Post alignment readings:

Camber on left front: -.60
Camber on right front: +.84


Before alignment readings were:

Camber on left front -.56
Camber on right front: +.64


The Jeep has just over 2,300 miles on it, 1,500 of which with 35's. I'd say 800 of the miles traveled with 35's were without gussets. No offroading, I flexed the suspension twice, once in a ditch and once on a downed tree in my backyard. Is it possible my ball joints are already worn out? Or is it more likely I've bent a C?

 

It doesn't take much to bend those knuckles.... I can't hardly believe that they're still putting them on the JK.... I bent the ones on my last jeep after one trip to some fire roads with stock wheels and tires...

That said... The act of welding on gussets CAN ruine the ball joints... they have plastic componants in them which can melt if a welder isn't VERY careful..

 

Your before readings aren't really that bad. A half degree is not a big deal. I know camber will change some when toe is set but to change almost a quarter of a degree is quit a lot. So either your toe was out a whole lot or one of the heads on the alignment computer moved during the process.

 

It seemed fishy to me as well that it could change that much. However I do notice a pull to the right, slightly worse then before. (I got it aligned after installing my 2.5" lift) When we welded on the gussets, I was not worried about the longevity of the stock ball joints. We basically did one side at a time, and did not skip sides to let it cool. I planned on replacing the ball joints before 5,000 miles anyways.

So I guess my question is,

Do I just go ahead and order aftermarket stronger ball joints?

Or should I be concerned with the C's being bent?


Also,
Judging from the numbers, How soon can I expect to notice uneven treadwear?

 

About 2 months ago I put a TF 2.5" coil lift and 37" BFG ATs on. I did not gusset my C's or sleeve my front axle immediately as I believed had more pressing issues to deal with (getting married; building a house; best friends wedding; etc...). This was a mistake.
This afternoon I noticed some VERY significant wear (1/4 - 1/3 tread depth) to the insides of both front tires and standing back could clearly see the top of the front 2 tires angled in (negative camber? - correct me if I'm wrong).
After installing the lift and tires I did measure the toe-in (which was almost 1 1/2" off ???) and correct it, so although I havent measured it yet, I dont believe my toe is the problem. I haven't done any really tough wheeling since the install but Alberta roads are not known for their smoothness. I figure that I have either loosend my ball joints (would this alone cause this much tire wear?), bent my C's or smiled my axle. Or some combination of all 3. And just as I am writing this, the shop called and told me my right front wheel bearing is shot/loose and they can't do much else with it until it's replaced. Which they can't do till Monday cause of parts, which puts me in kind of a bind because I have a 300km drive home from work tomorrow.
My questions are:
Would any of these problems alone cause the uneven wear (loose ball joints, bent C's, bent axle, or loose wheel bearing)?
Which is most likely to go first?
Ballpark cost to fix all this crap?
PS- I'm not a welder nor do I have any welding equipment

Thanks for any help.

 

Worn ball joints, worn unit bearings, bent housing (smile) or bent end forgings (the 'C') can all show up as a camber issue. Big tires add more leverage to the ends and effect the C's and ball joints. Ball joint wear can be caused by the Cs being bent as it loads them improperly and accelerates wear. We've had many customers replace their stock housings with our PR44 even if they never go off road.

 

if you have bent C's and swap out the stock ball joints with something like your Prosteers, will they wear out quicker too or is it mostly do to the crappy stock ball joints we have? Or by having greasable ball joint, can we prevent it?

I think my C's are sligthly bent due to wheeling before I had gussets installed. Not sure if I have ball joint wear but I did have some off camber readings last time I had mine aligned.

 

Our Dynatrac ball joints are unique in the JK market. Lower ball joints are designed to rotate for turns and pivot at an angle (like a tie rod end). All JK upper ball joints (except our Dynatrac joint) rotate and plunge (in and out). They cannot pivot (at an angle like a TRE). Due to this design, additional side load from bent 'C's can cause early liner failure (the liner is plastic on stock ball joints). Our Dynatrac upper ball joint can rotate, pivot (like a TRE) and plunge. They will survive damaged 'C's much better than any other ball joint because they are able to better keep proper axis with the steering knuckles. They will not cure bad camber.