needs opinion with ball joints and tie rod

fmatt610

fmatt610

New member
i brought my jeep into the dealership and was told that i need alignment. They came back telling me that i need new ball joints and tie rod ends. All for $1800. i laugh at them and said ill do it myself. I have a 2010 JKU stock with after market front and rear bumper with a winch. So my question is that if i replace my ball joints first can i hold off on my tie rod ends or should i replace the tie rod ends the same time. it drive fine except my tires are wearing out fast lol. i was told that you can't replace the passenger side tie rod end so i might go with synergy tie rod with ends but then need wheel spacers due to the backspacing.
 
Ball joints I would look into crown hd or alloy if on a budget. Dynatrac prosteers are by far the best but come with a price.
I'm not sure on the part number for tr ends on drivers side or drag link. Currie has the best tie rod, but comes with a price also.
 
Is the Currie tie rod that much better then Synergy? It's twice the price is why I ask.
 
fmatt610 said:
i brought my jeep into the dealership and was told that i need alignment. They came back telling me that i need new ball joints and tie rod ends. All for $1800. i laugh at them and said ill do it myself. I have a 2010 JKU stock with after market front and rear bumper with a winch. So my question is that if i replace my ball joints first can i hold off on my tie rod ends or should i replace the tie rod ends the same time. it drive fine except my tires are wearing out fast lol. i was told that you can't replace the passenger side tie rod end so i might go with synergy tie rod with ends but then need wheel spacers due to the backspacing.
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Do both while you have it apart, it'll not only reduce your tires wearing out fast but if you only do ball joints and leave the TRE's they will cause the ball joints to also wear out faster.

As mentioned, Crown HD makes a good ball joint, I used Moog on my 2010 and they've held up great.

I have the synergy tie rod and wouldn't recommend it, I'd go with stock.

You can get the Crown passenger outer long end and driver outer end for about $120 or go with mopar parts for $220
 
As mentioned, if you can afford it, a set of Dynatrac ProSteers will be the last set of ball joints you will ever need to get.

As far as tie-rods go, I personally would recommend the Currie as it really is the biggest, beefiest and easiest to adjust one you can get. Yeah, it's pricey but well worth the money. Of the tie-rods I have run, it's the one I chose to buy again when it came time for a new one.
 
Here is a side by side cutaway comparison of a factory TRE and a Currie TRE...

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Factory...
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Currie...
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I think these pics speak for themselves. :yup:
 
Me too! Maybe?

I have an 08JKU w/70k miles, 35" MTR and a 2.5 lift. The steering is loose and the front end easily wanders right or left, doesn't pull like out of alignment but easily picks a grove in the road and stays with it. Any ideas on where to start replacing things would be great, never done it but not afraid to get dirty! Thx!!
 
Jeeper4x4 said:
Me too! Maybe?

I have an 08JKU w/70k miles, 35" MTR and a 2.5 lift. The steering is loose and the front end easily wanders right or left, doesn't pull like out of alignment but easily picks a grove in the road and stays with it. Any ideas on where to start replacing things would be great, never done it but not afraid to get dirty! Thx!!
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Check for wear on ball joints, hubs and other parts before throwing money at it.
 
How do you check for wear on ball joints and tie rod? Sorry if its a dumb question

Sent from my XT907 using WAYALIFE mobile app
 
Jeeper4x4 said:
Me too! Maybe?

I have an 08JKU w/70k miles, 35" MTR and a 2.5 lift. The steering is loose and the front end easily wanders right or left, doesn't pull like out of alignment but easily picks a grove in the road and stays with it. Any ideas on where to start replacing things would be great, never done it but not afraid to get dirty! Thx!!
Click to expand...

Mine is doing the same thing and getting the Death Wobble. My balljoints are shot. Getting new ones this week.


OlllllllO Jk
🇺🇸 🇺🇸
 
Get each tire off the ground about 3" find something to pry up on the tire. Look/listen for play in the joints.
You'll also want to check the bearings by grabbing the tire 9-3 pushing and pulling.
With somebody turning the steering wheel 9-3. A worn Tie rod end will pop up and down.
 
Fwiw, I replaced my stock one with the synergy after I mangled it on some rocks. I bought the synergy because it was what was available at the moment. I've had it about 6 mo. And so far it's great. Definitely has held up better than my stock one.


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Ant's JK said:
How do you check for wear on ball joints and tie rod? Sorry if its a dumb question

Sent from my XT907 using WAYALIFE mobile app
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This is from the Death Wobble FAQ

5. CHECK YOUR BALL JOINTS:
There are two different types of movements you will see in your ball joints, the first is called RADIAL (shifting side to side) and the other is AXIAL (up and down). The amount of radial movement you see should not exceed 0.060" (1.5mm) and axial movement should not exceed 0.050" (1.25mm). Because it doesn't take a whole lot to be off, the best way to measure ball joint play is with a dial indicator. Here are steps you can use to check them:

1. From the axle, use a good floor jack to lift one of your tire off the ground. If you don't have a good floor jack, set your axle on a jack stand to hold it up securely in place.
2. From the side, place a long pry bar under the tire and have someone lift it up and down while you watch the lower ball joint for axial (up and down) movement. Any movement more than 0.050" is too much and would indicate that your ball joint is bad. Of course, if you can see this movement with your eyes, it's definitely bad.
3. Next, grab the tire at the 12 and 6 o'clock position and try to rock it back and forth while you have someone watch the upper joint for any movement. Any radial (side-to-side) movement more than 0.060" is too much. Again, if you can see the movement with your eyes and without any dial indicator, it's probably bad as well.

If they check out, I would check your unit bearings as well.
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http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?...s-What-it-isn-t-and-What-You-Can-Do-to-Fix-it
 
Tie Rod

I ended up going with a ruff stuff specialties tie rod. It uses offset GM 1 Ton TRE's and .25" wall DOM tube. It's extremely stout and very affordable at $135. It does require some welding, but if you can do it, or a buddy can do it on the cheap it's a good deal.
 
wayoflife said:
Here is a side by side cutaway comparison of a factory TRE and a Currie TRE...

main.php


Factory...
main.php


Currie...
main.php


I think these pics speak for themselves. :yup:
Click to expand...

HOLY HELL! i had no idea there was that big of a difference in the joints! well it looks like im getting currie TR when i need it.
 
wayoflife said:
As mentioned, if you can afford it, a set of Dynatrac ProSteers will be the last set of ball joints you will ever need to get.

As far as tie-rods go, I personally would recommend the Currie as it really is the biggest, beefiest and easiest to adjust one you can get. Yeah, it's pricey but well worth the money. Of the tie-rods I have run, it's the one I chose to buy again when it came time for a new one.
Click to expand...
Well ordering mine up as we speak!!! Bent it pretty good out on the Trail. Thank good no death wobble coming home!
 
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