The majority of death wobble cases I see are on higher mileage JKs. Are the ball joints sometimes the source? Yes. What you don't know is how they became worn. Poor alignments, unbalanced tires, poorly worn tires, other worn parts not addressed, etc. It's not often someone has DW, swaps ball joints, and it's fixed. When my Synergy joints were completely fried, so was my drag link, and my 37" MTRs needed a balance. No DW.

I'm not condemning manufacturers. I'm saying there is no evidence to support superior quality, and certainly not enough to warrant 4x the cost. I think it is useful to others to hear a different perspective. Why not save someone $600 by telling them the value isn't there? I've bought most of the high end stuff and found out it was no better, or only marginally better than low cost parts. It is similar to the law of diminishing marginal utility. OEM ball joints are good. Call it a score of 100. $200 joints are a little better. Call it a score of 115. $600 joints are say 120. Spending $400 for that extra 5% is a bad use of $$$.

 

Yeah, So I have a cool 226,000 miles on my 09 JKU.
I run 35s on the d30, all stock minus a re-enforced track bar bracket.
I've only had to replace my ball joints twice. Once at around 70k due to death wobble.... They were not the cause, but an effect of the wobble. The wobble damn near tore everything off of the axle. So, they (dealer) ended up replacing the whole axel housing and did the ball joints too.
The second time was at around 184,000 miles... They were just worn out and just started to have a tiny bit of play. So, boom... new OEM ball joints.
I've got nothing bad to say about the oem parts... If you abuse anything, it's going to break!

 

226,000? Holy shit man good for you! Hows that 3.8 holding up?

 

This is the perspective I am trying to provide. I'm not pushing product, I'm doing the opposite. Some things are worth spending money on, some things aren't. People want to buy stuff, it is human nature to acquire. Everyone says the OEM ball joints are weak, so everyone goes out and upgrades. It isn't the joints themselves, it is the joint size and trying to run large tires. People severely underestimate the quality of OEM parts. Chrysler does a lot of material engineering. They don't want to warranty ball joints on every Jeep. No one can make a bushing to compete with what is in a stock control arm. Does the use of plastic in an OEM joint make it inferior? I don't know. Apparently we can 3D print working assault rifles out of plastic, so why not a ball joint?

 

Once again spot on. I can't ever bring myself to spend 600 clams on BJ'S that are 5% better than their 200 dollar counterparts.

As far as oem quality....that's why I went with the new TF Alpine adjustable arms due to the oem clevites style ends.
That coupled with synergy fixed lowers and their DD bushings will last forever and be quiet.

I netted almost 5" lift along with my 37's will play hell on any BJ'S eventually. I will likely either go Napa gold or TF when BJ'S need replacing.

Sent from my SM-N920T using JK-Forum

 

FWIW, I went thru my oem balljoints in less than 15k (on stock tires), two sets of synergys with ~20k each, and I'm currently running dynatracs which are okay for now @12k miles. We'll see if they're worth the 500 bucks they go for.

 

One more reason to run a proper axle for tire size.

 

To give MAGOO some feedback on his options, here are some thoughts.

As for gear ratio, I recommend the 4.88 ratio. In my humble opinion too many folks shy away from high numerical ratios. JK’s are great 4x4’s, but when you add a bunch of weight, tires, and lift they get sluggish. An engine that spins too slow is just as likely to cost you fuel as one that spins a bit too fast. The lift creates more wind resistance, the tires create more drag on the pavement, and who doesn’t want a lively, responsive ride? The bumpers, winches and other stuff adds more weight to haul around.

If you go to bigger tires (35-37) you want the Jeep to upshift and run in OD, not constantly downshift for headwinds and minor grades.

Engine RPM that is fast or slow is subjective. But we know the manufacturer did everything possible to get a low MPG to meet their CAFE numbers. Therefore I look at my known RPM and MPG before tires and lift, and use that as my baseline. The Jeep will need more RPM to overcome the additional weight, wind, and tire drag. You should have your new ratio yield a higher RPM than stock.

We like ARB’s. Installed thousands. The new Eaton 44 E-locker is also very durable, and a good choice. It boils down to personal preference between air or electric.

With respect to the necessity of a ProRock 44 and ball joints, none of the aftermarket parts for your Jeep are really necessary, but you increase the risk of failure when you add vehicle weight, larger tires and more engine power. You’re simply going beyond what the stock components were engineered to withstand. We add items to our vehicles to contribute to the performance, durability, reliability, and owner satisfaction. Can you drive the Jeep without needing a stronger housing? Absolutely! Will you bend a housing like thousands of other JKU owners have? I’d say there’s a pretty good chance. It’s your money; your decision. What’s your peace of mind worth when you head out into a remote area on your own?

I’m sure there are guys that have more experience than I do. I respect everybody’s opinion, even when it doesn’t agree with my 36 years of Jeep, truck, 4x4, drivetrain, suspension and chassis experience. If some folks don’t think a ProRock 44 is worth the money, I’m glad they didn’t buy one. We created the product for good reasons, and happily most folks agree with those reasons. In fact, there are more ProRock 44s under Jeeps today than all other competitors combined. Here is a link that compares the ProRock 44 to other options if you want some more facts to ponder. http://www.dynatrac.com/downloads/Pr...20FAQ_revK.pdf

We also have some very high quality, US-made axle shafts to offer you for the 44 rear, and the front ProRock 44. Our ball joints are the only 100% US-made ball joint for your JK. More on that here: Why Dynatrac? Ball Joints Are Better | Dynatrac Tech Info and News

We don’t care for imported stuff. Won’t get started on that here.

 

Id like to hear more about the new axle shafts ?

 

You bet Kjeeper10. The new Dynatrac JK44 Axleshaft Kits for JKs was engineered to fill a gap in strength and price between imported aftermarket axleshafts and RCVs. The fronts are made from high-strength 4340 chromoly and the come with new 1350 U-joints. They fit stock Dana 44 axles and our ProRock 44 without any modifications.

The first version of the rear JK44 Axheshaft Kits (available now) are larger in diameter, going from 32 to 35 spline, so they are perfect for someone who is interested in upgrading the rear differnetial and the rear axleshafts at the same time. These have a deep heat-treat for optimum resistance to twisting without making them too brittle. We developed unique, billet steel retainers for improved installation and serviceability. The rears come with new bearings and seals.

Both front and rear axleshaft kits are Made in the USA.

You can post more specific questions if you have them, and you can see more info here: Axleshaft Kits