Last May, I upgraded a number of suspension components on my Envoy. Namely, progressive springs, Bilstein HD shock absorbers and a Hotchkis rear stabilizer bar with front/rear Energy Suspension bushings. Whilst I was at it, I went ahead and replaced control arms/bushings, ball joints, trailer arms, sway bar links, etc. Basically everything that was part of the suspension. With the exception of ball joints, sway bar links and the bigger sway bar, everything that went on was GM OE.
It's caught my attention that a lot of the decent aftermarket offerings are pretty much on par with ACDelcos, although both the aftermarket and ACDelco components are inferior in comparison to GM's OE line. Case in point, sway bar links.
Initially, I went with Deeza sway bar links front and rear. Both sets were made in Taiwan, not Turkey. The fronts did not even fit, so I went with ACDelco professionals, which is what I could find at the time. These were made in Thailand. Approximately 10,000 miles later, I noticed the passenger side was sitting higher than the driver's side. When I looked at it, the passenger side front sway bar link popped off on the upper side. Handling, of course, was terrible to say the least. If you could drive a Scotch Brite sponge, this was it. Pulled that junk off and went with GM OE sway bar links at $110 a pop, made in Canada. Haven't a problem since, and they've been on for almost 30,000 miles. The difference? Here's the GM OE part:
Here's the ACDelco part:
Here's the Deeza part:
Since Moog is very popular, here's the Moog part:
I'm not a fan of serviceable suspension components, which is why I did not opt for Moog. To each, their own I support.
Notice the difference? Same holds true for the rears with very similar construction. There's been a knocking noise coming from the rear, and handling's gotten sloppy again. Turns out the links are gone. Opted for the GM OE parts - average aftermarket part seems to cost $30-$40, the OE part, made in Canada, costs $65 a pop. Problem solved, guess I learned my lesson.
Another point worth noting, the ACDelco link popped off under normal driving conditions. Two months ago, the truck was on a closed course for evasive driving, and despite extreme use (J-turns, etc.), the OE links are still good.
It's caught my attention that a lot of the decent aftermarket offerings are pretty much on par with ACDelcos, although both the aftermarket and ACDelco components are inferior in comparison to GM's OE line. Case in point, sway bar links.
Initially, I went with Deeza sway bar links front and rear. Both sets were made in Taiwan, not Turkey. The fronts did not even fit, so I went with ACDelco professionals, which is what I could find at the time. These were made in Thailand. Approximately 10,000 miles later, I noticed the passenger side was sitting higher than the driver's side. When I looked at it, the passenger side front sway bar link popped off on the upper side. Handling, of course, was terrible to say the least. If you could drive a Scotch Brite sponge, this was it. Pulled that junk off and went with GM OE sway bar links at $110 a pop, made in Canada. Haven't a problem since, and they've been on for almost 30,000 miles. The difference? Here's the GM OE part:
Here's the ACDelco part:
Here's the Deeza part:
Since Moog is very popular, here's the Moog part:
I'm not a fan of serviceable suspension components, which is why I did not opt for Moog. To each, their own I support.
Notice the difference? Same holds true for the rears with very similar construction. There's been a knocking noise coming from the rear, and handling's gotten sloppy again. Turns out the links are gone. Opted for the GM OE parts - average aftermarket part seems to cost $30-$40, the OE part, made in Canada, costs $65 a pop. Problem solved, guess I learned my lesson.
Another point worth noting, the ACDelco link popped off under normal driving conditions. Two months ago, the truck was on a closed course for evasive driving, and despite extreme use (J-turns, etc.), the OE links are still good.
