Aftermarket tie rod ends - who is best?

[Cody Templeton]

Just purchased a set of Alcons for the front and instead of crossing my fingers that the stock tie rod ends will clear I figure I may as well just order aftermarket ones that I know will for sure. Who is the go-to for these? Thanks!

 

[Cody Templeton]

Bumping this up so I can get some tie rod ends ordered for my Alcons.

 

[FishFreak]

I think they list the tie rods that work on Alcon's site? Doesn't give you lots of options. I see some ADD tie rods mentioned on Stage 3's website:

**DISCONTINUED**09-19 F150 & Raptor Alcon 6-Piston Front Big Brake Kit BKF1559BE11

www.stage3motorsports.com

Oh and I'd heard Keep it Dirty YT'er make a good point, to not go with overly strong tie rods, cuz a bent tie rod is easier to fix than a broken steering rack when you're out in the boonies. Let that tie rod be the weak link....

 

[Cody Templeton]

I think they list the tie rods that work on Alcon's site? Doesn't give you lots of options. I see some ADD tie rods mentioned on Stage 3's website:

**DISCONTINUED**09-19 F150 & Raptor Alcon 6-Piston Front Big Brake Kit BKF1559BE11

www.stage3motorsports.com

Oh and I'd heard Keep it Dirty YT'er make a good point, to not go with overly strong tie rods, cuz a bent tie rod is easier to fix than a broken steering rack when you're out in the boonies. Let that tie rod be the weak link....

That makes sense as well! Yea, they list some on Alcon's website, but I figured I'd ask around to see if anyone had suggestions/experience.


EDIT: While ordering the new rear rotors I was on Alcon's website looking at part numbers. Noticed that Alcon recommends the ADD tie rod ends as well. I'm assuming that might end up being the route that I go.

 

[Nick@Apollo-Optics]

We offer package savings for the brakes and tie rods, but since you already ordered the brakes we can do the tie rod ends only for you.

We can do ADD, RPG, or SVC. All of them make half rod ends. Feel free to send me a message if you'd like a quote.

 

[Cody Templeton]

We offer package savings for the brakes and tie rods, but since you already ordered the brakes we can do the tie rod ends only for you.

We can do ADD, RPG, or SVC. All of them make half rod ends. Feel free to send me a message if you'd like a quote.

The brakes I bought second hand from a member on here at a steeply discounted price compared to new and am cleaning them up and refreshing them.

I haven't decided yet who I want to go with for sure as I haven't read any of them are better than the other.

 

[Nick@Apollo-Optics]

The brakes I bought second hand from a member on here at a steeply discounted price compared to new and am cleaning them up and refreshing them.

I haven't decided yet who I want to go with for sure as I haven't read any of them are better than the other.

Truthfully, they're pretty much all the same. They're billet pieces with heimed FK rod ends.

 

[Cody Templeton]

I did some looking at the tie rod ends and it looks like SVC, SDHQ, Evil Manufacturing, UTV, and Rogue Racing don't make half rod ends for Gen 1, just the full inner/outer assembly. RPG, ADD, and Foutz Motorsports all make half rod ends though.

Everything I've been reading here seems to suggest just running the half rod ends to keep the inner tie rod end as the weak point compared to the steering rack being the weak point. I honestly would not be upgrading the outer tie rod ends if I didn't need to to clear the Alcon brakes, but alas it is required. Also, I know it's a much larger pain in the ass to align the truck with the full rod ends as the inner heim needs to be loosened to adjust the alignment, which means pulling the clamps and boots to access the inner heim.

It's looking like at this point its down to RPG or ADD as I have not heard anyone talk about the Foutz ones besides just on a Google search.

 

[Nick@Apollo-Optics]

We carry all of those brands. If you're looking for half tie rods specifically, then your options are RPG, ADD, Foutz, and SVC. You can't go wrong with any of them. Best pricing will be from RPG at $499.

Ford Raptor Billet Half (1/2) Steering Tie Rods

Buy RPG Offroad VAR-RPGBHSTRK at Apollo Optics: RPG Offroad RPG Offroad started off with hex bar instead of round bar that requires flat cuts to be grooved on them, hence reducing strength. With hex bar, this eliminates the need for any weakening of the rod itself. Certain design concepts have...

apollo-optics.com

 

[Cody Templeton]

We carry all of those brands. If you're looking for half tie rods specifically, then your options are RPG, ADD, Foutz, and SVC. You can't go wrong with any of them. Best pricing will be from RPG at $499.

Ford Raptor Billet Half (1/2) Steering Tie Rods

Buy RPG Offroad VAR-RPGBHSTRK at Apollo Optics: RPG Offroad RPG Offroad started off with hex bar instead of round bar that requires flat cuts to be grooved on them, hence reducing strength. With hex bar, this eliminates the need for any weakening of the rod itself. Certain design concepts have...

apollo-optics.com

Thanks Nick! Just ordered a set of the red ones through the website.