Tie Rod refresh?

[lucidmatt]

I want to get the community's take on this one: I have adjustable UCA's and KW HAS that I'll be installing soon. The car feels a bit numb on center and I know the tie rods cant be that far behind the completely worn UCA's. (rubber bushings are completely separated) I know I want to at least do the tie rod ends, but are the inner tie rods also a wear item? Who makes the best replacements? Is there any tangible benefit of a specific brand over others? (durability, performance, response, etc) BTDTs help!

[rs4max]

Not sure about aftermarket for tie rods but when I replaced mine last year it was night and day in the car's handling.

[wednesday]

I just had all of my control arms replaced by rockstar of a gentleman and the kit included outer ends. During replacement, he found that one of the inner tie rods had a play and changed them. He found the part locally for $30 and knocked it out at the same time. Timing could not have been any better.

In my case, control arms were extremely worn, but not shot. One was "clunking" as well (out of 8 total). Kit included 8 control arms and two outer tie rod ends. This did make me wonder why kit did not already include inner tie rods as well. Oh well. Also, after looking at them up close, it did not make sense to even bother looking for higher density ones. They play a huge role, but not like a bushing where it needs to be stiffer if that made sense.

Ride is not only smooth, but there is no more embarrassing clunk when I have friends and family with me. I did get an alignment the next day and new tires (since they were also due).

Edit: I do want to add that city roads can be extremely harsh in some areas. If you live in an area where they are brutal to your car and it is driven quite a bit, then I would definitely get them replaced as part of wear and tear. And good news for once, this part does not cost unusually high :)

[lucidmatt]

Good to know, I figured the inners wear out as well as the outers, and yeah, the northeast's potholes are a terror. I'll do inners and outers when I do the UCA's. Cheers!

[DWRS4]

I just had all of my control arms replaced by rockstar of a gentleman and the kit included outer ends. During replacement, he found that one of the inner tie rods had a play and changed them. He found the part locally for $30 and knocked it out at the same time. Timing could not have been any better.

In my case, control arms were extremely worn, but not shot. One was "clunking" as well (out of 8 total). Kit included 8 control arms and two outer tie rod ends. This did make me wonder why kit did not already include inner tie rods as well. Oh well. Also, after looking at them up close, it did not make sense to even bother looking for higher density ones. They play a huge role, but not like a bushing where it needs to be stiffer if that made sense.

Ride is not only smooth, but there is no more embarrassing clunk when I have friends and family with me. I did get an alignment the next day and new tires (since they were also due).

Edit: I do want to add that city roads can be extremely harsh in some areas. If you live in an area where they are brutal to your car and it is driven quite a bit, then I would definitely get them replaced as part of wear and tear. And good news for once, this part does not cost unusually high :)

Could you share what he charged you (parts and labor) for the 8 control arms and the tie rod ends? Thanks!