highandlow

Fair enough, I guess that's about twice a year. I just wish I had more time to go! Hell, I barley have time to give it maintenance anymore.

I really do think the geo brackets have been part of the reason.
So back to tho OP's topic. Are the Synergy's a bad choice, or is it luck of the draw like the stock?
What about USA Alloy?

lkjk

I just put synergy bjs on so I'm hoping youre all wrong lol...I will say they feel insanely stiff right now and if they don't loosen up, which most people claim they do, I'm already disappointed. I do have other synergy stuff that is great so I'm keeping the faith.

highandlow

Same here. DL, Tie Rod and 3'5" springs. All good, sturdy equipment. I have read threads about them being very stiff for the first few months.

resharp001

In all honesty, I think the Synergy, Alloy, Tereflex, and Moog are all probably about the same, and all of which are better than the factory (decent with a few misses along the way). The main problem is all the manufacturers are handcuffed by the limited physical space in the D30/44 axle. The step up to the next alternatives (Dynatracs or Rare Parts) is a BIG financial jump that doesn’t make sense for many people. The big X factors in everyone’s experience are also correct geometry as you hint at (be it with brackets or adjustable arms), wheelin’ styles, and tires which makes a lot of apples to apples comparisons here on the boards difficult. In general, if you have Synergies on hand, I don’t think there’s a reason to read things like this thread and freak out and go get something different. I think what is important regardless of what brand you have, is that you periodically check them for play and address any issues as soon as they appear.

In my particular case, I did an axle swap with a crated rubi D44. Before installation, I pulled out the factory BJs and replaced with Synergy joints. 6-7 months later those were bad. Synergy was pleasant to deal with, sent me a new set promptly under warranty. I pulled the bad synergy’s out of the axle, and upon opening the box for the replacements, noticed one was really loose from the get go. I really had no choice at time but to install them anyhow since I needed the jeep to get to work. Sure enough, installed and tested. The one side was crap right out of the box. Now, you can chalk that up to bad luck or what not. I would imagine that any manufacturer that produces enough product could have something slip by. Contacted Synergy again to deal with the new defective joints. Again they were pleasant and offered to either refund or replace them. I was now set to install BJs for the 3rd time in 7 months. I really did not want to face the prospect of a 4th time, so I opted to go with Dynatracs. Rare Parts at that point were not an option since I’d started down the knurled pathway.

Don’t worry about the steering being tight. They will loosen up in time. It definitely is a concerning feeling if you aren’t expecting it. Most people say 500 miles or so. I recall my first set taking more like 1k – 1500 miles to feel comfortable. I might be the only person that experienced this, but I even had tight steering after installing my Dynatracs. Most people say their Dynatracs are fine right from the get go. I've always suspected that having the knurled version of those might have made a little difference in tightness/break-in.

highandlow

Well put, and informative. Thank you.

urmyboyblue

Definitely not trying to freak people out. Really wanting to see people's experiences with their warranty. I too run their DL and soon tie rod.

Good news is they are sending out new ball joints arriving Friday. So we will see!

ibjeepr

Well my stock BJs finally failed at about 75k. I can't do the work myself so I really don't want to have to deal with it again any time soon due to the expense of the install labor ($450). I plan to step up to 35's but only run them in the summer. I've only gone off-road 2 weekends since buying the Jeep in '08 but plan to go more.
I planned to get Synergies but, like I said, risking doing this again soon isn't really an option.
What route do you think I should go?
Also, any recommendation for an affordable ship on the Madison, Wi area?

resharp001

They're charging $450 in labor to do ball joints up there? That seems really high. I would think more like $200-$250. If you got 75k miles out of your factory BJs, and you don't wheel much, anything is going to be better than what you had. It really doesn't make any sense for you to pay up for Duratracs or Rare Parts joints due to their cost and your application. The one thing I would suggest is to look for something that comes in a non-knurled version. I don't have experience with them nor know anyone running them personally, but it seems like there are some good comments about the Tereflex joints, and it looks like Northridge4x4 sells a non-knurled version. Once you put in a knurled joint, knowingly or unknowingly, you will be heading down the knurled path for any future replacements. That may or may not matter to you. I would have preferred to have stayed non-knurled.

ibjeepr

Yeah, been checking out the Teraflex (3442002) and that is the direction I leaning now since reading through the tread.
Are you saying $200-$250 per side or total? This was $450 total which seemed high but it's a shop that I always go to and is usually pretty affordable so I assumed that was typical.

resharp001

I'd never paid to have them done, but it seems like I've read others in the past saying $200-$250 total. For a normal Joe to do it at home, in a garage, with hand tools and floor jacks, it's a solid 3-4 hr job (There are little things that eat up time working at home....jacking up jeep, supporting it, working in less than ideal positions, getting up to get hat tool you forgot, getting a fresh cold beer.....things that are a lot easier if you had a lift in a shop). For a shop, with a lift, that does this kinda work all the time, I'd think maybe 2 - 2.5 hrs? That seems to make a lot more sense when considering labor rate per hour. IDK....maybe others will chime in. Seems really high though.