Ball Joints (Expected Life)

[msavides]

I am trying to get some input from all you guys here.

 

about 2 years ago I replaced every wearable Item in my front suspension and steering. I also installed Calmini upper control arms that came with new upper ball joints.

 

I have maybe driven the truck 5000 miles since then (this is my wheeling truck only). Now, these are 5000 hard miles. I was under my truck this weekend going through everything to find the source to my uneven tire wear. I noticed that the boots to the ball joints both upper and lower are starting to wear, looks like wear in the middle of the ball joint boot same place on the uppers and the lowers on both sides.

 

the 2 questions here.

 

1. How long have you guys gotten out of your ball joints. miles or years or both.

 

2. Are there better quality Ball joints than what is available from autozone/kragen/pep boys.

 

 

Some notable specs on my truck. that could create more wear than a normal application

 

ARB front locker, 32 inch tires, Calmini heavy duty steering, Calmini upper control arms, Rancho 5000 shocks,

 

Mark

Edited March 9, 2010 by msavides

[GrimGreg]

If you are wheeling hard you can destroy a ball joint connection (UCA, LCA, TRE, CL) on the first obsticle you hit. Normal street use 5-10 years is normal, but for offroading, every trip can be normal.

[msavides]

If you are wheeling hard you can destroy a ball joint connection (UCA, LCA, TRE, CL) on the first obsticle you hit. Normal street use 5-10 years is normal, but for offroading, every trip can be normal.

 

 

when I replaced mine the only ball joints I could find locally were ones without zerks. I now look back and think that they were probably low quality. I have read that the uppers that came with the camini UCA are the cheapest you can get. (also without zerks) Now that I am pricing them out again I am finding that they almost all have zerks. I don't know if it means higher quality or not but I hear that the moog joints are one of the best. They are also twice the price.

 

The uppers are real easy to replace I think I will get the cheapest zerk equiped ones for the uppers and get the moogs for the lowers since the lowers are more of a PITA to replace.

 

I have read that Ball joints wear quickly when wheeling Especially when fully locked,

 

I was just curious if any Heavy wheelers have any input on how often they replace there Ball joints.

 

Mark

[Kingman]

Zerks just allow you to service/re-grease them consistantly...nothing to do with quality.

[adamzan]

I think he was just saying that the ones without the grease fittings tend to be the cheaper ones, while the higher quality ones, like moog, have grease fittings.

[fleurys]

My experience is :

 

I put new ball joints in march 2009 . I choose the cheap ones a 50$ each... welll, there done... exactly 1 year is what they have given me... I'm looking at the moog ones, and will install them, but they don't have zirk fitting on my year/model :

 

I have made about 20000km in that year and probably 1000km in trails.

[msavides]

That was the way it was 2 years ago when I did mine. Even the moog ones did not have zerks.

 

Now most of them out there have zerks.

 

 

Generally when parts manufacturer cuts cost they will not put option like zerks in. This may mean that they have cut costs other places as well. Or they don't expect the ball joint to last long enough to need to be greased. LOL

 

Hopefully the moog ones will last longer. Time will tell. Or I will just accept the fact that I have to tear my front end apart every year or so.

Edited March 11, 2010 by msavides

[adamzan]

My experience is :

 

I put new ball joints in march 2009 . I choose the cheap ones a 50$ each... welll, there done... exactly 1 year is what they have given me... I'm looking at the moog ones, and will install them, but they don't have zirk fitting on my year/model :

 

I have made about 20000km in that year and probably 1000km in trails.

You know, I bought new ball joints for my dads r50, and they were the lifetime warranty TRW ones from partsource, no zerks either. Even the oem lowers on his truck (that were only slightly worn at 240,000kms) didn't have them. The new ones I bought for my wd21 the lowers had no zerks but the uppers did and they were all the same brand

[msavides]

You know, I bought new ball joints for my dads r50, and they were the lifetime warranty TRW ones from partsource, no zerks either. Even the oem lowers on his truck (that were only slightly worn at 240,000kms) didn't have them. The new ones I bought for my wd21 the lowers had no zerks but the uppers did and they were all the same brand

 

 

I have a feeling your lowers were old stock and the uppers were new stock. This further supports my thought that they have changed to grease-able within the past 2 years

[adamzan]

You are probably right. Just for the record I bought 3 of mine in august 09 (two uppers one lower) and one lower in may 09. They were all either moog or TRW, I can't remember.

 

It's been 9 months now and my ball joints are still nice and tight. I've put about 15,000kms on the truck since then and I have gone on 4 or 5 wheeling trips. Plus the random playing in the snow. Given the quality of our roads here I am surprised they lasted this long! My drivers side outer TRE is pretty loose right now though...

[fleurys]

I think I might have found what msavides was saying. It does look like federal mogul (owner of moogs), did newer products in 2009 ... read on : http://aftermarketbusiness.search-autoparts.com/aftermarketbusiness/Distribution/Federal-Mogul-continues-MOOG-expansion/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/601463

[msavides]

I think I might have found what msavides was saying. It does look like federal mogul (owner of moogs), did newer products in 2009 ... read on : http://aftermarketbusiness.search-autoparts.com/aftermarketbusiness/Distribution/Federal-Mogul-continues-MOOG-expansion/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/601463

 

 

Good Find!.. That explains a lot. Nice to see companies expanding in these hard economic times.