HAMBURG, Germany — As a specialized developer and manufacturer of steering and suspension parts, Wulf Gaertner Autoparts AG is continuously expanding its Meyle range of improved heavy duty parts. The Hamburg-based company’s most recent additions include reinforced tie rod ends for BMW, Ford and Volvo. 
Meyle supplies the BMW HD tie rod ends with special nuts similar to OE. Wulf Gaertner Autoparts AG provides a four-year warranty for all HD parts for passenger cars and vans.
Tie rod ends with inadequate dimensions can wear prematurely, resulting in excessive steering play. Meyle therefore analyzed the tie rod ends of the Ford Focus, the Volvo S40 and V50 models and many different models of the BMW 1 and 3 series and then developed what it claims are improved versions for these products. The joint’s ball pin diameter was enlarged in the optimization: the Ford and Volvo parts now feature a 25mm ball pin increased from the OE part’s 22mm, while the ball pin of the BMW part was enlarged from 28mm to 30mm.
“By increasing the contact area, we’ve improved the part’s load-bearing capacity significantly, making it much more resilient,” said Sven Nielsen, senior engineer, Wulf Gaertner Autoparts AG.
Meyle, in addition to enlarging the ball pin diameters in the HD versions of the BMW parts, also utilizes an extremely wear-resistant composite plastic ball pin seat designed in cooperation with Lufthansa Technik Intercoat GmbH. The various materials used in the plastic seats were scientifically formulated to reduce friction and wear and to ensure an extremely longer service life.
