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Anyone? Or are the $80/pc GM ones our only option now?
No. Last december i bought a pair from michigan that were greasable. Ofcourse my girlfriend sourced them. Approx $60 per. 1/4" more thread than stock (extra 5 turns to install on stock stabilizer (rear inners)).
No. Last december i bought a pair from michigan that were greasable. Ofcourse my girlfriend sourced them. Approx $60 per. 1/4" more thread than stock (extra 5 turns to install on stock stabilizer (rear inners)).
Just signed up. Always get great info from forum. Thanks Froggy, did front wheel hubs myself. Seems like confusion on the outer rear tie rod end. Or link as they call it. It's a different size from the front. See picture. Going to fix mine today.
Moog on the left. 88955488 from dealer on the right.
I'm in need of rear tie rods as well and couldn't find Moog rear tie rods. Can anyone direct me to a link or shop who has them? Summit didn't have them.
I'm in need of rear tie rods as well and couldn't find Moog rear tie rods. Can anyone direct me to a link or shop who has them? Summit didn't have them.
I'm in need of rear tie rods as well and couldn't find Moog rear tie rods. Can anyone direct me to a link or shop who has them? Summit didn't have them.
For C5/C6 they are not the same, the rears are about 3/4" longer than the fronts.
I used to think the same thing, untill I tried putting fronts on the rear. No worky, not enough thread.
GM/Delco part numbers:
88910455 Front
88955488 Rear
Same part number LH to RH.
I also believe that the C6 Z06 rear tie rod ends are different than the standard C5/C6, I've swapped a C5 rear for a C6Z rear and tried putting them in the same spot (didn't move the lock nut) and needed to re-align afterward.
Here's the C6Z rear part number:
88964323 Rear
*****. So the Z ones are ever so slightly longer?
I just ordered a 88955488 by mistake, it looked similar enough so fitted it anyway.
Ill get my calipers out and measure them.
Anyone know if i can run 88955488 anyway on a 2006 z06?
Keeping this thread current because it's still a top search result for "Corvette C5 end links" and accurate, definitive information is hard to find. If you're looking for parts and information about C5 and C6 tie rod ends aka "steering end links" here's what I've learned:
1- TERMINOLOGY
Internet chat has changed "tie rod end" to "end link." Tie rod is correct. This leads to many searches for Corvette tie rod ends producing fruitless results.
2- Front and Rear are NOT the same or interchangeable.
Fronts are about a half inch shorter than rears. Corvette C5 and C6 are interchangeable. In fact, the thread size of Corvette tie rods has remained the same 1988-2013.
3- OEM vs Aftermarket:
It all comes down to what you plan to do with the car. If you're lowering, tracking, or drifting, and changing from OEM doesn't disqualify your car, my $0.02 worth is upgrade.
4- WHY UPGRADE? It all comes down to durability and geometry. First of all, OEM was built for cheap mass production, not racing, competition, or harsh use. Aftermarket tie rod ends offer substantial improvements in material thickness and durability. Equally important, aftermarket tie rod ends make your steering system adjustable. Whether you've changed your height on stock lowering bolts or upgraded to coilovers, odds are your suspension geometry has changed. Aftermarket tie rod ends allow for proper toe in geometry on wheel alignment which allows for consistent speeds in turns, and also eliminates wheels from jumping in a different direction aka "bump steer" when driving over pot holes, seams, uneven pavement, or eating your fair share of shoulder skirt in a turn. Bump steer happens when the suspension is compressed, often while cornering, traversing rough sections, or when extreme road surface change is encountered. When this type of suspension movement that exceeds the range of movement (articulation) of a standard tie rod end, the tie rod actually restricts the movement of the steering arm, which causes an immediate, and often dangerous change in toe (steering direction).
4. WHAT TIE ROD ENDS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THE C5 AND C6? Here's what's out there as of July 4, 2020:
FACTORY OEM GM or AC Delco can still be found all day long at Advance Auto Parts, Autozone, Carquest, Napa, O'Reilly, etc Again, OEM Corvette tie rod ends are widely available, but do not offer any adjustability. Durability is on par with, well, factory. That may be all you need. $65
UPGRADED OEM Moog seems to hold this little niche of the market (Note: Federal Mogul is now Made In China). The C5Z components fit and are clearly beefier than OEM but do require regular greasing via a grease fitting. No doubt looking at these your steering is going to take a licking and keep on ticking. Longevity with these should be stellar, but you may get tired of jacking the car up weekly to grease these. $85
AFTERMARKET
Two companies are manufacturing fully adjustable aftermarket Corvette C5 and C6 tie rod ends Made in the USA: LG Motorsports and Baer Brakes. There are likely others but after hours of searching these are the reputable two.
I ran the Baer tracker outer toe ends for a while on the rear of my car. I had plenty of handling issues that seemed to be toe change but when I jacked the car up, I couldn't cause the toe to change with my hands. I always figured it was something else. I finally took the top nut off off and noticed that the top nut had been sliding around on the top of the knuckle. No matter how hard I tightened it the nut was sliding around laterally. I took the tapered ends out and measured them with calipers compared to stock.
They did not have the same taper. The Baer tapered end did not seat flushly inside the steering knuckle. You could tighten it and it feel fine, but under load on track it was moving because the tapers did not match.
I put new stock oe toe ends back on and all of my handling problems were gone.
Bump it again.
I too have finally figured out why my car suddenly “hooks” in a corner, especially if I let off the gas.
left rear tie rod end has play. Trying to find the right part I had to come back here to figure it out.
Googled 88955488 and found the whole assembly with the inner rod that connects to the frame (OEM GM part) for $106 per side.
Zip corvette makes a bump steer kit that I have used in the rear of my car successfully. That being said when I bumpsteered the front of my car I didn't know about the zip parts so I drilled a large hole through the tie rod taper of my spindles and machined some reducers so as not to wear into the spindle. Then ran a 3/4" bolt through there and used rod ends on my steering rack instead of the factory stuff. I machined my own sleeves to adapt and allow toe adjustment. That setup allowed me to dial in correct tie rod/spindle relationship.
08-03-2015, 08:57 AM
