Do i really need extended ball joints?

R

red89yj

New Member

Mar 13, 2007

45

0

0

Mar 21, 2007

#1

• Mar 21, 2007

• #1

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

New Member

Apr 17, 2006

955

1

0

Montreal

Mar 21, 2007

#2

• Mar 21, 2007

• #2

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

New Member

May 19, 2005

46

0

0

Mar 21, 2007

#3

• Mar 21, 2007

• #3

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

New Member

Oct 29, 2006

810

0

0

Jackson, MI

Mar 22, 2007

#4

• Mar 22, 2007

• #4

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

Founding Member

Mar 18, 2002

608

0

16

Auburn Washington

Mar 22, 2007

#5

• Mar 22, 2007

• #5

Just get the Cobra A arms.

 

Yobi1Kanobi

Member

Apr 9, 2003

559

0

16

Mar 22, 2007

#6

• Mar 22, 2007

• #6

welcome to the 94-95 club

 

GTA_V6_Mustang

Active Member

Nov 29, 2004

1,326

3

39

Miami, FL

Mar 22, 2007

#7

• Mar 22, 2007

• #7

Welcome to the club:SNSign:

 

R

red89yj

New Member

Mar 13, 2007

45

0

0

Mar 22, 2007

#8

• Mar 22, 2007

• #8

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

New Member

Jun 25, 2003

47

0

0

Mar 22, 2007

#9

• Mar 22, 2007

• #9

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.

 

B

bimmertech

New Member

May 3, 2005

1,123

0

0

merriam, ks

Mar 22, 2007

#10

• Mar 22, 2007

• #10

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

Member

Apr 2, 2005

219

0

16

Currently Fort Walton Beach

Mar 22, 2007

#11

• Mar 22, 2007

• #11

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

Ive been waiting for mine over a month

 

94-302-vert

Active Member

Aug 16, 2004

1,947

2

36

NE CT

Mar 23, 2007

#12

• Mar 23, 2007

• #12

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

 

R

red89yj

New Member

Mar 13, 2007

45

0

0

Mar 23, 2007

#13

• Mar 23, 2007

• #13

bimmertech said:

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.

Click to expand...

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?

 

B

bimmertech

New Member

May 3, 2005

1,123

0

0

merriam, ks

Mar 24, 2007

#14

• Mar 24, 2007

• #14

red89yj said:

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?

Click to expand...

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.

 

R

red89yj

New Member

Mar 13, 2007

45

0

0

Mar 24, 2007

#15

• Mar 24, 2007

• #15

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-