HG07JKRubi

Had my JK in the shop for brakes and to diagnose some noise (grinding/squeaking) coming from the front suspension/axle area. It turns out both U joints are shot (one missing a cap) and all 4 ball joints have excessive play and need to be replaced. Damn !!! I'm actually glad I brought it in when I did cause I was planning on off-roading it next week and now I may have avoided some trail carnage by getting this taken care off right away.

Has anyone had any luck with aftermarket u-joints and/or ball joints that may be a little more durable than OEM? I only have 49K on the JK but has been used off road since I bought it 3 years ago. I'm kind of surprised these parts went so early . After searching the topic it seems others have had trouble with these parts failing as well.

Is this wear/tear more a function of off-roading or modifications or a combination of the two ? My jeep-friendly mechanic explained scrub radius to me a few years ago when he did the lift/wheels/tires and said these mods can cause accelerated wear on these joints. I guess I'm seeing the results of that now.

Time to open up the wallet again

scootrrydr

50k miles will do that to ball joints on a lifted rig....
yep, join the club on opening up the wallet....I just did it last week.

ronjenx

Right now, the best ball joints seem to be the rugged and rebuildable ProSteer joints. They are quite expensive, though.

Go here to see how the OEM ball joints are made:
https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/stock-jk-tech-12/oem-ball-joint-study-results-116058/

HG07JKRubi

Interesting pics... I can't wait to see the condition of those ball joints (especially the plastic) when mine are removed.

Hellbound13

Why are the crowns lower quality? Aren't they the same as OEM?

MTPOCKETS

Sorry to hijack but how much did it cost you to get this done?

Piginajeep

I thought they were the same as well, Just picked up a set from 4wd,

Hellbound13

Well after these crowns go, I will be picking up dynas. I am tired of replacing balljoints. Two sets in 26k, on a non lifted rig.

RCJeeper

I have a pretty good shimmy in the steering wheel and just did the ball joint check. Yup, there was a good bit of play in them. wasn't able to measure and the wife was not all that excited about levering the tire up and down. I just ordered some of the crowns. Dang, i hope it cures the shimmy.

Dynatrac

The ProSteers have only been out a few weeks but we've already had some great feedback. Customers have told us that their steering wheel shimmy is gone and the whole front end feels much tighter and stable. Yes, they are expensive but they will be the last set you you ever need to buy.