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Parking brake hard pipe and cable hitting shock and toe rod on driver side???
UPDATE - Said screw it when I got home from work, shoved a rubber mallet head between the pipe and UCA so as to not overstress the flange connection point on the knuckle, and bent it. Moved the rubber flappers over the toe rods. Much better... pipe is steel by the way.
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ORIGINAL POST
Prepping for VIR I found this... pics at full droop. Loaded it hits. Car has made it 45K miles, but I'm the new owner and it's never been tracked. My luck I'll massage that hard pipe and snap it. The lines only install to the knuckle one way; there's a locating bolt.
Is this a documented issue and is there a fix other than just bending on it and risking breaking it?
Passenger pipe angles up keeping lines off shock and rod. Driver side goes down and line rests on toe rod even at full droop. Driver side angled down Passenger side angled up
I just looked at my '18 and the cable only comes close to the metal rod, and nothing else, on the passenger side but on both sides that is where the "star-like" insulator is located, to protect the cable should it make contact. Btw, it is nowhere near the shock on either side.
I'm not where I can photograph, though. It looks like the cable has already been bent on your car. I suggest you might wish to stop by a dealership and take a look at a new one for reference.
I just looked at my '18 and the cable only comes close to the metal rod, and nothing else, on the passenger side but on both sides that is where the "star-like" insulator is located, to protect the cable should it make contact. Btw, it is nowhere near the shock on either side.
I'm not where I can photograph, though. It looks like the cable has already been bent on your car. I suggest you might wish to stop by a dealership and take a look at a new one for reference.
1. Are you sure the star insulator is for the toe rod, or is it for the tire sidewall? I moved mine and the cable sheath is pristine under where it was indicating it's always been there. The flaps on the insulator make me think it's for the tire to push the cable away so it can't catch. With the brake off there's a little slack in the system. Static the cable isn't close to the stock size wheels and tires but on track under load I guess it could possibly move some to where they added the flap insulator.
2. I think you're right that mine are bent, but I'm convinced they're self-bent after cycling the brake on/off. It puts the cable under a lot of tension and the path of the pipe and cable on the driver side is the path of least resistance when under tension. Basically after 4 years and 45K miles it's pulled itself.
Feel free the gently bend it away from interfering objects. It will comply.
This is actually common when you install coilovers, adjustable suspension pieces, etc., and the instructions call for bending it slightly to avoid issues. Don't worry about any functionality of that metal rod, either, it's just solid like that to actually avoid interference as you use handbrake, not cause them : )
Feel free the gently bend it away from interfering objects. It will comply.
This is actually common when you install coilovers, adjustable suspension pieces, etc., and the instructions call for bending it slightly to avoid issues. Don't worry about any functionality of that metal rod, either, it's just solid like that to actually avoid interference as you use handbrake, not cause them : )
Any pics of your coulover install? They in your build thread? Did you use a tube or anything to bend against? I went to massage it by hand and it's quite stiff. I don't want to snap it at the flange where it bolts to the knuckle!
Originally Posted by JerryU
If that is all it did in 45,000 miles does not look like an issue of breaking! Not good if you can bend it slightly, it is a cable.
The hard metal pipe isn't a cable... it's hard fixed pipe. The prior owner never drove the car hard. On track the car will experience full compression for the first time. If it's hitting in normal use it will really hit as the suspension compresses. Hoping it'll self clearance.
Clearly my driver side hard pipe has bent down from use/tension over its life, but Edmunds seems to show the rubber flapper insulators behind the toe rod like mine. I think there there for possible tire rub?
I just had a look at your pix above. Not like my '18. The insulator is clearly placed--on both sides--to protect the "cable" from contacting the suspension rod. It appears to me that your "cable"/protector or whatever you wish to call that assembly has been caught on something at some time, pulled and bent downward. If so, that would explain why your insulator is down and back from what seems to me to be stock.
I just had a look at your pix above. Not like my '18. The insulator is clearly placed--on both sides--to protect the "cable" from contacting the suspension rod. It appears to me that your "cable"/protector or whatever you wish to call that assembly has been caught on something at some time, pulled and bent downward. If so, that would explain why your insulator is down and back from what seems to me to be stock.
Every photo of new C7s has the insulators back of the toe rods. They never caught on anything. The driver side bent itself down over 4 years of being used... the tension of the brake cable on slowly bent it down.
See Edmunds photos of a brand new C7 in their review article from 2014... same spots as mine were.
03-13-2018, 08:42 PM
Parking brake hard pipe and cable hitting shock and toe rod on driver side???
