astock165 wrote:
Let me try to add a little development history to the conversation in hopes that it will help.

I agree with statement that the trailing arms and camber rods are almost equal. If a customer asks for a recommendation on just one kit I usually say the order is (4) trailing arms then (2) camber rods then the (2) toe rods. However, I've found that if a customer orders just the trailing arms, they're usually returning in a short time (within a couple of weeks) to get the camber rods as well.

Originally I hadn't planned on doing the toe rods because they are indeed ball joints on both ends in the OE setup. However, I had a number of customers ask about the toe rods so I began working on them.

As I got into it I realized that there were some advantages. They may have been more geared for track use but that's the arena I'm in as my car is trailered for track use only. The first thing was that I was able to eliminate another set of grease fittings. I might be in the minority but I HATE grease fittings so I liked getting rid of them. Another, that I have not done it myself but have looked into, is bump steer in the rear. Theoretically you can adjust the bump steer slightly by spacing the hiem joint on the stud that bolts to the suspension knuckle, which isn't possible with the OE unit.

A couple of convenience things I found as well: using the same kind of components as are used in the camber rod kit setting toe is very easy and quick. I end up doing a lot of alignments on my car and each time I do an alignment I also set the thrust angle. The ease of use of the toe rod kit makes this process a bit simpler and saves time. Again, this may be something more geared towards track dogs but I think it is an advantage.

Lastly, although it's an initial investment, you can more easily replace only the damaged components in our aftermarket toe rod kit. I believe the OE toe rods are an assembly that has to be replaced in its entirety if damaged or bent, less of course the outer tie rod ends. I like this because in the event of an impact the likely part to fail will be the long aluminum turnbuckle of the toe rod, which also happens to be a relatively inexpensive component and only the damaged side needs to be replaced. If the rod ends wear, they can be replaced (inners or outers), again, relatively inexpensively.

Hope this helps. I'll check back to see if there's any other questions or feel free to drop me a line.