333pg333

I'm thinking this time around of just going back to what I had. Quicker, easier, cheaper etc...
I'm still curious about how much extra load going really widebody puts on the wheel bearings with spacers and / or deep dish wheels?

NZ951

I had ball joints go 3 times on my 18" wheels with semi slicks and 1" spacers and lowered on M030.

Not sure if everyone had that issue.

TonyG

What does "ball joints go" mean?

TonyG

TonyG

You'll be fine.

While I don't have a wide body (yet), I know lots of people that do without problems.

Also, are you starting off with early or late suspension?

TonyG

NZ951

I cant recall the nature of the break it was a few years ago now, but I recall doing them twice and the guy after me that bought it had to do them once...

333pg333

Late suspension in an early car.

TonyG

Well... if you broke a ball joint you'd never forget what that felt like because both of your front wheels wouldn't be pointing in the same direction. That said... if you had to "do them twice", can only mean that you had play and had to rebuild them.

And yes... there are rebuild kits available. They all suck.

I would never race on a rebuilt factory control arm.

And FWIW, I've been racing for many years on my bone stock 968 control arms with sticky 315 front tires with zero problems. No play in the ball joints after several years.

The only way to properly do the job is to either replace the control arm with a new one, or buy an aftermarket control arm. And ... the reason I don't use aftermarket control arms... as Patrick might be finding out... is that they are too strong. They will screw up the chassis long before they break. If I hit something hard like Patrick did... I'd rather have the control arm break than tweak the mounting points.

TonyG

NZ951

Oh they never broke, just became loose. I was thinking it was more the diameter or the wheel circumference than the width that was playing with geometry.

TonyG

The differences in tire diameter have almost no affect on the forces placed on the ball cup as the difference between 17" and 18" rims is for the most part negated due to the face that the overall dimension of the tire/rim combo is close to the same.

The issue is the force placed on the ball cup. And that's a direct result of how much force the tire can generate. That force is primarily due to braking forces, then cornering forces.

I run huge brakes on a 315 sticky tire. And I race it hard. After three seasons, you can take my car on a lift and try to move the wheel. There is no play.

I don't know why the factory ball joint works so well compared to any of the rebuild kits... but it does. I have never seen a rebuild kit on a factory control arm that could withstand a race environment. That's exactly why I buy new factory 968 control arms every 3 years.... no matter the condition.

TonyG

NZ951

Ah ok, well maybe mine just went because it was due to go, and the others were just because they were rebuilds...

I was thinking the geometry of the joint from going from 16-18" and lowered might have been the cause...