Energy Suspension Red Tie Rod Dust Boots for Acura, Honda

Energy Suspension Tie Rod Dust Boots for Honda and Acura

When the rubber boot on your tie rod end cracks or tears, the grease packs out and dirt, water, and road grime pack in, and a tie rod end that should last for years starts wearing out fast. The fix used to mean buying a whole new tie rod. These Energy Suspension polyurethane dust boots let you just replace the boot instead, for a few bucks, and they hold up far better than the factory rubber that failed in the first place. If your tie rod end itself is still good and only the boot is torn, this is the cheap, smart repair.

These are the round style boots, sold as a 2-pack, sized with a 12mm taper and a 30.5mm socket top. That sizing is the important part: tie rod boots fit by dimension, not by what car they came off of, so the right move before you order is to measure your old boot or your tie rod end and match it to these numbers. Energy makes these universal boots in a few sizes and two shapes for exactly that reason. Get the size right and they seal up tight on a huge range of Hondas and Acuras, and plenty of other vehicles too.

What these do

A tie rod end is a greased ball joint, and the boot is what keeps the grease in and the grit out. Energy's polyurethane boots use a 5-point sealing design and shrug off the rocks, sand, water, road salt, and oil that rot rubber boots. The result is a tie rod end that stays sealed and lasts, instead of getting contaminated and developing play that fails an alignment or an inspection. This is maintenance and protection, not a performance part, so do not expect a handling change, expect your tie rod ends to stop dying prematurely.

Specs

Fitment

This is a universal boot that fits by measurement, not by strict vehicle application. At a 12mm taper and 30.5mm socket top, this size covers tie rod ends across a wide range of Honda and Acura models, the EF, EG, and EK Civic, the CRX, the Del Sol, the DA and DC Integra, the Accord, the Odyssey, and the S2000 among them. Because it goes by dimension, measure your old boot or tie rod end against the specs above before ordering. If your numbers do not match, Energy makes other sizes and an octagon style, so there is likely one that fits.

What to know before you buy

First, measure before you order. This is the one that trips people up. Tie rod boots are sized to the tie rod end, so the listed fitment is a guide, not a guarantee for your specific part. Compare your old boot's taper and socket diameter to the 12mm and 30.5mm specs here. Owners who measure first report these fit perfectly on everything from Hondas to ATVs, the ones who guess sometimes get the wrong size.

Second, this repairs the boot, not the joint. If your tie rod end has already gotten contaminated and developed play, has a torn boot and feels loose or clunks, the damage is done and you need a new tie rod end, not just a boot. These are for when the boot has failed but the joint underneath is still tight and good. Catching it early is the whole point, a five dollar boot now saves a tie rod end later.

Third, installation note from people who have done it: make sure the bottom of the boot seats fully over the round flat base of the joint. That is the one spot people get wrong, and a boot that is not seated all the way will let grime in or work itself loose. Take the extra few seconds to confirm it is seated and these stay put and stay sealed.