Hello All,
I've been playing with some ideas for making a suspension that moves freely, yet still incorporates nvh isolation for street cars. I realize there are lots of options already available, but I'm wondering if anyone has experience using rod ends with a rubber isolator between the mount and the chassis. This in theory could provide some level of vibration dampening, while avoiding the added spring rate and drag associated with rubber bushings. The acceptable deflection could theoretically be tuned by changing the rubber thickness. Here is a quick example I'm thinking about. Have you tried something like this?
This mount is a concept for a strut rod mount to be bolted in here:
Haven't seen anything like that before but it looks like a good idea. The rod end being inside the frame would help to keep it clean too, the rod ends' vulnerability to dirt is another big part of their PITA factor. You might want to consider adding another ring of rubber to the other side so that there's some vibration isolation between the ring and the bolts going into the frame though. Maybe even have another metal ring beyond that to spread the load and improve clamping.
Rod end NVH isn't too bad, lots of OEMs use them after all. Toyota, Subaru, Jaguar, BMW... The NVH takes a nosedive when they loosen. OE-grade units take a hundred thousand miles or more to loosen up. I've had aftermarket rod ends loosen after a couple days.
One more idea, maybe gusset them in like this for strength? This should still allow full articulation and easy access to the bolts for maintenance:
