Wishbones For 205 Tarmac Rallycar

[swervygerdy 0]

I know the topic of wishbones has been well covered and I've read many of the posts but still can't find a defintive answer.

 

I'm probably in the same boat as most people, in that I have plenty of old wishbone with duff balljoints and up untill now I've always been able to source genuine / OEM replacements (at reasonable money) and they have worked perfectly.

 

Now, after 3 seasons rallying, the bushes and balljoints are tired. OEM bones are thin on the ground so, should I bite the bullet and shell out for the adjustable bones from the likes of ab motorsport, are they really necessary when the standard ones cope perfectly well? Or can something be done with my expanding collection of old bones, is it possible to replace the balljoint with another balljoint for example?

 

As always, any advice greatly appreciated

 

Gerry

[welshpug 1,622]

I have seen a balljoint replaced with a spherical joint and a drop pin, the arms need to be aftermarket as o.e units don't have enough meat.

 

jeff skitt advertises this service, js engineering.

 

other than that id look to get a satchell reinforced subframe and wishbones with a 406 hub and drop pin, this will be a lot stronger and go a long way to eliminating bump steer.

[dcc 855]

I have a set of PTS spec arms as made by Jeff Skitt, can't really fault them - only issue I've had so far was the passenger side drop pin seemed to corrode 'slightly' and as a result it was hard to get the RJ off the pin.

[swervygerdy 0]

Exactly the information I was looking for Welshpug and dcc.

 

Many thanks

[swervygerdy 0]

So, almost 4 years and probably 15 tarmac events on the standard wishbones was asking a little too much......

[swervygerdy 0]

Snapped the ball joint pin clean in half at about 60mph on a road section between stages.  Destroyed the driveshaft and tyre (and my trunks!)

[swervygerdy 0]

Rally over but a lucky escape I guess. Need to assess the damage but I'll definitely be going down the rose jointed wishbone route.

 

 

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

Glad to hear you escaped lightly! I’m amazed you’ve managed for so long on standard wishbones, a real weak point imo. 

[barneys66 120 1 Cars]

Likewise - that could have been much worse.

 

Hope you're back out asap.

[Ozymandis 96]

Just out of curiosity, did the inner C/V joint split apart or did it come out of the diff?

 

I had this happen, my Mrs says "Vanish Liquid on your grundies will get the stain out".

[Biggles 65]

Just out of interest, do you know how many miles had it done ?  I run std wishbones and the longest I've run them is 3.5 years and 869 stage miles before a precautionary change. 

[205wrc 16]

Give Jeff a ring on 01239 810 995. He'll sort you out some wishbones. Either modify the ones you have or supply you with a new set.

[petert 550]

I'd be doing the Colin Satchell (or similar) wishbones and enjoying the additional caster.

[wicked 103 3 Cars]

On 7/29/2018 at 10:07 PM, allanallen said:

Glad to hear you escaped lightly! I’m amazed you’ve managed for so long on standard wishbones, a real weak point imo. 

Are snapping ball joint really a common issue in rally?

I'm not active rally, but haven't heard of the issue on forum as well....

[allanallen 528 2 Cars]

Not necessarily snapping ball joints it’s more the damage that’s inflicted on the hubs themselves. The pinch bolt arrangement doesn’t stand up well to prolonged abuse, the addition of rose jointed outers and bolt through drop pins makes for a very positive/strong location, fit and forget so to speak 

[Batfink 201]

I have a full satchell front end setup available. It uses a modified rear wishbone pickup though so you'd need to check the rulebook!
Had to get a new setup developed as needed to use standard wishbone mounting points. (the big ones in the picture. I think those are +40mm)

Edited August 3, 2018 by Batfink