tie rod end, this and that? explain?

[madmethod88]

I'm trying to build a suspension setup and I'm confused. Is there a difference between tie rods and tie rod ends? Also, whats the difference between outer and inner tie rods? Is there a a purpose to upgrade these/ are they needed? All whats really needed for a proper alignment and setup are the tie rod ends right?

I wanna thinking about buying this set from spl-

SPL pro front outer tie rod ends (set) S13/S14 $189 Front inner tie rods (pair) Now I'm confused, is this what I need?

[madmethod88]

anyone?

[whiterps13]

You need both. Take a look at this picture to answer your question.

[94_240sx]

You can just use outer tie rod ends without getting inner tie rods. Stock tie rods will still work with aftermarket tie rod ends. Inner is a rod and outer has a pillow ball joint. With pillow ball joint, you might feel more vibration, but handling will be sharper.

[naed240sx]

You can just use outer tie rod ends without getting inner tie rods. Stock tie rods will still work with aftermarket tie rod ends. Inner is a rod and outer has a pillow ball joint. With pillow ball joint, you might feel more vibration, but handling will be sharper.

Not true. SPL ends require inner z32 rods.

[94_240sx]

Not true. SPL ends require inner z32 rods.

Oh! Didn't know that. I'm looking at Kazama s13 tie rod ends, and I still can use stock inner rods with them. But on s13, if you have TEIN or Peak Performance inner rods, you need to get s14 tie rod ends.

[ryannico]

The picture says it all. I bought nissan tie rod ends, last year and had problem aligning it. But somehow i still managed to finish it.

[gordonliu]

hate to dig this thread up, but i was wondering

anyone have any input on quality of different manufacturers

tein vs spl vs moog

i already run spl outer and s14/z32 inners. the outers are beefy as hell. im wondering if these are about as gnarly and beefy as they get.

the moog outers that are listed on pdm appear to be spherical bearings like the other aftermarket brands but they do appear to be less beefy (albeit cheaper)

they only reason why i ask about tein is because of their penetration

im probably gonna use spl tie rods on my new build, but i was just seeing if i could get some input.