I always wondered what the quality difference was between expensive suspension parts, and cheap ones.

I decided to try the cheap ones for a 93 Accord i'm putting back together. Ultrapower brand, $6.47 per side from Rockauto. Claimed to have the same "powdered metal gusher bearing" as Moog's. Quality seemed OK out of the box. Tried to install the stud end of the rod end and it stripped at about 25 ft-lbs of torque on the castle nut. The spec is 32 ft-lbs.

Rockauto gave a refund for the part and so far hasn't made me send it back, so kudos for them. But to hell with this cheap stuff, if the metal is so weak that it can't even take 32 ft-lbs then I want nothing to do with it on my car.

Just bought Moog tie rod ends for $26 each instead.

Just a word of warning!

Right now Rock Auto has a wholesale closeout on Moog 84-87 outer tie rod ends for $6.34. Not sure how long they'll last at that price, but worth picking up a pair for anybody who has a car that has never replaced them.

the rock auto moog outers are the rears, the front outers are 46.oo

I must say that if I were inclined to experiment with cheap parts, the suspension, brakes, or any other potentially life endangering area is not where I would start.......

The scary thing today is all the cheap parts being sold under what used to be dependable brand names at mid to high prices.

quote Originally posted by BillS: I must say that if I were inclined to experiment with cheap parts, the suspension, brakes, or any other potentially life endangering area is not where I would start.......

I agree. It's aggravating though because I know a lot of these part brands all come from the same factory. I bought some Raybestos "Professional grade" struts and they are chinese made For all I know they are the same part as the low-dollar units.

I popped for the uber-expensive Moog parts when I rebuilt the front end on my 2005 F-250. Within 3 weeks the right outer tie rod end was loose. You just can't get good parts anymore

If you think $26.00 for a part is expensive, then I don't even know what to say.

I had to replace one of the front hub assemblies on my truck a couple months ago, and had to pay full list price for it from the dealer. That was $450 for the part, and then another $150 to install it. Also needed to replace the pads and rotors on my truck at that time, and I went with ones from EBC which are pretty good quality, and it was almost $600 for the pads and rotors, and I had to have them installed, as I don't have a brake lathe or room to do them on my truck myself, so another $300 in labor just to have those installed.

I could have gone for the "high end" brakes, aka Brembos, but the full Brembo kit for my truck is almost $10K.

Now, those are expensive parts.

quote Originally posted by dobey: If you think $26.00 for a part is expensive, then I don't even know what to say.

Expensive is a relative term...$26 is expensive compared to $6.

But I agree that in the big scope of things, $26 is dirt cheap for a suspension part.

Moog is another of the names you can no longer trust, along with Ac Delco.

How about Rodney Dickman's parts? Been thinking about getting some suspension parts from him but still haven't decided.

quote Originally posted by cebix: How about Rodney Dickman's parts? Been thinking about getting some suspension parts from him but still haven't decided.

Great stuff, you'd know right away otherwise, he's a favorite of members here.

Save yourself the hassle and get Rodney's tie rods good quality.

jon

Just the title of this thread makes me cringe.

Rodney has good stuff for sure. In my case, I'm fixing up a Honda, so that's not an option

Go with Rodney!!!!

[This message has been edited by Ponnari (edited 08-26-2014).]

If it's on a Fiero, buy Rodney's

I used to work in an auto parts store, and the junk in the cheap suspension parts boxes was just plain scary.

Aren't we lucky we live in a world where every biz outsources to china or India and saves us bazillions of dollars?!!! We just get to replace everything ten times a year while putting our lifes at risk......Thank god our children are playing with lead painted melamine toys- they won't even be able to count to ten.....

Like the plaid shirts I used to buy from the US- they'd last for 6-10 years- now the import crap cost just as much but last 1-2 years if I'm really careful. You can actually buy great US made plaid shirts from Vermont Plaid for the mid- 30s.....About twice as thick as the import crap. My new GF found them online.

Agree, can't trust even MOOG anymore.
About 2 years ago, I rebuilt my entire rear end with new Moog Parts, so I ordered 2 of everything. In a couple of cases I noticed the parts didnt look the same. Upon closer examination I see that some of the pieces are now made overseas, and the 'beefiness' of those parts has been reduced.

Fast forward a year, and about 3000 miles, my back end is wandering all over the road. Knowing that I just changed all the tie rods, and ball joints, I assume I have a bad wheel bearing and replace the hubs. No effect. Still wandering. So looking further, I discover BOTH lower ball joints are bad. 3000 miles. Thanks Moog. That's awesome.

Most of the Moog parts i've purchased have been domestically made and i've never had an issue with any of their parts, even after 4 complete suspension rebuilds.

They seem consistently better than any other brand. Raybestos is OK but mostly imported.

quote Originally posted by cvxjet: Aren't we lucky we live in a world where every biz outsources to china or India and saves us bazillions of dollars?!!! We just get to replace everything ten times a year while putting our lifes at risk......Thank god our children are playing with lead painted melamine toys- they won't even be able to count to ten..... Like the plaid shirts I used to buy from the US- they'd last for 6-10 years- now the import crap cost just as much but last 1-2 years if I'm really careful. You can actually buy great US made plaid shirts from Vermont Plaid for the mid- 30s.....About twice as thick as the import crap. My new GF found them online.

I didn't realize this thread was about flannel shirts.