. Differs from other solutions on the market - alum link rods with Heim joints both ends. Now had 2 years testing on 2 race cars.

05-05-2009, 04:02 PM	#15 (permalink)
lt0302 Registered User Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Glendale, AZ Posts: 330	How much I must have missed it......$$$ __________________ 05 Lotus Elise R/K Supercharger, Stage II, Moroso Oil Pan, RTD Brace, High Volume All Aluminum Radiator, Stainless Steel Break Lines, Oil Catch Can, ACT Clutch, HID, Carbon Fiber Spliter, Reverie Side Scoops, CF side skirts, FF gauge pod, BWR gauge pod, Cup Air Box, S111 front & rear tow hooks, upgraded tail lights-LED, Driving lights, LETSLA, ...

05-05-2009, 04:04 PM	#17 (permalink)
Dragon Hydrocarbons Rule Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Okinawa Japan Posts: 1,742 Images: 2	I finally got mine installed over the week end.. __________________ 2006 Exige; BWR Supercharger, Adj Sway Bar, Ohlins Suspension, BSK Oil Catch Can, Moroso Oil Pan, ORC Clutch, Custom Exhaust, Black Volk Racing CE28N's w/ Toyo R1R's, 2 piece rotors, Pagid Blue Pads, BSK Wet Carbon (Side Skirts, Front Lip Spoiler, Gas Cap Cover, Center Console, Door Panels), Dry Carbon rear Diffuser, Harness Bar, BWR Gauge Mount, OMP Superquadro steering wheel, LETSLA Short Shifter, V2arms, Rear Tow Link Brace, RLS Battery Bracket, BOE Tow Bar, Stickers.

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05-05-2009, 11:39 PM	#19 (permalink)
ChrisH Mountain Road Nut Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Ramona,CA Posts: 2,290	What kind of maintenance is required for this toe link brace? That is, greasing the joints, replacing the joints periodically, checking bolt torques (like we do with the stock links), etc.

05-06-2009, 12:14 AM	#20 (permalink)
iana 111R Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 94	New type of rear toe link kit No maintenance required for the SSC Toe link kit. The rod ends (Heim joints) will wear but will last for years unless on a race car. You can check for rod end wear whenever you have a rear wheel jacked in the air - by grabbing the tyre at either side and push/pulling vigorously. Should be rock solid. Rod ends are QA1 chrome moly. 1/2" UNF x 1/2" hole. MXR8 x 2 with R/H thread and MXL8 x 2 with L/H thread. Teflon/Kevlar self-lubricating race.