first picture of watts link

[Metco]

here is the first picture of the new watts link it looks awesome cant wait for the other side to be done tomorrow will post finished pictures tomorrow later aaronhttp://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/data/503/2215PDRM0754-med.JPG

[Fourth Horseman]

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[03SILVERSTREAK]

here is the first picture of the new watts link it looks awesome cant wait for the other side to be done tomorrow will post finished pictures tomorrow later aaronhttp://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/data/503/2215PDRM0754-med.JPGHave you started distribution of the cold air induction system ???

[hitchhiker]

here is the first picture of the new watts link it looks awesome cant wait for the other side to be done tomorrow will post finished pictures tomorrow later aaronhttp://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/data/503/2215PDRM0754-med.JPG
I want one!

How much?

Thanks,

David

[woaface]

WOW! Not even off the machinery yet! Man that's beautiful! I'm no engineer, but that looks like a very solid and strong piece by nature/shape!

[jgc61sr2002]

That sure looks great. :up: :up: :up: :up:

[Petrograde]

awww,... man! :up:

I've been waiting for this!!! money is tight right now. (trying to buy a couple duplexes) Hopefully, I'll have some positive cash flow within the next 6 months..... then, I'll be calling!!!!

[JET]

It sure looks great but watts da' heil is it for & watts da' heil does it do?

I would like too know but since I got the control arms without really knowing what the heck they are for I guess it's not that important. Come to think of it do I need 4 of them as I did with the control arms. When I called Metco about the control arms I really only wanted 1 but they made me buy all 4.

All kidding aside what is it for & what does it improve over OEM?

:lol: :stupid: :confused:

[Marauder57]

All kidding aside what is it for & what does it improve over OEM?

Would somebody answer the poor guy.....(that way I will find out what this thing is for as well....)

Man I hope the safety tip in the picture is only a suggestion.....otherwise we all could be in a lot of trouble.... :eek:

[rayjay]

Would somebody answer the poor guy.....(that way I will find out what this thing is for as well....)

Man I hope the safety tip in the picture is only a suggestion.....otherwise we all could be in a lot of trouble.... :eek:I know its a rear suspension piece..:lol:

[CRUZTAKER]

Would somebody answer the poor guy.....(that way I will find out what this thing is for as well....)

Umm, me too...;)


Man I hope the safety tip in the picture is only a suggestion.....otherwise we all could be in a lot of trouble.... :eek:
As long as one adjusts HIS OWN nozzle...and no more than twice a day...:baaa:


They look nice...but the price...is this one gonna knock us off our feet as well?

[FiveO]

Dang.

Not sure what it does ;)

but gimme some time to get the straight line stuff in order...then I'll work on the twisty upgrades!

[frdwrnch]

The purpose of a Watts link is to keep the rear end housing centered beneath the frame mostly when cornering but also comes into effect on hard accelleration. It also minimizes body roll by keeping the frame and rear end parallel to the road. It usually has a pivot point on the rear end with two links anchored to the frame or one to the frame and one to the body. This looks like an awesome piece
but I'm still having a hard time picturing its configuration.

[TAF]

Looks EXCELLENT Aaron!!! :up:

I can't wait to see/feel it on my car ;)

[woaface]

I didn't know so I asked Todd when his car was on a lift. It makes a big difference when you see it. From stock to this piece here...it appears there'll be a decent difference.

[studio460]

Metco, you guys ROCK!!! THANK YOU . . . for continuing to offer custom performance parts support for our Marauders! The new Watts link looks awesome . . . even the CNC shavings look cool! Thanks for posting the advance photo, too! We're all drooling now . . . photos at least help us keep the drool in check while we await the final product's ship date.

[ts-pa]

Will the Watts link be anodized? Might I suggest Type III hardcoat. It produces a very hard (Rc50-58) thin layer (about .001" into mat'l & .001" as coating). Is light grey in apperance.

Will poly bushings be included with this item as they were with the Metco control arms? If so, will there be grease fittings also?

I haven't visited MM.net in a while, does Zach & Mac have a Watts link yet?

[JET]

The purpose of a Watts link is to keep the rear end housing centered beneath the frame mostly when cornering but also comes into effect on hard accelleration. It also minimizes body roll by keeping the frame and rear end parallel to the road. It usually has a pivot point on the rear end with two links anchored to the frame or one to the frame and one to the body. This looks like an awesome piece
but I'm still having a hard time picturing its configuration.

Thanks frdwrnch, now I'm only just a little less compleatly clueless as to what a watts link is.

QUESTION 1: Is there already one in the car that this replaces?

*if you answered NO to question 1 please proceed to question 3.
QUESTION 2: Forgot the question. Maybe I'll remember it later.

QUESTION 3: If it is a new part & judging on how much more the Metco's
Control Arms weigh compared to stock then I'm assuming that you are
adding a good deal of weight to the car. If so then how does the watts link
benifit the car for a drag racing application?

QUESTION 4: Is there a draw back to installling the watts link?

**in no way should QUESTION 5 discredit frdwrnch answer
QUESTION 5: Could some else explain their understanding ofwhat the heck a watts link is for ? What the benifits are? & what application benifits from it the most?

QUESTION 6: What was question 1 again?

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

[TAF]

John...I'm going to try and answer some of your Qs here with what I've learned in the process of finding a better solution to our WATTS linkage situation. Please understand that I'm just passing on what has been described to me in during this process.


Thanks frdwrnch, now I'm only just a little less compleatly clueless as to what a watts link is.

QUESTION 1: Is there already one in the car that this replaces?Yes John. And hopefully Aaron can take a quick pic of WATTS link that comes with our cars to show you. They have a unit that I gave them to use to determine all the measurements. It sits on the passenger side/forward of the rear axle housing and controls the side-to-side movement of the rearend housing/axles with the frame, as Russell described. BTW...for those of you who know that the rear airbag adjustment rests on the driver's side of the bar....Metco made sure that the current slots were duplicated and the measurement EXACT to not hinder the performance of the rear height adjustment.http://www.mercurygallery.net/mmnet/data/500/83WATTS_link.jpg


*if you answered NO to question 1 please proceed to question 3.
QUESTION 2: Forgot the question. Maybe I'll remember it later. can't help you here ;) :P


QUESTION 3: If it is a new part & judging on how much more the Metco's
Control Arms weigh compared to stock then I'm assuming that you are
adding a good deal of weight to the car. If so then how does the watts link
benifit the car for a drag racing application?When we weighed one of the finished lower arms from Metco...it weighed in at 5.2 lbs. The stockers weighed in at 3.4 lbs. This is deemed a VERY insignificant increase in weight...especially considering the increased function/stability/solidness of the Metco Control arms over the stock pressed metal. As for drag racing application...what Russell said above certainly holds true with the function of the WATTS link and handling/launching. Put it this way...you currently have 2 arms on your car...made out of the SAME "pressed metal" only in a much longer length than your OEM lower control arms, that are resting on a center "pivot-point" and keeping your rearend stable now. Replacing with these will significantly strengthen that current system and allow for even better handling and stability of movement in the rearend.


QUESTION 4: Is there a draw back to installling the watts link?Not from what I've gathered...as long as the aforementioned rear air-height control is allowed for in EXACTING specifications...which Metco did.
As well, the poly bushings with Metco's grease fittings will be a HUGE improvement over the OEM WATTS link.


**in no way should QUESTION 5 discredit frdwrnch answer
QUESTION 5: Could some else explain their understanding ofwhat the heck a watts link is for ? What the benifits are? & what application benifits from it the most? Hopefully some of the above was helpfull for you and any others John. Once again, I always suggest specific Qs be directed to Aaron, himself...as well.


QUESTION 6: What was question 1 again?

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

[MARAUDERCHICK]

Looks EXCELLENT Aaron!!! :up:

I can't wait to see/feel it on my car ;)
Me too!! Me Too!!!! :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Marauder]

I have one thing to say:

Mmmmmm.....donut....droooool
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid118/pd25027be9fc88cd8db5879d249e9d 89b/f8814e9f.jpg

That's sweet looking by itself!!! :D

[woaface]

So, with the four Major upgrads you have Todd: 2 sway bars, control arms, and soon to be watts link...could we get your car on a skid pad and see how many G's it holds? One 200ft diameter and one 300. I guess that won't exactly mirror the car's performance thresholds but it seems like a fun start!

[TAF]

So, with the four Major upgrads you have Todd: 2 sway bars, control arms, and soon to be watts link...could we get your car on a skid pad and see how many G's it holds? One 200ft diameter and one 300. I guess that won't exactly mirror the car's performance thresholds but it seems like a fun start!Well James...since Greenville is becoming quite a "hotbed" of car stuff...and you guys have that state-of-the-art windtunnel going in...find me a skidpad (I'm sure the BMW plant or Michelin HQs there have one)...and I'll come up and let them put it through the paces. I can tell you...it will pass with "flying colors" and maybe shock a few folks.

[dwasson]

So, with the four Major upgrads you have Todd: 2 sway bars, control arms, and soon to be watts link...could we get your car on a skid pad and see how many G's it holds? One 200ft diameter and one 300. I guess that won't exactly mirror the car's performance thresholds but it seems like a fun start!

James, it's been my experience that things like Watts links and control arm upgrades don't give you much improvement on the skidpad. But, in the real world, where bumps and off-camber pavement is constantly trying to push the car off of the line you notice it. I imagine that one place you'd really see the difference would be in hard acceleration when you hit a bump on one side. Stock, the back of the car shifts a little to one side and the tires come unstuck a bit. With the stiffer rear suspension there will be less deflection of the axle in a bump and the real axle will track with the front better.

And it looks cool.

[woaface]

Well James...since Greenville is becoming quite a "hotbed" of car stuff...and you guys have that state-of-the-art windtunnel going in...find me a skidpad (I'm sure the BMW plant or Michelin HQs there have one)...and I'll come up and let them put it through the paces. I can tell you...it will pass with "flying colors" and maybe shock a few folks.
Hmm, this is true. I KNOW BMW has one, and I'm pretty sure Michelin has one. But whether they'll let you use it is beyond me.

[hitchhiker]

John...I'm going to try and answer some of your Qs here with what I've learned in the process of finding a better solution to our WATTS linkage situation. Please understand that I'm just passing on what has been described to me in during this process.

Yes John. And hopefully Aaron can take a quick pic of WATTS link that comes with our cars to show you. They have a unit that I gave them to use to determine all the measurements. It sits on the passenger side/forward of the rear axle housing and controls the side-to-side movement of the rearend housing/axles with the frame, as Russell described. BTW...for those of you who know that the rear airbag adjustment rests on the driver's side of the bar....Metco made sure that the current slots were duplicated and the measurement EXACT to not hinder the performance of the rear height adjustment.

can't help you here ;) :P

When we weighed one of the finished lower arms from Metco...it weighed in at 5.2 lbs. The stockers weighed in at 3.4 lbs. This is deemed a VERY insignificant increase in weight...especially considering the increased function/stability/solidness of the Metco Control arms over the stock pressed metal. As for drag racing application...what Russell said above certainly holds true with the function of the WATTS link and handling/launching. Put it this way...you currently have 2 arms on your car...made out of the SAME "pressed metal" only in a much longer length than your OEM lower control arms, that are resting on a center "pivot-point" and keeping your rearend stable now. Replacing with these will significantly strengthen that current system and allow for even better handling and stability of movement in the rearend.

Not from what I've gathered...as long as the aforementioned rear air-height control is allowed for in EXACTING specifications...which Metco did.
As well, the poly bushings with Metco's grease fittings will be a HUGE improvement over the OEM WATTS link.

Hopefully some of the above was helpfull for you and any others John. Once again, I always suggest specific Qs be directed to Aaron, himself...as well.
Thanks Todd!

:up: :up: :up: