Alternatives to OEM Balljoints for front LCA? - Page 2 - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

Joesurf79 · 10-14-2017, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by H1C

Racer X makes a re-grease-able replacement for the OEM ball joint:

http://racerxfabrication.com/frs-brz...er-ball-joints

It might seem pricey for a ball joint, but it also seems like it'll last a lot longer than the OEM one. I have these on my Racer X LCAs, and am happy with them so far.

I thought that they would last longer than the factory ones, especially keeping them greased up with the Zirc fitting, but my racer X ball joints only lasted 12k miles. Half of that was track use, but still - I was under the impression that they would last significantly longer than the 10K miles I got from the stockers...

H1C · 10-14-2017, 01:21 PM

What symptoms are they having, or did they have, before they went? Did you use them in the OEM LCAs?

I've had mine in Racer-X's aluminum LCAs for ~1.5 years and ~12k - 14k miles; a combination of DD, a lot of auto-x's and a couple of track days. In the past few months, I've noticed that I can cause a little vertical play in them, when the car's on jackstands, that I don't remember them having before. I'm not sure though -- they might have always been like that. When driving, there doesn't seem to be any unwanted movement -- no dynamic alignment changes due to them.

I'm keeping a close eye on them and plan to send them back to Racer-X for inspection/replacement when the auto-x season is over.

Did yours give out catastrophically? Or did they just develop such noticeable play that you had to replace them?

Sorry to hear that yours only lasted 12k miles. I was hoping that these would be a long-lasting replacement for the OEM ones, since they seem to be one of the few, if not the only, available alternatives.

kingkenny · 10-15-2017, 05:07 AM

I had MoonFace extened ball joint , they remove camber and pull the wheel hub closer to the wheel wall , change ride height too ...After some suspension setup dail in again , they feel great but worn less than 10000km and just barely a year , 10+ track day + a dozen autoX + a few drift .

Because I think that might be a quality issue , I try Buddy Club this time . After install , although they look similar size to MoonFace , it actually longer . Rasie my heigh , further remove camber , pull wheel hub even closer , reset ride heigh drop it further and alignment a few time and finally get the car perform like it was ... Another issue was fund , the LCA rubbing on rotor .

I would say this now , go for oem length like racer X ball joint . Extended ball joint create all kind of issue for a little to nothing gain in performance . Not worth it .

kingkenny · 10-15-2017, 05:24 AM

The above picture , LCA rubbing mark on the rotor ...

I will try drop the front further , or just grind LCA a bit to get it sort . I never do a extended ball joint again for the trouble it cause .

ARTsBRZ · 07-10-2018, 04:08 PM

Did you ever figure out a solution to the extended ball joints?

10-14-2017, 01:21 PM	#16
H1C Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2015 Drives: 2014 FR-S MT Location: metro-Atlanta area Posts: 126 Thanks: 131 Thanked 80 Times in 48 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	What symptoms are they having, or did they have, before they went? Did you use them in the OEM LCAs? I've had mine in Racer-X's aluminum LCAs for ~1.5 years and ~12k - 14k miles; a combination of DD, a lot of auto-x's and a couple of track days. In the past few months, I've noticed that I can cause a little vertical play in them, when the car's on jackstands, that I don't remember them having before. I'm not sure though -- they might have always been like that. When driving, there doesn't seem to be any unwanted movement -- no dynamic alignment changes due to them. I'm keeping a close eye on them and plan to send them back to Racer-X for inspection/replacement when the auto-x season is over. Did yours give out catastrophically? Or did they just develop such noticeable play that you had to replace them? Sorry to hear that yours only lasted 12k miles. I was hoping that these would be a long-lasting replacement for the OEM ones, since they seem to be one of the few, if not the only, available alternatives. Last edited by H1C; 10-14-2017 at 01:31 PM.

10-15-2017, 05:07 AM	#17
kingkenny Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Drives: 2014 Toyota GT86 Location: Duabi , U.A.E Posts: 64 Thanks: 34 Thanked 23 Times in 18 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	I had MoonFace extened ball joint , they remove camber and pull the wheel hub closer to the wheel wall , change ride height too ...After some suspension setup dail in again , they feel great but worn less than 10000km and just barely a year , 10+ track day + a dozen autoX + a few drift . Because I think that might be a quality issue , I try Buddy Club this time . After install , although they look similar size to MoonFace , it actually longer . Rasie my heigh , further remove camber , pull wheel hub even closer , reset ride heigh drop it further and alignment a few time and finally get the car perform like it was ... Another issue was fund , the LCA rubbing on rotor . I would say this now , go for oem length like racer X ball joint . Extended ball joint create all kind of issue for a little to nothing gain in performance . Not worth it . Attached Images Last edited by kingkenny; 10-15-2017 at 05:22 AM.

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10-15-2017, 05:24 AM	#18
kingkenny Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Drives: 2014 Toyota GT86 Location: Duabi , U.A.E Posts: 64 Thanks: 34 Thanked 23 Times in 18 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	The above picture , LCA rubbing mark on the rotor ... I will try drop the front further , or just grind LCA a bit to get it sort . I never do a extended ball joint again for the trouble it cause .

07-10-2018, 04:08 PM	#19
ARTsBRZ Junior Member Join Date: Apr 2015 Drives: 2013 SWP BRZ Location: CA Posts: 3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Mentioned: 0 Post(s) Tagged: 0 Thread(s)	Did you ever figure out a solution to the extended ball joints?

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