How many miles on your OE ball joints? Having read all the horror stories about them when I bought my JK new in 2011, I just knew I'd have to replace them sooner than later but.....122,000 and still going! Admittedly, I only go offroad a few times a year but when I do its more than driving down a dirt road. And, lately I'm getting an occasional wobble that tells me they may be on their last leg but hey, I've gotten my moneys worth! What about you?

 

I had 90,000 miles on my first set when I replaced them with Crowns. Those OEMs were shot and probably had been for a while. Just didn't know it until we actually pulled them out and checked them. The Crowns went 30,000 miles. I bet you that your OEM joints are gone and if you pull them you'll be surprised how much play they have developed. I'm now running Synergys--highly recommend. Just be sure to grease regularly.

 

I hear you Mark, they are on the short list for sure. I've been looking at the Alloy USA but I figure you probably can't go wrong with any of the top three (Alloy, Synergy, Teraflex). Definitely not spending the $$ on rebuildable like Dynatrac or RareParts.

 

It all depends on the size of your tires in regards to the life of the OEM ball joints. I was on stock size tires until 100K miles ball joints seemed fine, and then went to 35s. At about 135K miles I noticed a clunking when steering and replaced with the TF ball joints.

 

Too variable, but if you rock crawl it or start bouncing off rocks...they'll fail pretty immediately. Mine lasted maybe 30k miles? The first 30k miles. First trip out following rigs on 37's and 40's...and the lowers were completely shot.

Then my Teraflex ball joints failed after 6 months. Now on the Rare Parts...and holding strong.

If you don't plan on beating the Jeep too hard, the Synergy or Teraflex ball joints will do you fine...especially with their warranties. If you beat on the Jeep and plan on wheeling it hard...save your money and time and buy the Rare Parts ball joints. I've never run the Dynatracs, but resharp has, and if I remember correctly they don't last...and the rebuild kits cost as much as a new set of Synergy/Tera BJs. Ball joints are not a difficult job, but it's not something you want to deal with replacing every few months either.

 

I almost immediately after purchase went with a much heavier 265 70 17 (I have a Sport that came with 225 75 16). For the past two years I've been running 285 70 17s, heavier still.

 

Yeah, tire size certainly plays a role in ball joint life. It ultimately comes down to driving style, and off-road usage. You could blow the ball joints on a completely stock Jeep by simply driving down a fire trail/dirt road too fast and hitting ruts/potholes.

Smart driving can really prolong the life of the stockers, as evident by you, Mark, and Rednroll's mileage.

 

I put the Teraflex in when I did the axle swap at 50K, so far so good for daily use with my wife driving it. The factory was already destroyed when I changed, without much time on the trail... But we will see when I get home and start wheeling on them with the 37's and lockers on the rocks. I figure if they fail, I'm going to go to either the Rare parts, or Dynatrac

 

Skip Dynatrac for reasons listed above. @resharp001 can tell you more.

Go Rare Parts.

 

No need to go Alloy, I had a set on a TJ (daily driver on 35's, no rocks) and they didn't last long. Synergy lasted a decent while on the JK (after stock lasted 120k) and now I'm running TF as the synergy died. TF has a lifetime warranty, that's why I chose them over another brand. Northridge had the best price by a good chunk.