I’m in the process of purchasing all the front ball joints/outer tie rods so I can get them all replaced before my buddy will do the front-end alignment. Everything is worn out, and with a roughly 2-inch drop on GC coilovers…I’m buying new tires every 2-3 months which is ridiculous. Gotta fix this problem quickly.
Anyways, I have a new set of lower ball joints and a new set of outer tie rods(autozone, duralast life-time warranty). I only have two parts stores in my area and they both are limited on upper ball joint options. Basically there’s only one I can choose…the big/hideous/adjustable ones that are known to hit the fenderwell. Don’t want that headache.
My buddy says I’ll need to buy the adjustable upper control arms, but with so many mixed reviews/opinions via the search button and via google…I can’t tell who makes a reasonably priced kit that will install and work without issues.
I do have one of those camber kits that replace the upper control arm bolts, so I can go with Plan B of just replacing the oem ball joints and keeping me oem control arms. Either option would work for me…just not sure if I’m better off with that camber kit, or adjustable control arms. Could use some opinions on this as well.
So if you know someone that sells regular 'ol upper ball joints, or a good tried/true set of upper adjustable control arms for my '91 DB1…please post links/brand names/prices.
the rapid tire wear could be in most part due to the alignment being out of spec. either way you might have some clearance issues with either camber kit you go with. i personally used the ingalls kit which replaced the anchor bolts and discovered that when adjusted properly the outter ridge of the arm , where the ball joints sits, was rubbing to the point where it was folding the ridge down. i got the ingalls because its what “all my friends had” and soon discovered that they are really a pian in the ass to adjust properly because they allow individual movement on both sides of the arm, which makes it hard to adjust easily. i didnt agree with that situation and picked up the SPC ball joint kit as soon as i could. although the upper bolt its quiet bulky it does not hit every shock tower on every car. it jus depends on exactly how low the car sits and the amount of negative camber you need to correct. and most of all how you drive the car over rough roads. the more you compress the suspension the more chance you have of hitting the shock tower. i currently have the Ingalls anchor kit and the SPC ball joint kit on my car. im lowered about 4 or 4.5 inches and have my camber set to -0.8* the SPC does hit once in a while buts not some huge dent that im going to get docked show points for ya know what im sayin. some people get crazy and drill out a 2.0" hole for clearance, but all you really need to do is enlarge the oem hole by about 0.5" if you want to allow full travel of the arm.
I’ve heard people say that it’s my toe being out of spec…but I can’t quite understand how that would cause serious negative camber wear. I can get approximately 2k miles out of a set of tires before I have to rotate them to the rear. Anything more than that, and I’ll be seeing steel belt. That tells me the wheel is tilted in at the top…negative camber.
The SPC ball joint kit sounds a lot like what Autozone and Orielys has to offer. An adjustable ball joint, 1-2 degrees either way, with a stud/nut that sticks out of the top. They’re 55.99 a piece and don’t offer much adjustment at all, so I returned them earlier today.
Several other people have told me that I need to get the adjustable upper control arms, but no one can tell me who makes a set that is reliable and reasonably priced.
EDIT: Some say that these eBay adjustable upper control arms work great…true or false? Low price could mean low quality…but on the other hand they look exactly like the REVO kits.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Or-Upper-Control-Arm-Front-Camber-Kit-Integra-90-93-DA6_W0QQitemZ280322354732QQihZ018QQcategoryZ33583QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
If you’re only about 2 inch drop then the A-arm type camber kits will do the job. If you don’t want to spend much… you can go with the Rhino’s or Revo A-arms. If not, you can get the new Skunk2 arms that’s supposedly better in quality than both of the other A-arms. and they come with replacement ball joints just in case you need one. The one you pictured from ebay is what I have except mine are the Rhino brand. With those ebay ones, you should change it to higher grade nuts and bolts and also make sure you grease the boot and ball joint before install. One major problem about those ebay ones is that some you will need to grind the sides off a lil bit cuz they tend to rub against the inside of the fender, other than that, it holds up pretty good.
Funny how you’re going through tires at 2k miles… it’s probably your toe that is out of whack, not camber. You say you’re seeing inner tire wear but maybe it’s from all your worn out ball joints and bushings not keeping the tire planted on the ground.
My car is 3+ inches lowered and haven’t had camber wear cuz my toe is at 0. Replace all your joints and bushings and set your toe to zero and see what happens…
I did some research on the Rhino kits…apparently they are made at the same factory as the REVO kits, and both have resulted in tons of negative reviews. Most people are complaining about having to grind them down, the rest are complaining about the ball joints going bad within 3k miles of normal daily driving.
As for the Skunk2 control arms, they’re a lot more expensive and have just as many bad reviews.
Finding a decent set of upper control arms is beginning to be a pain in the ass.
there are mainly three angles when it comes to alignment. caster, camber & toe. caster does not wear tires but camber and toe will shread rubber really fast if they are out of hand. you were asking about ball joints and control arms so that why i began talking about camber. the SPC kit will give you all the adjustment you will ever need if you only have a 2" drop. 1-2 degrees does not sound like much but in terms of camber it is very common. dont wast your time with ebay arms and junk like that, you have to put in more work and money to get them to function correctly when you can just do it right the first time and use the SPC. i cant tell you how many of the SoCal guys have switched out from the Ingalls to the SPC. your car already has oem toe adjustment which you will see when you change the outter tie rods. get your ball joints and tie rods replaced, get a four wheel alignment and check your air pressure and you will be hated by all tire salesmen in your area cause you wont have to see them anymore…
i have the spc 3* adjustable balljoints and have no complaints. im dropped 3-3.5" and after you hit a couple good holes they’ll make a dent and thats the end of it.
Is there a recommended place to get these SPC ball joints?
local tuner shop. online. search for the cheapest place to get them.