I have installed a BOE toe link kit.
The main reason was because one of my hole in the subframe was elongated and a bit ovalized... second reason was some subframe crack repair that would interfere with the additional brackets of splitfire kit.
But I also like the design and weight savings.
There's no failure reported in the US where the kit is common.
No of course not, the toe links have their functions and the brace has its function. It’s a bit like saying neither toe link option can solve the issues with the immobiliser, but I’m not sure what point you are trying to make by conflating their functions?
We think have made it as easy as possible to allow a brace to fit, with several options and it uses the stability of the brackets as a support but this is not really relevant to the toe link function in isolation.
Over the years it is very rare I openly comment on another manufacturers output unless it is dangerous or clearly has a major issue and even then it is more of a hint, i.e when a particular “uprated†kit suffers the same failure multiple times on track.
BOE is the only exception and the main issue the false claims, which take a very cheap kit in terms of components, probably the cheapest, and then offer it up as the best by simply telling untruths, which are a complete reversal of the reality.
The issues with the BOE kit are several, for starters the poor solution of drilling the subframe and bush (in situ) in order to fit a larger single shear fastener.
If you really wanted to go down this route and didn’t care about the potential subframe problems then it would have been much easier, quicker and cheaper (£4) to simply fit a 10.9 spec M10 bolt (65nm) and keep everything as standard with the reduced possibility of subframe damage as a bonus.
You could also then go back to OE or another uprated kit easily*
By far the best solution is a double shear bracket or another double shear system. These keep the softer bolt which can deform and fail as per the original Lotus design only with a higher percentage due to the bracket.
Just about every claim BOE makes on its website is false.
They are the lightest that is for sure, but that is only because the "ultra strong swaged aluminum rods"are actually the weakest of any toe link kit I have ever examined, they don't have steel subframe brackets adding to the weight and the bearings are tiny also, so yes it probably is the lightest.
Their rods are made from 3.96mm wall 6061-T6 (UTS 310 MPa) and at an educated guess are about 40% of the capacity of the 6mm wall 7075 (UTS 572 MPa) Spitfire rods and also considerably weaker than the steel variants from everyone else including OE.
They cost about $15 each.
http://rodendsupply....ply-Catalog.pdf - page 14, ref - 6837XX 7/16"
Their “carefully specified heim-joints are self lubricating, non-lined, and are rated over 23,000lbs in strengthâ€
The 23,000 is quite low compared to the 74,000 alloy steel version we use for example, though all the European aftermarket kits should be stronger simply because they are larger and probably made from similar spec steel.
“These are among the highest rated heim-joints that will physically fit on the carâ€
This is almost funny, the bearings BOE use are 7/16" (11.1mm) OE are 12mm, most uprated kits use 1/2" (12.7mm) we use 14mm, so they are the smallest and also the weakest of the uprated kits and will obviously wear quicker as the friction area is much smaller and the subsequent peak loads/area so much higher.
https://www.lotustal...e-links-382873/
“over-engineering"
“will have longer service intervals than they would with all other aftermarket toe-link solutionsâ€
Clearly rubbish, though I can see how the price with its massive markup of about 300%, offers the illusion of quality, I would guess it is under $120 worth of bits.
The positive is that the parts are so cheap it will not cost very much to replace whatever needs replacing in due course.
Too late now but I think a brace fit without the brackets would have been a much better solution for you assuming the panel really cannot take a bracket. The longevity would have been at another level altogether and you would have had the advantage of the optional brace on the subframe as well had you so wished.
Regarding the Tuthill bearing problem from 2007, we did issue new bearings to all the owners regardless of if they actually had an issue or not.
We have also over the years offered £100 off of a new kit should the owners of the first generation kits wish to upgrade to the latest spec.
I appreciate you lost confidence and it was of course your choice, to highlight our customer service I should point out that the replacement bearings we ordered with aerospace Teflon liners lasted perfectly and should you have wished to upgrade to the latest M14 spec you could have bought a new Spitfire kit for much less than you paid for your BOE kit as well.
* You can actually recover from the BOE kit to a degree, we have made several kits with a 7/16 inner fastener of a suitable grade, some to Aus and some to Italy so some owners are clearly not so satisfied with the performance?
The main reason was because one of my hole in the subframe was elongated and a bit ovalized.
This is not a problem, the bracket solves this problem by removing the contact out to the thick bracket washer
Edited by Spitfire Engineering, 28 June 2019 - 12:35 PM.
