Jim K in PA
Adventurer
I know this subject is not as sexy as lifts and winches, but replacing the front ball joints on the Jeep D30 and D30/D44 hybrid axle is something that eventually must be done. The joints on my 2005 LJ Rubicon have been deteriorating for quite a while. It got bad enough over the last few thousand miles that death wobble returned, and I had to do something. Synergy Suspension, part of Poly Performance, designed and had manufactured a heavy duty replacement for the stock/OEM ball joint. The OEM ball joints are not known for strength or durability, primarly due to the plastic races used in the lower joints. The poor material choice is compounded by the design of the lower joint that did not include a grease fitting! The new joints from Synergy have no plastic in them, and the lowers now have a grease fitting.
After about 118k miles, my lowers were slopping around quite badly. This past weekend I replaced all 4 joints, and the difference was dramatic. The level of deterioration of the OEM joints became quite clear within a mile or so of driving with the new ones. Death wobble is gone, and the steering slop that I had apparently adapted to as gradually as they deteriorated was also gone. Nice crisp handling, no clunking, and no more darty/wandering straight line driving. The new joints can be ordered directly from Synergy, or through Quadratec and other distributors.
These ball joints have been talked about for almost a year, and delays in the manufacture of them have been frustrating. I am glad I waited though! I have no affiliation with Synergy or Poly Perf, just happy to have my Jeep be an enjoyable ride again.
Here are a couple of pictures from the Synergy site:
After about 118k miles, my lowers were slopping around quite badly. This past weekend I replaced all 4 joints, and the difference was dramatic. The level of deterioration of the OEM joints became quite clear within a mile or so of driving with the new ones. Death wobble is gone, and the steering slop that I had apparently adapted to as gradually as they deteriorated was also gone. Nice crisp handling, no clunking, and no more darty/wandering straight line driving. The new joints can be ordered directly from Synergy, or through Quadratec and other distributors.
These ball joints have been talked about for almost a year, and delays in the manufacture of them have been frustrating. I am glad I waited though! I have no affiliation with Synergy or Poly Perf, just happy to have my Jeep be an enjoyable ride again.
Here are a couple of pictures from the Synergy site:
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