Lower control arm bushing questions

[HangmanNY]

Fellas,

I have 160,000 miles on my 2015 ram big horn. I have an Eibach Pro lift kit in the garage, core 4x4 upper control arms. I also have the lower control arm ball joints. I was contemplating removing the control arm and removing the bushings. My question is who is making good quality bushings for the lower control arm in this truck? I do have a master ball joint kit in the garage.

I’m also replacing the inner and outer tie rods, and I already have the Suspension Maxx HD front adjustable sway links on order.

I’ve looked online but I’m not getting results pertaining to the lower control arm bushings. And I don’t know if these polyurethane bushings are better or not?

Thanks for any helpful advice

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

I think you be money and time ahead to buy new control arms. I'd do a price comparison, new bushings and ball joints compared to new arms.

I think you'll find the correct answer, especially given the time to accomplish.

monroe-908962 | Front Control Arm Bushing Kit | 2011-2018 Ram 1500

Front lower control arm bushing kit for the 2011-2018 Ram 1500. Monroe strut mounts complement the ride control of Monroe struts. Monroe strut mounts are also backed by their limited lifetime warranty! In stock to ship today! monroe-908962

www.suspension.com

moog-k500286 | Front Lower Ball Joint | Ram 1500 4WD 2009-2018

Front lower ball joint for the 2009-2018 Dodge and Ram 1500 4wd. Made by MOOG and backed by a 3 year to limited lifetime warranty. In stock ships now! moog-k500286

www.moog-suspension-parts.com

moog-rk641504 | Front Left Lower Control Arm | 2011-2018 Ram 1500 4WD

Front lower driver side control arm and ball joint assembly replacement for the 2011-2018 Ram 1500 4WD. Made by MOOG and backed by a 3 year to limited lifetime warranty. In stock and ready to ship out today! moog-rk641504

www.moog-suspension-parts.com

 

[HangmanNY]

I was thinking about replacing the lower arms as well. I have several items in my RockAuto cart.

What is your opinion of the Mevotech products? They actually cost a bit more than the Moog products.

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

I think they are a very good option for lower front control arms. I just Google searched lower control arm bushings and moog came up first. They usually have a broad selection of products

You should watch this, he used mevotech

Complete Dodge Ram 1500 ICON Suspension Upgrade with RCV Performance Axles and Mevotech X Factor

The AutoEdit 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 HEMI 4x4 gets a complete suspension Upgrade with an Icon Vehicle Dynamics Stage 5 shock and spring kit, a set of Unbreakable...

youtu.be

 

[HangmanNY]

I’ve had some front end parts in the garage for about a year and a half. I planned on doing this sooner however I broke my leg and it took a long time to recover.

I just found the Mevotech lower control arm ball joint in a box from rock auto.
I’m wondering whether I should buy the lower control arm complete and keep the ball joint in reserve? Or buy the lower control arm bushings, then install this ball joint?

What would you fellas do?

Thanks!

 

[Daw14]

You should give your rear upper and lower control arms and bushings a good inspection,while you are under there.
The arms and bushings leave a lot of room for improvement, I upgraded mine and was more than pleased with the new handling of my truck.

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

If I never have to install a ball joint again in my lifetime i,m gonna call it a win.

 

[HangmanNY]

You should give your rear upper and lower control arms and bushings a good inspection,while you are under there.
The arms and bushings leave a lot of room for improvement, I upgraded mine and was more than pleased with the new handling of my truck.

When you say you upgraded it, does that mean you replaced the entire control arms or you replace the bushings?

 

[Daw14]

The whole nine yards.
I went with Clayton off road , which are for the rear of a Gladiator.
These are gonna out live the truck and me.
They are heavy duty, and may be a bit overkill for some, however I like one and done .
I just looked them up again and the price has risen lots.
There are lots to choose from the aftermarket, I followed someone’s recommendations from the forum.
These made my truck drive entirely different,it is much more responsive.

 

[HangmanNY]

I read a lot of posts online. What are your opinions about replacing the jounce bumpers? If so, any recommendations on a good kit? I see some upgraded ones on videos.

My truck has 160,000 miles on it.

I removed the rear differential cover yesterday. They use a ton av sealant. It took me quite a while to get all that cleaned up. I put clean towels around the rear gears before scraping and scrubbing. I put the new PPE rear differential cover in. I have to fill that today (redline 75-140)

I removed the rear sway bar yesterday. Putting in the 1” Helwig stabilizer bar kit today.

Then I’m removing the rear shocks, rear coil springs, and installing the Eibach Pro lift kit rear springs & shocks.

I’m ordering the CORE 7 piece “ track kit”. Upper and lower control arms, track bar, and rear sway bar links.

Once that’s complete, I have to move to the front end.

 

[Daw14]

I replaced the bumpstops about three years ago, they were drying out and becoming loose in the mount.
I looked for aftermarket but did not have luck finding a good fitting replacement, maybe others have had more success.
So I found some new mopar .

 

[HangmanNY]

I Found a couple of threads mentioning Timbren rear jounce kit. Apparently an upgrade. They seem expensive at almost $300 for the rear kit.

 

[HangmanNY]

Does anyone know what the torque specs are for the 1 inch Hellwig rear sway bar?

I see all these videos on YouTube and no one uses a torque wrench

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

From Google AI. Probably close but not perfect.

For 2011–2018 Ram 1500 rear sway bars, the lower link nut should be torqued to roughly 75-79 ft-lbs and the upper link nut to 55 ft-lbs. The sway bar-to-frame bushing bolts are typically torqued to 66 ft-lbs. These specs ensure secure attachment and proper suspension performance.

 

[HangmanNY]

I greased up the rubber bushings (inside to the bar and outside to the bracket) with the tube they included.

Does it matter which way the groove in the bushing faces? Up or down?

 

[olyelr]

I read a lot of posts online. What are your opinions about replacing the jounce bumpers? If so, any recommendations on a good kit? I see some upgraded ones on videos.

My truck has 160,000 miles on it.

I removed the rear differential cover yesterday. They use a ton av sealant. It took me quite a while to get all that cleaned up. I put clean towels around the rear gears before scraping and scrubbing. I put the new PPE rear differential cover in. I have to fill that today (redline 75-140)

I removed the rear sway bar yesterday. Putting in the 1” Helwig stabilizer bar kit today.

Then I’m removing the rear shocks, rear coil springs, and installing the Eibach Pro lift kit rear springs & shocks.

I’m ordering the CORE 7 piece “ track kit”. Upper and lower control arms, track bar, and rear sway bar links.

Once that’s complete, I have to move to the front end.

I personally wouldnt really bother with the bumpstops unless they are dried out/deteriorated. 99.9% of the time they are not being used at all.

You have some nice upgrades going in…its gonna drive like a whole new truck when you get done with it !

 

[Daw14]

If there is a hole for a zerk fitting the groove should face it.

 

[Bigskyroadglide]

On your core bars, check with core on the torque specs for the bolts. Especially if you purchased their hardware kit.

 

[HangmanNY]

On your core bars, check with core on the torque specs for the bolts. Especially if you purchased their hardware kit.

I’ve had a few communications going back-and-forth. Need to finalize a few things before I order the seven piece rear kit from CORE. But yes, I will be ordering the hardware, and the brake line attachment.

I got the new PPE rear differential pan filled today (redline 75W-140. Then I got the Hellwig rear swaybar in. I have to contact them to verify the torque settings.

Then I installed the rear Eibach Pro lift springs and shocks. I’ve read their instructions and it said “use the hardware provided.”. There was no hardware!! so I cleaned up the existing bolts and nuts from the old shock. On the bench grinder wire wheel attachment.

I completely forgot I had ordered those Thuren specialty wrench and nut/bar fittings a couple years ago. That helped getting the top strut inside bolt/nut off. Then the other two components that have the built in nut/bar assembly. That makes getting the top inside nut tight when torquing . Those things are worth their weight in gold!!! I saw other videos where guys cut a wrench down to like a 2 inch stubby. The Thuren kit is awesome!

 

[HangmanNY]

Busy day today. Right now it’s about 12 3/4 inch from the top of the wheel to the fender.

I have R20/275/60 tire. They’re shot.

I have the upper control arms on order along with the inner and outer tie rods. Everything else I have for the front end (Eibach Pro lift springs and struts, CORE 4x4 upper control arms, an new hubs/bearings.

I was disappointed with Eibach. They included two zip ties with no explanation. I figured they had to go on the bottom of the rubber boot on the rear shocks. So it wouldn’t slip back up.