QA1 (and many others) are ChiCom manufacture,for those who care. YMMV but in my book heims = open header race car. If you want long term durability and quiet trouble free operation you want Currie Johnny Joints or equivalent. They`re rediculously strong, have great NVH isolation with minimum deflection and are grease able. I`ve been running some of them in hard core offroad use for years and they`re still 100%. Heims we had to change every couple years. Same on clients street cars, some of them come in every few years for heim replacement because the owner can`t stand the buzzing anymore. The ones we`ve converted to Johnny Joints are still perfect. Spohn Delspheres are another option, the thinner delrin races transfer quite a bit more NVH than the Curries and they`re only available in one size currently but they`re inexpensive and they should last a good long time. Mark SC&C

What Marcus said. My QA1s wore out, and I replaced them with Spohn Delspheres. Nice parts, and I have a couple of extras (never used) if somebody wants them. Left hand thread versions.

jp

Just to get things back to an apples-to-apples comparison: An earlier post pointed out the similarity between QA1 and Aurora XM bearings. The QA1 XM is a 2-piece bearing with an injection molded Kevlar reinforced nylon race (5/8 inch size is 17,955 lb-rated). The Aurora XM, one of their cheapest, lightest duty rod ends, is a plain, carbon steel-bodied unit with an alloy steel race (16,565 lb rated). The Aurora XAM (next step up with an alloy steel body) is rated at 40,572 lbs. If you have ever broken a rod end on a suspension link under load, then you know how important quality parts can be. There are several good bearing manufacturers out there and most of them sell various grades of their product. You get what you pay for, and suspension parts are not good areas to try to save a few bucks, especially if you are going to really "use" the car. My 2 cents worth.

what safety factor are they using in their advertisement? that alone makes a huge difference.

i'll say it again, jj or spohn unless its a phb, watts or sway bar link.


edit------

acutally i found it. here it is from aurora's site;

"Is there a safety factor included in the ultimate radial static load capacity?
You should assume that there is no safety factor. The bearing will fail at the advertised load."

and from qa1;

"Note that QA1's cataloged radial load ratings include a safety factor"

both then go on to say that adding a zerk will lower that rating. so, even if the qa1 is a 2:1 which isnt that conservative, then they are about the same.

Well Ill be damm, you are correct. I stand corrected. I was wrong. I was making an assumption and overlooked the body material. Kinda funny how the aurora steel body end is just about as strong as the QA1 alloy body end.

And YES, a johnny joint would be the route to go if funds are there. I completely agree with that.

Thanks for the schoolin. Im always happy to learn from you guys!!!!! JR

JR, you missed my edit. look at the post above yours. there is more to the story than just the posted numbers!

Thanks to all you guys :thumbsup: I got a lot info and I googled my ash off the last days.
I am thinking of using the Midwest 3/4-16 Chrome moly with teflon. They are rated at 27000 lbs static. I can buy them in the UK that saves me a lot on shipping and import tax. What do you guys think ?
http://www.midwestcontrol.com/catdis...ort.php?pg=214

For what it's worth I've heard mixed things about Midwest Controls rod ends. This is an item that really follows the "you get what you pay for" saying.

Okay that is something to reconsider than thanks.

Ahh, yer right, I did miss your edit.. Good point.

So Im I correct in interpreting it to mean QA1 actually designed in a safety factor and adjusted the Ult. Radial Static Load Capacity rating to a lower number for the sake of a safety margin where Aurora basically says their Ultimate Radial Static Load Capacity rating is the final line. They anticipate a breakage after that point?

That makes sense. Why the mild steel housing of the aurora end compares very closely to the alloy housing of the qa1 end in ratings in their catalog.

You miss that info if you just go by their online catalog specs. So the qa1 X series would prolly be a better comparison to the aurora XA series.

Good eye buddy!!! JR