TAC Tech => Tires, Brakes & Suspension => Topic started by: jonathonar89 on March 22, 2021, 07:17:50 PM

Title: Street (Regular) vs Racing Ball Joints
Post by: jonathonar89 on March 22, 2021, 07:17:50 PM
Hey Guys,

Just want to share my shopping experience so some people can see the difference.  I'm building a street oriented car and thought it would be cool to go with the "cool" low friction and rebuildable ball joints for my car because, "why not?"

Below, pictured, are QA1 Ultimate Ball Joints and a pair of Proforged ball joints.  I ordered the QA1 ball joints a few years ago because I thought they would be a cool addition to the car at the time but after finding they don't have ball joint dust covers and need to be cleaned/reset every so often, I quickly realized this is the type of item which is really a race car item.  I contemplated this for a while but decided to order new (Proforged) ball joints that work for street-oriented cars.  There is nothing wrong with the QA1 setup and they're actually pretty awesome but they really don't suit what my ultimate goal is (lower-maintenance street car).  There certainly is much less friction in the QA1 ball joint but this is not meant for long term (no maintenance) use.  The proforged is a better product for a street-oriented car in my goals but if I were building a track-car, I would certainly use the QA1's instead.

This post is not meant to put down QA1's product or glorify Proforged's ball joint but I hope this helps someone out for future buying decisions.  Both are nice but both serve a completely different purpose/use.

Jon

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51064592952_45fbd7afab_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kNpoqq)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kNpoqq) by Jonathon Randolph (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156619454@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51064592982_11cae41af5_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kNpoqW)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kNpoqW) by Jonathon Randolph (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156619454@N04/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51064499701_8c947c7aeb_z.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2kNoUGD)Untitled (https://flic.kr/p/2kNoUGD) by Jonathon Randolph (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156619454@N04/), on Flickr
Title: Re: Street (Regular) vs Racing Ball Joints
Post by: JJ 109 on March 24, 2021, 08:32:38 AM
Thanks for sharing.

I can’t believe how long they are. That in itself makes me uncomfortable.
Title: Re: Street (Regular) vs Racing Ball Joints
Post by: jonathonar89 on March 24, 2021, 09:06:03 AM
Thanks for sharing.

I can’t believe how long they are. That in itself makes me uncomfortable.

Yea, those are 1” extended length and I don’t advise those for anyone.  The cool part about QA1 is they do sell the studs in different lengths.  My original plan was to swap the stud but after actually having them, I’m just not trying to get into a race car setup. They’re nice but don’t fit my goal.