Ball Joints on a lifted rig

My tires are worn mostly on the out side half of the tire. The inside half(the side closest to the body if there is any confusion) is still in good shape. My question is this, what causes this on a xj with 5in's of lift and 33's? Is this the ball joints? If so is this because they are worn or because they are non-adjustable.
I need to know what I need to replace and what I need to replace it with before I buy new tires just for this to happen again.
(oh yeah, the rears are wearing just fine)
thanks,
noob

Get an alignment.

andrew2516 said:

Get an alignment.

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X2, toe in or toe out can have a adverse effect on tire wear.

I had the same problem after installing my RE 3.5". A little too much toe-in from lifting it had caused the outside to wear like that.

After paying too much for too many alignments on my jeep every time i fixed it, I started doing it myself, with good results.
I use ratchet straps or bungees to attach two pieces of square tube to the wheels and then measure in front of and behind the tires with two tape measures at the same time. As i said, good results, no uneven wear etc. I set it for slight (.25" less) toe in.

Incidently if you were getto like me you could fix the alignment as described above and then put the worn ones on the rear with the good side out, if they are not worn to the point of being unsafe.

The hardest part of doing an alignment is getting the stock rusted parts to move. If it's been years it may be easier to remove the steering linkage (you'll need a puller or getto ingenuity) and get the threads moving, then reinstall and reset. For turning the tie rod end a special hooked wrench is handy, it hooks into the slot and turns the part while slightly opening the tube where it is split.I picked 1 up for $10.

Good luck
:repair:

Failing it being an alignment issue, it does sound like your ball joints are toast and possibly have something affecting the camber. Hopefully this article will help you.

http://www.madxj.com/MADXJ/technical/technicalfiles/ARadjustableBallJoints/adjustableballjoints.htm

if it is my ball joints that are toast would it be the uppers or lowers, or perhaps both?

If it were me I would do all ball joints at once.

You might do both ball joints on one side, but I'd never do just uppers or lowers.

FWIW, I did all 4 on my 94 a few years back without any air or power tools in 4 hours. And there was beer and pizza involved.

does a lifted rig need the adjustables?? Thanks for all the info, I'm just trying to figure out were to put my money, I'm moving from ak to az soon hopefully and trying to make sure my rig is going to be ready for the rocks

Mstrkage said:

does a lifted rig need the adjustables?? Thanks for all the info, I'm just trying to figure out were to put my money, I'm moving from ak to az soon hopefully and trying to make sure my rig is going to be ready for the rocks

Click to expand...

As far as I know, the adjustables are more as a remedy for slightly bent axle housings, etc...

I don't think that they offer anything more to the lifted crowd than normal balljoints do.


I'd get an alignment, at my local shop its $20 for an alignment and balance, and they work on lifted jeeps all the time so they're trustworthy. If you just want aligment and no balance it's $10, at that price it actually isn't worth the time to do it myself.

Alignment won't hurt, and if you're still having problems after that, THEN I'd start troubleshooting your front end. It really is amazing what regular maintenance will do for your vehicle...

Actually, adjustable balljoints *ARE* usable on a lifted rig with a straight axle. There are some caveats, obviously.

I've got 2 degree offset upper balljoints in my 94 non-disco D30 (6" lift.) This allows me to run 5 degrees of caster, while tipping the pinion up towards the transfer case. Without the additional 2 degrees, the pinion points below the transfer case, leading to significant vibration from the axle end of the front driveshaft.

As other have point out in other threads here, the pinion angle isn't nearly as much of a problem with disconnect front axles.

If you're using adjustables to compensate for a bent diff, all bets are off. Figuring what offset to use and installation orientation are left as an exercise for the advanced student.