EVOlutionary

iTrader: (38)

Earlier this spring I scored a set of Moonface front ball joints/roll center kit from KamiSpeed. KamiSpeed is a vendor on here from whom I've purchased several products and always received superior customer service and quick shipping.

The Moonface front ball joints are a bit taller than the Whiteline units and should allow one to lower your car more and keep the same roll center - or keep your car at its current height and improve the roll center.

For the installation you need to remove the front control arms. To do this you need to first detach the front ball joint from the upright, as well as detach the front sway bar endlink . . .



Then remove the bolt that goes up from the bottom through the rear bushing. . .



Then remove the front bolt that goes horizontally through the bushing . . .



This should allow you to take out the control arm. You will then need to press out the old ball joint and press in the new one. The Moonface ball joint has two height settings and comes with rubber seals that you stack on top of the boot depending on which height you set it at. The lower setting is just a little bit higher than the Whiteline unit, and the upper setting is even higher. Here is a pic comparing the height of the stock vs. Whiteline vs. Moonface ball joints. . .



This is a little bit deceiving. It is not really the overall height of the ball joint that matters - it is the height from the center of the ball, that is the pivot height. . .



Althought the Moonface unit is much taller overall - the pivot height is only slightly higher than the Whiteline unit. Not a huge difference, but a difference nonetheless.

One thing to be aware of when using the Moonface ball joints is that they have much less maximum misalignment angle than either the stocker or the Whiteline unit. In some cases this could possibly lead to the ball joint travel maxing out either on compression or droop and therefore limiting your wheel travel. You will need to test this on your car to be sure that you don't bind the ball joint as this will lead to premature wear and possible failure. . .



You could possibly run into problems here if your car is not lowered enough or you are running a crap-load of negative camber. On my car so far it works fine, but YMMV. So far these have been on the car for a few months and everything is working well. The boot is showing some some signs of cracking though. Don't know if this is due to high heat from track days or some damage from installation. I will continue to to keep an eye on it. I know Whiteline has had similar problems and has since changed the rubber compound of their boots. Perhaps Moonface will look into this also. . .

All in all - a top-notch, quality part. These are available from KamiSpeed and if you are looking to improve the roll center on your track car or autocross car give 'em a call!

EVOlutionary

Update:

gsrboi80

iTrader: (38)

nice review I have their inner tie rod ends on mine and they are def a solid part

EVO8LTW

iTrader: (41)

Nice review. I'd personally worry about the reduced travel and whether Moonface and Whiteline have comparable R&D. If one of these fails in a high speed situation, you are going to be in for an unpleasant ride.

Kracka

iTrader: (49)

This review just confirmed that when/if I get an aftermarket roll center kit it will be Whiteline's. Thanks for all the measurements and pictures.

bchappy

Any updates?

kyoo

iTrader: (29)

Doesn't this stick you in a prepared class for scca auto-x?

edit: nvm, was thinking of a different part

EVOlutionary

iTrader: (38)

After running the Moonface ball joints for 1 season of racing they were TOAST. Super sloppy and had some up/down play in the joint. I would NOT recommend these unless you are prepared to replace them at least once per season - at at the cost of them I do not think the performance benefit would justify the purchase for 99% of racers. . .

EVOlutionary

jimountain

iTrader: (5)

thanks for the update on these
I had the whiteline rca kit, alk, 24mm fsb,rsb, endlinks, sturdy mounts, and bushings throughout on my last car- just looking around at other companies, and seeing how things compare- thanks for the update- I can check that one off the list- in terms of moonface : )
cheers again,
jim

Senor Bamm

Can anyone help? Im replacing the lower ball joints on a 97 Chevy Tahoe, do I need to have the boot on when compressing the ball joint into the arm? Can't I put on the boot after I have the ball joint compressed?