ball joint fun

[BigSur]

Ball joints are "bad" when excessive play develops between the ball and socket in the ball joint. This can happen due to lack of lubrication, wear, or just plain wearing out. It generally shows up as tire wear because the wheel / tire is no longer tightly controlled by the suspension and wobbles around. A good mechanic can test for the condition pretty quickly by jacking the front end up and moving the suspension around. Bad tie rod ends can cause similar conditions and wear. (They're easier to replace though.) After any work on these components, a front end alignment is a real good idea.

So then....would it be safe to say that any good mechanic should notice if any of these components are bad during performing a front-end alignment on the vehicle?  I just had this done by a very reputable service vendor and they didn't say anything......or would I actually have to request that these components specifically be checked?

[Too Stroked]

So then....would it be safe to say that any good mechanic should notice if any of these components are bad during performing a front-end alignment on the vehicle?  I just had this done by a very reputable service vendor and they didn't say anything......or would I actually have to request that these components specifically be checked?

Yes, any reputable shop would have noticed and said something -especially if your tires are worn funny.

[attworth]

So then....would it be safe to say that any good mechanic should notice if any of these components are bad during performing a front-end alignment on the vehicle?  I just had this done by a very reputable service vendor and they didn't say anything......or would I actually have to request that these components specifically be checked?

Yes, any reputable shop would have noticed and said something -especially if your tires are worn funny.

Ehhh... I have a hard time putting reputable and shop in the same sentence.

to BigSur - it's possible they just did the job they were tasked for and didn't really look for anything else, especially if they were busy that day. More likely they try and find work, but some jobs they either don't want to do, or don't feel would be worth the time.  (dependent on the size of the shop, etc.)

Just my experience anyway. I really hate taking anything to anybody. I've learned a lot just by attempting to do a job with a shop manual. A good reason for a cheap project car is that you learn a lot without really worrying about messing stuff up. Been there, done that. 

[BigSur]

Yeah....during my next service, I'm going to have them checked out.  I've got wear going on...on the outside edges more prematurely than anything else.  Even the inside edges aren't as bad, and the middle tread surely isn't as bad.  I attribute most of this to wrong tire pressure, as that has been quite an issue.

In short, I bought LT Rated Nitto tires w/ a max load of 80psi.  The shop I bought them from put them at 35 and told me to run them that way.  I learned quickly they were idiots    Now, I've pushed them up to what most other Nitto "same" tire owners are running, which is about 50 psi.  But what kills me is that the manufacturer..nor the dealers...nor "most" other owners can't tell my why they shouldn't be run close to the max as you would a normal passenger tire.  Even at 50 psi, the fronts look like they need more; I might bump them up to 60..at least in the front.

Anybody else had issues with this?  If things continue and I start expecting other culprits, I might need to get ball joints and control arms checked, etc.  Thanks guys!!!

[Too Stroked]

Is your "premature wear" cupping or just even wear around the inside & outside edges of the tread? Even wear is usually pressure or alignment issues. Cupping is usually ball joints, tie rod ends or shocks gone bad. BTW, 4x4's will usually cup just about any front tire - even if everything is OK. How may miles are on your truck anyway?

[BigSur]

Is your "premature wear" cupping or just even wear around the inside & outside edges of the tread? Even wear is usually pressure or alignment issues. Cupping is usually ball joints, tie rod ends or shocks gone bad. BTW, 4x4's will usually cup just about any front tire - even if everything is OK. How may miles are on your truck anyway?

I think I'm experiencing cupping b/c after putting about 8k miles on these tires, I noticed the fronts were fairly worn on the outside edges, but the inside edges were still good...still had the little "nipples" on them.  To clarify, the square edge on the outside edges was gone but the inside was still decent.  However, it IS a 4wd truck.  Total miles to date is about 42k

[Too Stroked]

Is your "premature wear" cupping or just even wear around the inside & outside edges of the tread? Even wear is usually pressure or alignment issues. Cupping is usually ball joints, tie rod ends or shocks gone bad. BTW, 4x4's will usually cup just about any front tire - even if everything is OK. How may miles are on your truck anyway?

I think I'm experiencing cupping b/c after putting about 8k miles on these tires, I noticed the fronts were fairly worn on the outside edges, but the inside edges were still good...still had the little "nipples" on them.  To clarify, the square edge on the outside edges was gone but the inside was still decent.  However, it IS a 4wd truck.  Total miles to date is about 42k

What make and model of truck?

[BigSur]

What make and model of truck?
[/quote]

2006 Ford F150

[attworth]

What make and model of truck?

2006 Ford F150
[/quote]

Not sure how the 4WD will vary from the 2WD I had, but I ran 45psi in my TG's successfully for over 20,000 miles with very little wear. Mostly highway.

[BigSur]

What make and model of truck?


2006 Ford F150

Not sure how the 4WD will vary from the 2WD I had, but I ran 45psi in my TG's successfully for over 20,000 miles with very little wear. Mostly highway.

I'm running 45 all the way around now but didn't notice much of a difference in ride from 35.  I've thought about pushing it up to 50 or 60.  If the ride doesn't deteriorate, all it would do is decrease wear and improve mpg.  Just don't know if that would cause a safety issue or not.

[Too Stroked]

What make and model of truck?

2006 Ford F150
[/quote]

Hmmm. That's not a truck noted for going through front end parts unusually quick. Your shocks are most likely getting tired if they're original, but ball joints and tie rod ends tend to last up to 100,000 miles on that vintage. Tie rod ends on the previous generation trucks were known to go in as little as 30,000 miles though.

Remember, even if you fix whatever may be wrong, your tires will continue to wear the same way. The cupping for instance will not go away even if the truck were returned to "perfect" condition.

[BigSur]

What make and model of truck?

2006 Ford F150

Hmmm. That's not a truck noted for going through front end parts unusually quick. Your shocks are most likely getting tired if they're original, but ball joints and tie rod ends tend to last up to 100,000 miles on that vintage. Tie rod ends on the previous generation trucks were known to go in as little as 30,000 miles though.

Remember, even if you fix whatever may be wrong, your tires will continue to wear the same way. The cupping for instance will not go away even if the truck were returned to "perfect" condition.
[/quote]

Also something to note.....I do have a 2" Readylift Leveling Kit on the truck.  Couldn't the angles be causing the tire to sit funny?

Also, what do you guys think about running 60psi in a tire with max load of 80psi?  Dangerious IYO?

THanks for all of the responses; appreciated.

[Too Stroked]

What make and model of truck?

2006 Ford F150

Hmmm. That's not a truck noted for going through front end parts unusually quick. Your shocks are most likely getting tired if they're original, but ball joints and tie rod ends tend to last up to 100,000 miles on that vintage. Tie rod ends on the previous generation trucks were known to go in as little as 30,000 miles though.

Remember, even if you fix whatever may be wrong, your tires will continue to wear the same way. The cupping for instance will not go away even if the truck were returned to "perfect" condition.

Also something to note.....I do have a 2" Readylift Leveling Kit on the truck.  Couldn't the angles be causing the tire to sit funny?

Also, what do you guys think about running 60psi in a tire with max load of 80psi?  Dangerious IYO?

THanks for all of the responses; appreciated.
[/quote]
Any leveling kit that does not maintain the factory specified suspension geometry through the full stroke will affect tire wear.

[Mike2301]

Sounds like they didn't set your camber right to me. And yeah go ahead and run 60. On 3/4 1 tons i run 65 front 75 rear.


I have nittos on my plow truck with 50 psi, no problems.

[BigSur]

Sounds like they didn't set your camber right to me. And yeah go ahead and run 60. On 3/4 1 tons i run 65 front 75 rear.


I have nittos on my plow truck with 50 psi, no problems.

I might try it and see how it feels.  THanks for that. 

Again, it's crazy how many people WON'T provide an opinion on pressure.  Nitto and my dealer gave me the runaround and won't give a straight answer.  Even my regular mechanic was leary about telling me what to run them at.  Everyone acts like its a safety issue to run high pressure, but I don't get that?  Why would the tire be designed to hold 80 if you can't run it that high and maintain safety? Anyways......

Thanks for the response.