Trying to order a replacement front lower ball joint, just want to double check if this is the correct part before I order it (this is my DD, so I need to get it done in one shot, no waiting on parts). I know that they are not "meant" to be replaced per OEM standards, which makes it hard to find replacements. I'm posting the link below. Part # is k80373. I know my other option is the Whiteline Roll Center/Bump Steer kit, however the car is on stock suspension and I don't want to throw that off, I'd like to use OEM/Moog if possible for now.

https://www.moog-suspension-parts.com/moog-k80373

 

Quick google search yields this thread https://www.lancerregister.com/showthread.php?t=537686 .

TLDR its claimed the Moog ball joints don't work in an evo even though it says they do. The Moog product desc. says they work for every 2002-2007 regular lancer. If that's true then it means that the regular lancer ball joints are the same as an evo. So finding out if that's true or not could validate if these will work.

 

Yeah pretty much why I created this thread. I found another EvoM thread where someone had ordered a ball joint from them and pulled the old one out to find out it didn't fit and it was the wrong part. They said Moog acknowledged it and fixed it..?

https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...warning-2.html

Looks like I may be spending the extra coin on the Whiteline kit... anyone running stock suspension with the Whiteline kit??? I just don't want to throw off the geometry of the stock suspension as I don't plan on lowering the car until next year at the earliest..

 

Well 340 bucks to just replace the whole arm might be the right move here. Assuming its only one ball joint that needs replacing.

This is just personal speculation, but I think the reason mitsu specs to replace the whole arm is because when the ball joint goes bad I think it messes with the other bushings on the arm. It's probably cheaper to just replace the whole arm then the labor and parts to replace the bushings and the ball joint. Plus the added risk that the installer might screw up and cause the car to wreck. The DSM stuff I believe had problems with ball joints and wrecked cars so mitsu might be a little sensitive to this issue. Again just my own speculation here.

 

Appreciate the information! I'm forgetfully leaving stuff out here, I have the Energy Suspension bushing kit installed. So the lower control arm has nice bushings already pressed in. Either way I'm going to have to press something in, I have access to a shop and press. Just trying to navigate what's the best option. At this point seems like it's cheaper to do the Whiteline kit. I'm replacing my stock suspension at the same time so I'm going to do an alignment after anyways. May as well just replace all that stuff, I need a tie rod on one side as well anyways.

 

Ok that makes sense. I was in your shoes ~ 10 years ago. I had to replace a ball joint and I went with the whiteline kit. At the time I was able to pick up some lightly used MR Bilstiens w/ lowering springs for very cheap, so I went that route.

 

They spec the whole arm for replacement the factory balljoint is captured in the arm. There is aluminum folded over the ball joint on the bottom side. When you press the old one out, this aluminum bends back out of the way and in most cases tears off and can't be replaced. So from Mitsu's perspective, it's not serviceable.

 

Ah ok. That explains why the aftermarket replacements use snap rings. Also explains why they sell the bushings but not the ball joint. Since you mention it I do remember something like that when I pressed out the Original ball joints.

 

I've used both the Whiteline and SuperPro roll center kits. The whitelines unfortunately did not seem to put up with the abuse of the harsh roads out here. The SuperPros have been fine so far...
If you want to keep your steering geometry close to stock it might be worth considering the hardrace joints. Those are adjustable through shims and may be able to get close to factory if that's what your after.

 

Dang, looked into those HardRace ball joints and they are for the rear only.. Thanks for the info on the WhiteLines, that's what I was afraid of.. I drive on pretty harsh roads in Minnesota and its my DD atm. Still trying to decide which direction to take but i might just go with the SuperPro kit as you mentioned.

 

I'm running the whiteline ball joints on a stock suspension (MR Bilsteins). I've gone through 2 sets and haven't been impressed honestly. The car handles great, but no matter what I do, if the car sits for a day or two, when I start turning the steering wheel I get ball joint noise for a few minutes. This has happened on one set, whiteline replaced no problem, but it's also on this other set. The joint is definitely solid AND I injected via syringe (after I noticed it, just to see what's what) grease to be SURE it was packed.

I'm hesitant to recommend the ball joints, but also have been perfectly happy performance wise? Trouble is... ball joint noise is noise, right up until it isn't.

 

Thanks for the help everyone, I ended up just purchasing the SuperPro kit based on everyone's input and price. The SuperPro kit is like $100 cheaper, and based on a couple people's testimony... more durable? I'll report back to this thread with a small overview on install and first thoughts.

 

Writing back on my experience after about a week of driving on the SuperPro Front Lower Ball Joints (Kit). It's hard to tell exactly the difference the lower ball joints made compared to OEM because I replaced the front strut assembly at the same time (tie rod ends seemed comparable to OEM) so it will be somewhat comparing apples to oranges. Overall the quality of the parts seem top notch, no hang ups on fitment or missing parts. *Seems obvious, but you WILL need a shop press to install the ball joints. Steering is tight and predictable. Really, I haven't noticed any changes in the geometry of the suspension, maybe it feels a touch lower and there's a bit less body roll, but I can't specifically attribute that to the kit as I did the front shocks at the same time. For somebody in my situation, where I already had the poly bushings on the lower control arm, I would highly recommend going with this kit over buying the whole control arm. This is of course around town spirited driving, no track driving yet. I'll be sure to report back to this thread on durability/reliability of the kit.

 

Good info greatly appreciated, just to be clear these were ordered from rockauto??

 

Great info @9TechNine9 . Hey what SuperPro part no. did you order (TRC0001?)

Please update us w/the part no.

And, shouldn't we change your thread title? Let me know what you want it to say

Thanks