Rear tie rod ends--Lotus or custom?

[ViperDoc]

My local mechanic says I need new Tie Rod ends for my rear wheels. He identified the part needed is on page 115 (one for each side) of the service manual.

#15, SPHERICAL JOINT, TRACK CONTROL ARM
Part # 2004808


Can anyone tell me if this is a Lotus part or some custom Tesla Roadster part? I want to get my hands on the parts quickly and last time I needed a front ball joint, it was a Lotus part and I was able to get one much faster going to Lotus directly.

Thanks!
David

 

[ML Auto]

The lotus part number is B120D0036F Rear inner tie rod (spherical joint) for the Lotus with the upgraded cross brace in the rear.

 

[ViperDoc]

The lotus part number is B120D0036F Rear inner tie rod (spherical joint) for the Lotus with the upgraded cross brace in the rear.

This is for a Roadster Sport 2.5. Are you saying I need to get an upgraded cross brace or some other part in addition for this to work? Thanks.

 

[ML Auto]

No, it is a direct replacement. The Lotus had an upgrade that included the spherical rods and a cross brace to put the attaching bolt in double shear. The standard Lotus design used a regular ball joint type tie rod (with a 4 inch long stud to attach it) and was prone to failure during track use. The Tesla subframe uses the spherical ends with redesigned mounting to put the attaching bolt in double shear.

 

[ViperDoc]

Thanks!