Do i really need extended ball joints?

[red89yj]

Hey everyone- This is my first post on here as I have just became the owner of a 94 GT coupe w. the t5. Everything about it is awesome EXCEPT the worn balljoints. Before I got the car, I was driving an 89 jeep wrangler w. a solid front axle and a lifted suspension; Now, Im in an IFS sports car that has been lowered by the previous owner with the Eibach ProKit (1.5 " drop)

Now that I have to replace the balljoints- Does a 1.5" drop warrant the use of an extended balljoint like a steeda x2 or a Ford Racing extended ball joint? is 1.5 considdered a BIG DROP like I see people talking about on here? For arguments sake, lets say that I have a 1.25-1.5" drop (just b/c i didnt install the kit and measure before and after)

Right now I have the stock ones on it but they are shot to hell and MUST be replaced-

I have the press and everything to do a the swap, but I am also considering the cobra control arms to make it easier-

What should I do to get the best results out of this upgrade/repair? FWIW, I Will be running 18x10 rear / 18x9 front wheels in the spring just in case that info is needed if rubbing is an issue with this sort of decision.

Thanks in advance everyone- Im looking forward to being a part of this community for the years to come.

Rich-
Long Island, NY

 

[1TallMF]

Welcome to the best section of :SNSign:

To be honest I don't recall anyone on here ever talking about the extended balljoints. They don't seem to be a very popular upgrade around here. The Cobra arms however do offer some good advantages, not only for the better ball joints but for their improved geometry and stiffer bushings. My car is dropped 2" and I still run factory-style (replacement) ball joints with no issues. This is one of the few topics I haven't read much about so I'll leave it to anyone else who has more knowledge of the subject.

 

[bso]

You will need spring spacers as well or else you will drop another .5 inch. Things to check if you need them is the position of your outer tie rods vs. the angle of the lower control arm. The ball joints are also meant to work with the bumpsteer kit to get the most out of your suspension for steering.

 

[trav_19]

if you road race your car then the longer ball joints might be a option, for everyday driving its not necessary unless you like spending money you wont notice

 

[95BLKGT5.0]

Just get the Cobra A arms.

 

[Yobi1Kanobi]

welcome to the 94-95 club

 

[GTA_V6_Mustang]

Welcome to the club:SNSign:

 

[red89yj]

thanks for the welcome and the other replies- I think im going to get the cobra arms bc i want to replace all of the front end bushings anyway so that will kill a bunch of birds with one stone.

 

[AaronG]

FWIW, I've got the Steeda X2 balljoints combined with their bumpsteer kit with 275 mm tires up front and my bumpsteer is very minimal. I could type out a big long explanation of how these components work together, but Steeda explains it on their website. Basically, I can't compare what I have now to anything because I went from completely stock suspension to what I have now. I just wanted to do everything correctly... bottom line, anytime you lower your car, you are altering the geometry of the suspension, I just wanted everythingthign on the car to be correct so I didn't place any unwanted wear on any components. My .02.

 

[bimmertech]

fwiw i did not go the route of the extendo balljoint, but the theory behind it is very sound.

mustangs already have a very low front roll center and lower the car even more makes it worse. the deal with the ball joints is to raise the front roll center back up.

the price is very good on the 03 arms is the reason you see so many people use them. i had a set on my car for a while, and when i was putting them on and compared them to stock arms the visual difference was very hard to see.

my stuff was not worn out, just had miles and i'm crazy like that. after the 03 arms were installed i had a very hard time noticing any kind of difference. i would imagine you would see a bigger diff with the X2's and a set of poly bushings in your stock arms.

good luck and welcome.

 

[Engel]

apparently the a-arms are on some "nationwide backorder"

Ive been waiting for mine over a month

 

[94-302-vert]

oemfordparts.com has them.. I ordered mine and got them in less than a week... They came in on Tuesday...

 

[red89yj]

fwiw i did not go the route of the extendo balljoint, but the theory behind it is very sound.

mustangs already have a very low front roll center and lower the car even more makes it worse. the deal with the ball joints is to raise the front roll center back up.

the price is very good on the 03 arms is the reason you see so many people use them. i had a set on my car for a while, and when i was putting them on and compared them to stock arms the visual difference was very hard to see.

my stuff was not worn out, just had miles and i'm crazy like that. after the 03 arms were installed i had a very hard time noticing any kind of difference. i would imagine you would see a bigger diff with the X2's and a set of poly bushings in your stock arms.

good luck and welcome.

what about this talk about better turn radius and stuff like that with the arms? is that one of the things that isnt really noticeable?

 

[bimmertech]

what about this talk about better turn radius and stuff like that with the arms? is that one of the things that isnt really noticeable?

the control arm has a slightly bigger notch in the front to allow a bigger wheel/tire combo. it is very hard to see and you will prolly never see the benefit from it.

i chose the 03 arms mainly due to price and the reduced down time, and i replaced them due to the fact that i wanted to spend money on something that actually did something for my car.

do the ball joints, and put some polly bushings in your arms if you have the time/tools.

 

[red89yj]

I just greased both ball joints today and now its not squeaking at all anymore- Im going to stick with that for a while til they start bothering me again. total cost was $13.00 for the new gun w. the syringe and the marine grease i used (mainly for the better water resistance) The shop local to me had the control arms for 185.00 I almost picked them up today but I just had to try this first. Ill figure out a better solution when i have more money to play with down the road.

Thanks for all the help guys-