Tension or Compression to replace ARB?

[Adrian Southgate]

Like Dave A I have alignment issues at the front of the legerra. I am looking at kits for compression struts and tension struts and want to know if anyone else has tried one or both.

Compression struts replace the ARB but it involves swapping the TCA's left to right, fixing a bracket to the chassis and it runs back at quite a steep angle, basically turns the TCA into a wishbone and preventing it from forward and backward motion

The kit looks like this and is available from Burton for just over £100. Fully adjustable in situ.

Tension strut kits work instead of the ARB and mount forward of the TCA which remains the right way round, generally more expensive but theoretically easier to fit IF its an escort.

Kits generally looks like this.

None of the kits I have found are bushed but use fixed and/or rose joints, I can see wear on the bolts and bearing surfaces being an issue over time.

The other alternative is to make my own by cutting an ARB and making my own front coupling which retains the bush in the TCA. If the front is a rose joint drilled and tapped into the ARB then it would be adjustable like a trackrod end but it would have to be removed from the bracket to do so.

Has anyone got any thoughts on this?

[Adrian Southgate]

The front is on stands, i'll take pictures.

The ARB mounts are under the 45 degree front riser Pretty much in the same place as a Sierra but set at a 45 degree angle.

[Steve Kerswell]

Sierra, you can see the mount, in my opinion this needs a remake to swivel it but, it needs to go up and down with the TCA pivot, started to map it out and will try to cad it (dont hold your breath). Tick tock clunk goes the brain :-))

[Adrian Southgate]

The legerra is at an extreme angle compared to the horizontal Sierra mounts.

Didn't realise how rusty my chassis was until I took this...

[Adrian Southgate]

I'm going away in the green one last weekend in April, well aware of the need for a body off re-work on some brackets and fixings.

The white one isnt for driving, not by me anyway. more bits in the ready to fit box now, short a few parts but they'll come. 

13 inch alloys that already have tyres, ready to fit but its on short studs at the front so needs them swapping out, time and effort as I already have a set of 16 studs. Spacers all sand blasted, discs need doing though as they are a little sad after sitting for 6 months on the green one.