Ultimate Tie Rods Buying Guide

Tie rods are essential for your car's steering system. Every movement you make with the steering wheel travels through the tie rods and to the wheels via the steering knuckle.

Compared to other parts of your car, such as the shock absorbers or fuel pump system, they're relatively simple in design.

To make tie rods easier to understand, we've created a comprehensive guide that covers everything you need to know about how they work and picking the correct one for your car.

We'll cover:

• What are tie rods?
• How do tie rods work?
• Why does a tie rod matter?
• How to tell if your tie rod needs changing
• The types of tie rods available online
• The best tie rod brands and options
• How to choose the right tie rods
• Frequently asked questions about tie rod parts

What Are Tie Rods?

Your tie rods sit on each front wheel and link to the steering gear and knuckle. Every steering component, no matter the design, specifically requires the high-strength steel tie rod end to move the car in the intended direction of travel.

It doesn't matter if it is rack and pinion steering or recirculating ball steering; each connects to the tie rod end through the steering knuckle. Every slight adjustment you make with the steering wheel moves the tie rod, which, in turn, alters the direction of your wheels to move the car.

And they get their name 'tie' because of the link they make between the steering gear, which is almost always a rack-and-pinion system attached to the bottom of the steering column, and the steering knuckle that sits behind the front wheels of the car, creating a pivot point and even steering movement.

Every tie rod part has an inner and outer component. The inner tie rod connects to the steering rack, and the outer tie rod connects to the steering knuckle. The rest of the components include:

• Sliding seal
• Ball stud
• Threaded stem
• Closure cap
• Preload spring
• Socket body
• Spherical bearing

Protecting the inner tie rod from dust, dirt, and debris is a rubber bellows boot, sometimes called a steering rack boot.

The number of tie rods your car has depends on the make and model. Most modern cars have two tie rods—one going out the left and right sides of the steering rack to connect to the steering knuckle and gear of each front wheel.

How Do Tie Rods Work?

Tie rod mechanisms are relatively simple.

When you turn the steering wheel inside the car, and before the movement ever reaches the tie rods, a torsion bar twists inside the steering gear in proportion to your movement on the steering wheel.

If your car uses hydraulic power steering, the torsion bar moves a rotary spool valve that ports pump pressure to one side of a rack piston.

If it's electric power steering, the torque sensor sends a message to the ECU, and the ECU signals an electric motor to add torque through a belt or worm reduction.

After that, there's a column pinion gear that engages with teeth on the steering rack to create a linear motion by sliding the rack left to right at the precise degree of your wheel turning input.

Your column pinion gear meshes with the rack teeth to generate rotation into a linear motion, and the rack slides left or right by a precise amount per degree of wheel input. At the end of the rack is the inner tie rod with its ball-and-socket joint sitting under the bellows boot. That joint pivots freely in the direction of travel of the steering rack.

But that doesn't actually turn the wheels.

The inner rod is then connected, as we said, hence the name "tie," to the outer tie rod end by threads or an adjusting sleeve that literally ties them together. That outer tie rod end has the ball stud that goes through the steering knuckle arm, so that when the tie rod pushes or pulls, the ball causes the knuckle to rotate about the steering axis.

And that's the final mechanical point at which the steering force becomes actual wheel movement.

Why Does a Tie Rod Matter?

Every steering component relies on the tie rod end to function as designed. There's absolutely no possibility of driving without the tie rod.

Well, you might be able to drive, but not in the direction you want to. The result is uneven tire wear, instability, and, more than that, extremely dangerous driving.

There's not much more explanation needed than that. They're one of the components of your car that's sort of all-or-nothing. It has to function perfectly to keep your car moving in the intended direction of travel.

How to Tell if Your Tie Rod Needs Changing

You will quickly know if you have an issue with your tie rods if, when you turn the steering wheel, the car doesn't move as it should. But there's a difference between the car not moving as it should because there's an issue with the power steering or with the tie rods.

If there's an issue with the power steering, you'll find it difficult to turn the wheel, almost like it's heavy.

If there's an issue with the tie rods, you'll notice:

• Uneven tire wear
• Front-end misalignment
• Vibrations in the steering wheel
• A loose steering wheel
• A knocking sound when turning at low speeds
• Inability to steer the car in the intended direction

Fortunately, tie rods can last for many, many years, and it's unlikely that you will have to change them. It's more common that drivers need to change their tie rods because of a road traffic accident that causes damage. The conditions you drive in and your driving style can also determine whether you would ever need to change your tie rods.

You don't need to replace the entire steering system. You can replace the tie rod ends, either the inner or the outer, without needing to replace them both at the same time. You can also replace the other parts, such as the center link or ball joints, without needing to touch the tie rods.

After changing your tie rods, you will need to perform an alignment. It used to be that you could count the number of turns it took to remove the rod and use that same number to install the new tie rod.

Now, with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems like lane assist and automatic stability control, you should go to a mechanic for precise adjustment and to calibrate the steering angle sensor.

The Types of Tie Rods Available Online

Solid tie rods

Solid tie rods are the simplest design. They're not as common as the other types of tie rods, and they don't necessarily function as well. The design is a basic non-hollow bar made of high-strength steel.

Threaded tie rods

Threaded tie rods are the two-part system we've been discussing with the inner and outer rod ends. They're the most precise design that gives your car the wheel alignment it needs. They're called threaded tie rods because they're threaded together with the adjusting sleeve.

The Best Tie Rod Brands and Options

While there are not many differences in designs, there are multiple options for the best tie rod brands at affordable prices online.

At Parts Avenue, we pride ourselves on partnering with the best original equipment manufacturers—brands that sell parts at or above the quality of the original equipment but without the price tag. We want to give our customers the opportunity to buy tie rods finished to an industry-leading standard at an affordable price.

Here are the brands and their tie rods online at Parts Avenue:

TOR

TOR is an exceptional parts manufacturer that develops precision-machined components for the steering and suspension systems. For the steering system, they manufacture tie rod ends, ball joints, and center links—all the parts that work together with tie rods to move your car.

We're confident that TOR parts are some of the best original equipment-level parts on the market. Their rigorous testing process includes multi-axis vibration checks to ensure durability, salt fogging to check the level of corrosion resistance, and artificial aging to further confirm durability and safety.

The TOR tie rods are designed with a powdered metal gusher so grease can flow to the bearing and the stud for reduced friction and enhanced strength and stability. It also includes a self-adjusting internal tension spring and a high-strength polymer bearing.

The TOR tie rods online at Parts Avenue include either the inner and outer tie rods together or the parts sold separately.

Top Quality

Top Quality is another premium brand that actually specializes in suspension kits, but they also sell high-quality front-end inner and outer tie rods.

To design their tie rods, Top Quality uses a powdered metal gusher bearing and a steel composition design. That improves grease flow through to the end stud to reduce friction and boost strength and stability. The premium cover plate design also produces tighter tolerances, extending the lifespan of the ball joint. The metal stud is also a full-ball metal composition for smoothness, consistency, and responsive steering movements.

At Parts Avenue, we sell tie rods online as individual parts or as kits, often blending the quality of both brands to give our customers the complete steering system bundle they need. An example of a TOR and Top Quality steering system bundle includes:

• 2x Front Outer Steering Tie Rod End (both sides)
• 2x Front Inner Steering Tie Rod End (both sides)
• 2x Universal Replacement Rack & Pinion Steering Boot

How to Choose the Right Tie Rods

Buy tie rods compatible with the make and model of your car.

Not all types of tie rods will be suitable for the make and model of your car. Tie rod length is the main decider. So you can feel rest assured you're getting the best tie rods, we've created a Fitment Check tool on our website. All you need to do is input the year, make, and model of your car, and the tool will tell you if the part you're looking at will fit.

You can also send us an email with those details to support@partsavenue.ca and one of our team members will confirm whether the part will fit your car.

Standard or heavy-duty tie rods.

Most of our customers will need standard tie rods. Standard tie rods fit into everyday modern cars that don't do heavy-duty work or have high-performance requirements. Original equipment manufacturer parts are the best tie rods for standard cars—there's no need to invest in anything particularly designed for high performance just because you think it will work better.

Sealed or greased ball joint tie rods

Most tie rods online will have greased ball joints. The brands we partner with, TOR and Top Quality, provide tie rods with greased ball joints. They're more efficient and generate less wear and tear for the rest of the steering system.

Sealed ball joints are pre-lubricated with grease in the factory, and you can never reapply grease again. Greasable ball joints, like the best tie rods at Parts Avenue, have a zerk fitting or grease valve on the ball joint so you can add grease as and when you need to. For that reason, they last longer and they're generally better.

The design also allows you to remove the contaminated grease that could be damaging the part. It's advisable to grease the joints regularly.

Frequently Asked Questions About Tie Rod Parts

Is it safe to drive with a faulty tie rod?

No, it's absolutely not safe to drive with a faulty tie rod. You will quickly realize you're not able to steer in the direction you wish to, making you a hazard to other drivers on the road.

How long do tie rods last?

There's no specific data on how long tie rods last based on kilometers, but they are known to last many years. Greased joint tie rods will last much longer than sealed joints.

Do I need an alignment after replacing tie rods?

Yes, you should always perform an alignment after you replace your tie rods. Now, with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, you should take your car to a mechanic with an alignment machine.

Your car deserves the best tie rods. At Parts Avenue, you can rest assured that you're getting the reliable, high-quality part your car needs. Start your search today with Parts Avenue, the most-trusted car parts provider in Canada.