Ball Joints

[Twista]

So my passenger side ball joint is making noises. I have Steeda X2 aftermarket balljoints currently installed. I was told people have lowered cars with stock height ball joints.

Im wondering can i take my car to a shop and get some stock ball joints installed?



Will it cause any problems going back to stock ball joints?


Thanks

edit: Just so you know. I had my car checked out a performance shop and my front suspension is TIGHT!, but my ball joints are making noises. So im going to replace them. Another pair of Steeda X2's cost 147 which is too much. I heard people saying there lowered cars have stock ball joints, so im going back to stock.

 

[ReplicaR]

That all depends on a few things.

Do you have conventional location springs? Are you running a spring spacer wtih your X2 ball joints?

Or, are you running a coil over setup?

 

[Twista]

That all depends on a few things.

Do you have conventional location springs? Are you running a spring spacer wtih your X2 ball joints?

Or, are you running a coil over setup?

Do you have conventional location springs? = No idea what thing means.. :tard: I have Eibach Pro-kit lowering springs

Are you running a spring spacer wtih your X2 ball joints? = No idea. I'll contact the previous owner and find out.

 

[ReplicaR]

The whole reason why I was asking those questions is because X2 ball joints are designed to compensate for screwed up geometry by putting more space between the control arm and the strut. However, in order for them to do that, you have to either run coil-over setup, or there has to be a spacer above the spring in the stock location. If you don't have either one of those, then X2 ball joint does absolutely nothing. If that's the case, you might as well go with stock ball joints, since they are cheaper.

 

[OnyxCobra]

I left the spring spacer out when I installed my X2s to compensate for the raise you get from the 03 Cobra A arms. Bumpsteer is pretty bad though.

 

[Twista]

My bumpsteer is freaking terrible.. im hoping its because of the squeaky balljoint, but i doubt it.

I kind of hope the previous owner didn't install the spacers. That way i can just have stock ball joints installed and be done with it.

However, SVTP forums been down all day so i cant message him. SIGH.. i hate downtime on forums.

I let you guys know whenever SVTP comes up again.

Is there anyway i can see/tell by removing the wheel or would i have to remove the spring to find out?

 

[Win]

I left the spring spacer out when I installed my X2s to compensate for the raise you get from the 03 Cobra A arms. Bumpsteer is pretty bad though.

But you don't get a raise from the 03 Cobra A arms

To the OP at this point you would be just fine with the Moog set of ball joints.

 

[ReplicaR]

Is there anyway i can see/tell by removing the wheel or would i have to remove the spring to find out?

Take the wheel off, and see if there is a metal spacer on top, between spring and chassis. Do not confuse rubber isolator for the spacer. That's not what I'm talking about.

 

[Twista]

Is there anyway i can see/tell by removing the wheel or would i have to remove the spring to find out?

Take the wheel off, and see if there is a metal spacer on top, between spring and chassis. Do not confuse rubber isolator for the spacer. That's not what I'm talking about.

Do i have to jack up both sides of the car to unload the front or is it okay to jack 1 side?

I talked to the previous owner and hes not aware of any spacers needed for the X2 and he didn't install them. So im guessing thats a big NO.. there not on my car. But i wanna be sure.

 

[OnyxCobra]

I left the spring spacer out when I installed my X2s to compensate for the raise you get from the 03 Cobra A arms. Bumpsteer is pretty bad though.

But you don't get a raise from the 03 Cobra A arms

I'm pretty sure you do man.

 

[ReplicaR]

If that's the case, then get regular ball joints, and don't look back. All your X2 ball joints were doing for in this case is lowering the front by 5/8th of an inch.

 

[Twista]

I looked for this and didnt see it :headbang: But damn i like how my front sits lol.

 

[Win]

I left the spring spacer out when I installed my X2s to compensate for the raise you get from the 03 Cobra A arms. Bumpsteer is pretty bad though.

But you don't get a raise from the 03 Cobra A arms

I'm pretty sure you do man.

There have been Numerous threads on this on almost every forum. You don't get a raise. It is just putting it back to a stock height when everything was new. Your replacing worn out parts with new parts.

 

[OnyxCobra]

I disagree. I've seen several pics on here of cars with Cobra A arms with nothing else modified and their fronts are sitting higher than the rear. Also I installed mine with X2 ball joints. I left the spring spacer out which means my front end should be lower than it was with the stock A arms and stock ball joints but it's not lower which leads me to think leaving the spacer out canceled out the rise I would have gotten from the Cobra arms. Just what I'm thinking. Worn out parts or not it wouldn't lift the front of your car up.

 

[ReplicaR]

Actually, that's not quite true. When I replaced bushings on the VW i used to have, I've got a solid 1 inch bump in ride height in the front. Granted it was a different car, and the bushings were destroyed to say the least, but still the bushings count for a lot especially when the spring is on the control arm, rather than the strut.

 

[OnyxCobra]

I see what you're saying but I can't see bushings making a car sit nose high when they wouldn't on factory arms.

 

[ReplicaR]

That's true.

 

[Win]

But we only replace the front stuff not all the rear stuff. The majority of people only replace springs. Not Springs and shocks. So i can see it sitting nose high.

 

[OnyxCobra]

People do control arms in the rear all the time. I'm not buying the worn bushings thing lol.

 

[Win]

People do control arms in the rear all the time. I'm not buying the worn bushings thing lol.

I'm just going off numerous threads on SVTP, Corral and others.