Im at approx 55k miles & recently ive been noticing my front end slightly sway left & right as i drive over painted things such as crosswalks. That would indicate to me my lower ball joints are on their way out.

I'm curious to see approx how many miles everyone elses OEM lower ball joints lasted & what do you do with the car? Did you buy new OEM LCA's or get the whiteline kit? Any regrets?

Thanks.

 

curious on replacement parts what you guys think

 

Maybe you are a super experienced auto technician and are able to make a diagnosis from the test you describe. People like that exist. I wish I were one of them. The rest of us have to raise the car and look for play in the joint. So, are you sure?

 

As am I, I'm curious to see if people spend $500-600 on a pair of new LCA's or do they just buy the whiteline kit?

I only say that from past experiences. The symptoms I have are similar to cases in which the lower ball joints were beginning to go. My wheels/front end shouldn't move horizontally left or right.

 

Jack your car up and check the balljoint. The monstrous rear bushing in the LCA causes the car to follow grooves in the road. Perhaps the bushing is getting tired. Either way, jack the car up and check for play everywhere then worry about what to replace.

 

Mine failed at 67k butttttt it was because i had the crappy Tein springs that were way to soft. But only the driver side busted and i had some factory ones that were pressed out when my buddy went with the whiteline kit so it was free

 

Curious? What is the tread depth of your tires? Are they riding (and worn) on the inside tread. When my tires were almost slicked (inside), they would jump and skip over painted areas of the road, especially when the road was wet.

Put your car on jack stands. Put the floor jack under the lower control arm so that the suspension doesn't retract at all (move). Take a pry bar and place it between the floor and tire/wheel assembly, push up on the tire/wheel assembly to check play in the ball joints. Easy!

 

That same condition can also mean your wheel bearings are on the way out. (they can fail without making noise) Fairly common problem on Evos, and I've got them down to a 10 minute replacement. It could also mean that your inner or outer tie rod ends are on their way out.

Quite a bit can cause lateral movement of the wheel, and wandering over bumps.

 

PS. I'm at 140K miles, and have replaced both my inner and outer tie rods, my wheel bearings (2xs) and my pillow mounts due to them wearing out. Yet my ball joints are still origional with no movement.

 

nice, ill jack my car up this weekend & check.

 

I bought the car with 33k & the only thing it had done to it was swift sport springs. I'm not sure how long they were on before I bought the car. Wow, must be soo nice! haha.

 

I'm unsure of the exact tread depth but my Federal 595SS's currently have about 75-80% meat left. There is no visible camber wear yet. Ill try that this weekend when I don't feel so lazy after work lol.

 

That lateral movement of the wheel is what I'm experiencing. I'm hoping its either my outer tie rods or ball joints, or both because it all conveniently comes in one kit lol. I'll make sure to check the wheel bearings this weekend also, thank you.