Aftermarket Upper Control Arms

[Shawn226]

Here's what I want to know. What happened to the debates of not needing to switch out control arms or needing to. Because last I checked, with 6500 miles on my lift, and 20,000 miles overall on a truck with suspension modifications and my ball joints still are in tip top shape. I just couldn't imagine blowing 450$ to fix something that's not broken. I know we've pointed the finger from personal install vs professional, but there's no real evidence to say it just happens on it's own. From what I've read over the last 3 months is it was install related.

I guess where I'm going with my rant is, did this particular issue become a blind leading the blind parade.

I'm not trying to call anyone out or make fun of or criticize your install techniques, but how are y'all installing your kits that these joints pop out?

Or on a second note, was it actually after extreme off-roading that you noticed it.

I live in PA, the ********* roads in the history of the US. Very rough nasty potholed roads, and I've not had any issues so I have an extremely hard time believing highway driving would cause this for all the mall crawler trucks (mines a mall crawler by all means)

Again, sorry for the rant, if you read all of this, then god bless you.

Fire away

 

[xrsman]

By the look of your display pic you have a pre 2013 ram? The ball joint issues were with the 2013+ trucks. I had a leveling kit on for 45,000 kms on my 2011 and never had any issues either!

 

[Shawn226]

By the look of your display pic you have a pre 2013 ram? The ball joint issues were with the 2013+ trucks. I had a leveling kit on for 45,000 kms on my 2011 and never had any issues either!

See that's the thing, my ram is a 2013 ram manufactured in May of that year. So it fits the criteria for the "failures"

 

[xrsman]

Is it the new style though or the 2012 style?

 

[Kbooth18]

I thought ball joint issues happened with a leveling kit. A 6" lift corrects the control arm angles close to stock with the larger knuckle and drop brackets so I don't think the ball joint issue would be a problem. I think its the leveling kits putting too much stress on the upper arms popping the ball joints. I could be wrong, I'm an electrician not a mechanic.

 

[Shawn226]

Whole if that was true, why did my ball joints have no issue for 15000 miles when it's the model that is supposedly having issues.

The way I see it, is it's either a manufacturing problem,(which is NOT proving to be true)
Or it's an install error

 

[Diminus]

It's just with levelling kits I had a buddy put a level kit on and got 2 days I repeat 2 days before the balljoints popped up, he then went to zone UCAs and has not had any issues. Levelling kits are too easy to install, if it's installation error it's awfully strange so many people are having the same issue with their balljoints, your 6 inch RCX comment is invalid considering your control arm drop brackets bring your angles back close to stock as stated above. So to say your balljoints have no issues when the problem at hand is with just either bilstein adjustables or levelling pucks when you are not running either set up is like a guy with a cummins saying he's never had to change his spark plugs

 

[Kbooth18]

It's just with levelling kits I had a buddy put a level kit on and got 2 days I repeat 2 days before the balljoints popped up, he then went to zone UCAs and has not had any issues. Levelling kits are too easy to install, if it's installation error it's awfully strange so many people are having the same issue with their balljoints, your 6 inch RCX comment is invalid considering your control arm drop brackets bring your angles back close to stock as stated above. So to say your balljoints have no issues when the problem at hand is with just either bilstein adjustables or levelling pucks when you are not running either set up is like a guy with a cummins saying he's never had to change his spark plugs

Thanks for the reinforcement. I was pretty sure I was right with what I had posted

 

[Diminus]

Thanks for the reinforcement. I was pretty sure I was right with what I had posted

No problem, i think this is mainly a misunderstanding on what causes the actual issue which triggered this post. No big deal forums are made for insight and to help one another. Hope my above comment didn't sound like I was trying to insult anyone. I was merely pointing out the differences and added a joke to lighten the original rant atmosphere aha

 

[Wandell]

Also, the problem is common enough that Dodge has issued a service bulletin about leveling kits.

 

[Shawn226]

It just seems like there's many inconsistencies is really all I was getting at I guess.

 

[TX-RAM-MAN]

For me there is just to much on this forum saying you need better UCA's and so much saying you don't. I just ordered Bilsteins to level my truck and I also ordered the Zone UCA's. Better to be safe than sorry. And these guys are right... If you're not running a level kit than that's probably why you are not having the issue.

 

[Diminus]

It just seems like there's many inconsistencies is really all I was getting at I guess.

Understandable but no truck is 100% alike some might hold up better then others, I got a buddy with a 2012 sport like mine , all stock, he lost his front end and trans lines twice and then had a transmission error. Claims the rams are crap. Mine has yet to cause me any real grief. So maby people are running levels no issues but others are having them, also your road conditions and driving style have different impacts. It's all good man !

 

[Shawn226]

Yeah I completely agree. Just a rant I wanted to air out


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[HemiRoar]

Understandable but no truck is 100% alike some might hold up better then others, I got a buddy with a 2012 sport like mine , all stock, he lost his front end and trans lines twice and then had a transmission error. Claims the rams are crap. Mine has yet to cause me any real grief. So maby people are running levels no issues but others are having them, also your road conditions and driving style have different impacts. It's all good man !

Agreed. 09 - 12 were prone to vibrations when accelerating in 4x4 after being levelled, but it varies from truck to truck. Mine has none whatsoever..while others report serious vibrations. Luck of the draw.

 

[SuperTrooper]

Since yours has an actual suspension lift with relocation brackets, your geometry is going to be corrected to (somewhat) factory specs. just dropped down from the frame. So when the truck is sitting stationary, your suspension geometry is still sitting somewhat as it should be, with zero flex going on.

Meanwhile a leveling kit is going to flex the control arms down, permanently, to lift the truck. This permanent downward flex puts the suspension at an angle that, from the factory, it was not intended to be at for extended periods of time, and is what is going to cause the issues with the ball joints.

Hope that makes sense, I'm not the best at explaining technical things. I need to get a gopro so I can make videos explaining ****. Lol.