My wheels are aftermarket, not sure of the offset but they are 18" Helo Maxx wheels. I have installed 2 upper ball joints on the driver side and I have done 1 (about to do another) on the passenger side. Would going back to stock wheels help?

 

Hard to say if your specific wheels are a problem, but generally speaking if a wheel is wider or is offset further away from the ball joints, it will apply more leverage to the joints and wear them out a lot faster.

 

What ball joints are you using?

 

Sorry for the late reply....

Moog, I know a lot of people have had issues with them and have recommended not using them but some people have had decent luck with them as well. I liked the lifetime warranty they had....

 

Moog ball joints are terrible because the "ball" is not round. It's simply forged and approximately round, but not machined. Consequently, they bind and gall. The upper ones are not ball joints at all, but just a shaft in a bushing. This all leads to poor handling and early wear.

Offset wheels will put more strain on ball joints, but I don't think it's a problem. Just get a good set and all is well. It's no worse than driving a stock truck harder or a stock truck carrying more weight. I went to Dynatrac joints and the truck has never handled better. This was after a set of Moogs that were terrible.

To see some Moog joints dissected, see my thread with pictures titled "Moog ball joint pictures" in the 3rd gen engine and drivetrain section from a couple of months ago.

 

What makes me skeptical on the dynatrac's is the warranty. I haven't seen anything that shows that they have a warranty. Do you know whether they do or not? I'd just hate to spend that kind of money and them go out because I have an underlyin' issue.......

 

get either of these

http://www.thecarlisuspension.com/do...nts/index.html

http://www.thetireclub.com/item.wws?...60&safe=active

 

I bought these today http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=180553677510 notice that they are $14 cheaper on eBay than in the store and still ship free. I paid using PayPal and my order is already verfiably in transit with Fed Ex.....now that's good service!

 

If you are looking for an alternative to the insanely priced Dynatracs or Carlys, I recommend you try the Raybestos/Spicer chassis ball joints. I switched away Moog 16 years ago and never looked back. Moog is the same old skool 40's technology.

You can get them at NAPA (Premium Chassis Line) and some other independent auto parts shops labeled as Raybestos Chassis.

This is what I'll be installing on mine in the near future.