Peak Performance is trash - shank question (s14)

[water]

So a little background (if you're not interested, scroll down to the question section). I bought Peak Performance pro inner and outer tie rods about 2.5 years ago and have had nothing but problems. The passenger side inner tie rod's ball joint went bad in about 2 months. This ultimately cost me a ton of money b/c I overlooked the inner tie rod as being a problem (since they were relatively new and Peak's rep was good afaik - stupid I know) and went through tires, hubs, bearings, ball joint, and blew a JIC flta2 coilover (b/c of vibrations). I'm happier with megan inners now which is sad.

On top of that, since their purchase, I have broken 6 tie rod end shanks. The first pair were their original pro design. They admitted to them being problematic so I purchased (no freebies or apologies from peak btw) two replacement shanks assuming the other would go bad. Smart choice b/c 2 weeks after one went bad, the other did. Thought everything was cool at this point - I was wrong. I snapped another one a few months later and then another and another and another. Since the initial breakage, their price for replacements has almost tripled as well (up to $25 ea now - originally $10). When the 5th one broke, I called and I wrote the company (now owned by Gruppe-S). Over the phone they claim to have no problems with the shanks however, I have talked to two shops which were both (at one time) official resellers and both confirmed my beliefs about the product being faulty. I have yet to hear back from peak (Gruppe-S), the 6th one broke today, and I want a permanent solution.

Oh and in case anyone is curious, installed with proper tq specs using a snap-on tq wrench. Each break occurred while either: (a) making a u-turn (b) pulling into a parking spot w/ a bump or dip in the front or (c) backing out of a parking spot. I've never hit anything and my car is not excessively low at all. Steering does not go past stops and i for the past year i've made it a point to make as wide and gentle of turns as possible. Needless to say, I will never purchase or recommend another Peak part again.

***QUESTION***

Does anyone know if any other aftermarket shanks will work with the peak performance pro tie rod ends? I'm broke as hell these days and don't want to replace the tie rods outright since that means i'll need to pay for an alignment on top of the cost of parts. Long shot I realize, but hey its zilvia and sometimes you guys have some awesomely random info. Thanks in advance.

[Def]

The problem is Peak copied the design of under designed JDM stuff, so the rod end/shank combo does not have near the articulation angle needed. That's why you snapped them when turning sharply and the suspension moving.

Not sure what the thread is on the megan inners - I'm thinking stock S13 12x1.25mm. But SPL outers that use 14x1.5mm inners have more than enough articulation(about triple what those cheap tie rods have), and use real rod ends(QA1).

[water]

The Megans have 14x1.5mm inner thread pitch - i would love the SPL's but right now money is an issue. Thanks def!

[h3rb]

aha!same reason why i went spls.i had the peak inner and outer tie rods 3 years ago and the shank snapped on me on my 1st drift event.called them and gave me replacement ones.so,i used that then when i was about to do my alignment.i noticed there was endplay on the right front wheel.sure enough the shank was stretched and was waiting to kill me on the freeway.
i would recommend moog outers but if you want,you can buy the shanks and the washers for the shanks at spl,put em on your peak performances because it fits the bearing the last time i used it and call it a day.i believe the shanks were around 100+ bucks plus shipping.

[DJPimpFlex]

That sounds crazy. I would ditch that set up completely. Do you have the bumpsteer adjustments at the stock location?

[water]

Originally Posted by h3rb

aha!same reason why i went spls.i had the peak inner and outer tie rods 3 years ago and the shank snapped on me on my 1st drift event.called them and gave me replacement ones.so,i used that then when i was about to do my alignment.i noticed there was endplay on the right front wheel.sure enough the shank was stretched and was waiting to kill me on the freeway.

I know this feeling! I white knuckle the steering wheel every time i drive over 55 lol.

Originally Posted by h3rb

i would recommend moog outers but if you want,you can buy the shanks and the washers for the shanks at spl,put em on your peak performances because it fits the bearing the last time i used it and call it a day.i believe the shanks were around 100+ bucks plus shipping.

Yeah I'm going to make a call tomorrow about oem replacements - i actually have a voucher with SPL for $50 iirc. If I do, you just made my night. Thank you.

[water]

Originally Posted by DJPimpFlex

That sounds crazy. I would ditch that set up completely.

Well the ball joints are aurora and are not a problem - If what h3rb says is true, a hybrid setup w/ the spl shanks/washers should work for me. I would have given up after the 2nd set of failures, but I have had a difficult time financially since Dec 09 so I was trying my best to avoid any added expenses. In hindsight, that was a mistake.

[Black240Ct]

yeah ive heard of them breaking as well. and seen it.. just switch to spl, why stick with a product that broke on you 6 times.. especially something as important as an outer tie rod.

[Def]

The rod end is where all the misalignment comes from - SPL uses a high misalignment rod end. Peak uses a standard size rod end. Not the right choice for this application.

Just changing the shank won't help fix the issue and you'll just be banging stronger shit around down there.

[garagelu]

If you've broken 6 of those things, sounds to me like a problem with your car....not the part.

Although I don't recommend it, people use cheap megan tie rods and they hold up ok. I use KTS which is ok but not the best and works fine for me.

[water]

Originally Posted by Def

The rod end is where all the misalignment comes from - SPL uses a high misalignment rod end. Peak uses a standard size rod end. Not the right choice for this application.

Just changing the shank won't help fix the issue and you'll just be banging stronger shit around down there.

Ah I see. FWIW, i ordered the oem replacement balljoints (moog) until I can muster up the cash for SPL's. Thanks again Def.

[water]

Originally Posted by garagelu

If you've broken 6 of those things, sounds to me like a problem with your car....not the part.

At one point I thought my car was in fact evil, but then common sense kicked in. Its the part dude bro, its a complete piece of shit.