good stuff aaron! them shiny sticks sure look beefy. i am waiting for my spaghetti in the microwave, so i guess i'll share my humble (and quite possibly very, very wrong) opinions...
first, i seriously doubt the claim for partial elimination of bump steer. bump steer is caused by suspension geometry, and since a strait bar is being replaced by a strait bar, the geometry stays the same and therefore bump steer probability stays the same. i think they may have been refering to the decrease in toe change due to flex in the end link (and/or knuckle joint), rather than the decrease in toe change due to bump steer.
as for the reasons for tie rod failure, i agree that the main causes would include harsh driving stress and also added strain due to the lack of suspension movement caused by other aftermarket suspension pieces, however, since steel has a rather high stress endurance limit, i would also venture to guess that failure could be caused by material damage due to impact loading (i.e. letting the natural countersteer "slam" while attempting drifts, or a muscular leprechaun tangentially kicking a fully steered steering wheel repeatedly). all this, of course, does not include obvious reasons such as damage from rocks/curbs/etc.
to Dousan and Adey: by the way, i think i may have figured out the mysterious proper drift toe set up, it goes against a lot of conventional theories, and it is highly relative to the other setup specs of the car... i'll email you guys about it i guess.
oops. the spaghetti is ready. or should i say... speghetto... no meat.
danny