All about Ball-Joints, and the Whiteline Roll-Center Adjust Kit

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7 жыл бұрын

Flatirons Tuning Tech Tip - All about Ball-Joints, and the Whiteline Roll-Center Adjust Kit
For a long time now, Whiteline has been making something called a Roll Center Adjust kit that includes new Ball Joints, and new Tie-Rod Ends. We have been running this part on our personal cars, and even our Pikes Peak car for a long time now, but what exactly is it? And why would you want to put it on?
For that matter, two of the key components of your Subaru's front suspension are the lower ball-joints, and your tie-rods. And if you have an older car like our 2003 WRX Project Car, there is a pretty reasonable chance that at least one of more of them need to be replaced. So if you are going to have to replace them any way, it may be a good idea to keep the Whiteline Roll Center Adjust kit in mind.
Thanks for watching!
If you are interested, here is a link to the Whiteline Roll Center Adjust Kit on our web-site:
www.flatironstuning.com/whiteline-front-roll-center-adjustment-kit-subaru
www.flatironstuning.com/superpro-front-roll-center-adjustment-kit-02-wrx-sti
And here is a link to the Company 23 Ball Joint tool:
www.flatironstuning.com/company23-ball-joint-removal-tool-1

Пікірлер: 54

@2slofouru 6 жыл бұрын

One thing I've noticed with hitting (and trying not to deform, lol) lower arms, is that it's not always how hard you are hitting them. The speed/pitch of impact matters a lot. If you hit too hard, the parts may separate but the arm can deform. If you hit with a series of lighter impacts it's safer on the arm and can still work. At work a few of the guys will be whaling on an arm with a hammer and getting aggravated because it won't loosen up, and I'm on the other side of the shop tapping and making less noise and magically it works.

@4rct1c9Ic3m4n 4 жыл бұрын

This is a very sobering info especially if rust has already taken hold[as is the case in my car]. So based on this info, What I did was replace the knuckles, the knuckle pinch bolts, the hubs, bearings, seals, clips, tie rods, camber bolts, and lower bolts of the coilovers. Then installed Superpro front roll center adjustment kit. Thanks for doing this.

@FlatironsTuning 4 жыл бұрын

Nice! Glad you found this and I hope it was a help. Stay Tuned!

@802Garage 4 жыл бұрын

Oh boy do I know about cars that fight you every step of the way! I recently made a video about a trick you guys might like. Basically stick something metal and heavy between the ball joint clamp and control arm after raising the suspension as high as you can. Drop the suspension and typically it will pop the ball joint right out. Can put the castle nut back on and do the same to extract it from the knuckle too. Hope this car treated you well!

@2slofouru 6 жыл бұрын

I have this kit on my 95, does make a noticeable difference. I've never had a problem getting the ball joints in my cars though. Luckily I don't live in a salted roads area.

@2slofouru 6 жыл бұрын

Also, Company 23 rocks! Best Subaru tool and accessory company IMO. Maybe they will devise even more engine parts in the future.

@FlatironsTuning 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching, and yes, we are big fans of Company 23 too :-)

@VitruviunMan 3 жыл бұрын

Just did this on my ‘04 STI. I can vouch this was a difficult install but not impossible even with a rusted ass New Jersey car. Buy the remover tool, many companies make them and it makes pulling these out a breeze. The pinch bolt is what took me the longest. Must give those bolts lots of heat to get out in one piece. Must have patience and lots of PB blaster!

@MegaNardman 7 жыл бұрын

I haven't done a WRX yet, but I can confirm from changing the LCAs on my Miata that the alternative to a tool like that is hours of hammering and swearing. Persistence will get you there, though, you just need to learn to swear at it juuuust right :)

@jeffamb 4 жыл бұрын

I had to replace my outer tie rod, after 2 days, I cut the tie rod in half with a saw and just replaced the whole thing. A ball joint separator is only $20 and will help with a lot of things, something everyone should have in their tool box

@subabros9422 7 жыл бұрын

It's called a spark wrench Daniel. All kidding aside, Jon and company steered me toward this product a couple summers ago and it works great as advertised. I had the heaviness in my steering wheel after lowering on RCE yellows and ran for it for about a year before correcting my steering geometry. I suspect that year of me not running this kit is the reason why my rack and pinion is leaking like a sieve and in need of repair now.

@FlatironsTuning 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the feedback Dan! And glad that you like your Roll Center kit too :-)

@Daemione 7 жыл бұрын

Yup, pulling ball joints out of an old and/or rusty Subaru is no joke. When I did a couple of them a few years back Company23 didn't have their tool available, so I bought the more expensive Snap-on one. Did you guys have to drill out the pinch bolts as well? Those things usually snap like dry kindling.

@FlatironsTuning 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching! Yeah, those bolts were the only thing that didn't fight us. And I mean the only thing :-)

@ariesr4883 7 ай бұрын

You mentioned about steering angle that binds.... I have a lowered 03 DC5 with Roll center balljoints. My problem is when i back up and turn the wheel to the Right it feels the wheel is stuck and fighting againt/rubbing the firewall. When i drive straight im able to do full turn locks with any problems.

@ryanscott8717 2 жыл бұрын

amazing video. Answered of question of how low does the car need to be for this kit to be effective.

@FlatironsTuning 2 жыл бұрын

Very glad we could help. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

@bicyclewreck 7 жыл бұрын

Another great video. Just one thing to note, however: Whiteline uses a supplier called Daehwa or "Uniworld" that makes their parts in Kaesong, North Korea (DPRK). uniworld.en.ec21.com/company_info.jsp www.uni21c.com/eng/index.html You can call Whiteline to see if they've switched suppliers, but they were using Uniworld when I inquired. As an alternative, Geoff at Cygnus Performance turned me on to SuperPro a few years back. SuperPro's manufacturing---for the most part---is in Australia.

@FlatironsTuning 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks Sam. We have actually just started to carry SuperPro, and we did notice that they made this kit as well. We'll have to check and see how the two stack up! (pun intended?) :-)

@frankdasaro35 7 жыл бұрын

Sam Crawford I went with super pro for my roll center kit but decided to go with white lines anti lift kit just because it's been fairly proven to work.

@bicyclewreck 7 жыл бұрын

Frank Dasaro I hear ya. If you're happy then I'm happy.

@frankdasaro35 7 жыл бұрын

PocketDrummer definitely been using there products a lot less since I learned that out.

@psedog 6 жыл бұрын

Damnit, stop posting stuff that I now want to buy, lol.

@JeffBlaine 2 жыл бұрын

I had the Whiteline RCAK for a very long time. Eventually, of course, one of the balljoint boots degraded and eventually lost all of its grease. I didn't go WAY out of my way to find a replacement, but from all I could find you have to buy a whole new kit in order to get those proper balljoints replaced. Have you found otherwise?

@FlatironsTuning 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your question. There are now at least 2 if not 3 versions of these, so I'm not sure what replacement parts are available. I'd recommend checking in with Whiteline directly as they know their products better than anyone, and see if they can give you a part number. Once you have that, we can certainly help you track something down. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

@FroztiProductions 5 жыл бұрын

Do I need to adjust ride height after installing?

@FlatironsTuning 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your question. No, the taller ball-joint just positions the lower control arm lower, it would not raise the vehicle. Hope that helps, and Stay Tuned!

@A0SAirsoft 4 жыл бұрын

What is an acceptable angle for the lower control arm?

@FlatironsTuning 4 жыл бұрын

With the Macpherson suspension, you want a bit of a downward angle when the car is at rest. Within reason, the more angle you can get, the better. Worst case would be the arm being flat, or slightly tilted upward when the car is at rest. That would have the biggest negative impact on suspension geometry. Hope that helps and Stay Tuned!

@okthen8445 4 ай бұрын

Just got this and it seems like the tie rod ends are no different than stock other than a paint job. Is there more than meets the eye?

@nnr3 5 жыл бұрын

Is there any added NVH when these are installed?

@FlatironsTuning 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your question. On these parts, there is no NVH penalty because the construction of the replacement parts is basically the same as the factory parts. Hope that helps, and Stay Tuned!

@swagmastermike 3 жыл бұрын

Real kicker is the pinch bolts that break

@Medical_massage_co_il 4 жыл бұрын

do i need to re do my wheel alingment after installing this part ?

@FlatironsTuning 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your question. Yes, it would be strongly recommended. Since you are replacing your tie-rods, and you are changing your suspension geometry somewhat with the taller ball-joints, you will want to have your car aligned after installing these parts. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

@Medical_massage_co_il 4 жыл бұрын

@@FlatironsTuning thank you for your fast reply and all your good and interesting content !

@GawkGawkGliz 3 жыл бұрын

how does this work with airlift/air suspension?

@FlatironsTuning 3 жыл бұрын

That is a good question. It would definitely help with the handling, but keep in mind that the ideal that the ideal drop that these are designed for is 1" - 2". If the car is lowered a lot more than that, I'm not sure how much help these would be, but they would be better than the stock parts I think. I hope that helps and Stay Tuned!

@jesustorres2959 4 жыл бұрын

Would it be an issue if you install them with the stock suspension?

@FlatironsTuning 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your question. It would not create any issues if you installed them with a stock suspension. And you still may see some improvement with the suspension geometry as well. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

@jesustorres2959 4 жыл бұрын

@@FlatironsTuning thank you!

@ATARI-DAVE-73 4 жыл бұрын

why do whiteline ball joints not slide in with your hand like all other ball joints? superpro same type of kit ball joints fit no problems. sti and forester slide in and out with your hand too.

@FlatironsTuning 4 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your question. We have not had that issue, so I'm not sure what the issue could be. Maybe a slight variance in the size of the casting? Hope you were able to get it to work. Thanks for watching and Stay Tuned!

@ATARI-DAVE-73 4 жыл бұрын

@@FlatironsTuning hi, have a look at, No Subs WRX he has a video front roll centre kit install. i had to do what he did to fit them. thanks

@bozscaggzz7475 6 жыл бұрын

Is it worth it for stock height rides?

@FlatironsTuning 6 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your question Brian. At stock ride-height, the benefit is going to be less than if the car is lowered. I would say that I wouldn't jump to this unless you have had failures of the tie-rods or ball joints and need to replace them any way, or if you know that you are going to be dropping the car a bit in the future. Hope that helps, and thanks for watching!

@bozscaggzz7475 6 жыл бұрын

FlatironsTuning I spoke with whiteline and they did not recommend this kit for stock ride height. I don't have any plans to lower the car so I'll replace with OEM or Moog. Thanks for the reply.

@ginolaamg3218 5 жыл бұрын

The amount of correction on the white-line ones is pretty minimal compared to some better quality products on the market.. just saying.

@FlatironsTuning 5 жыл бұрын

Thanks for your comment. Depending on how aggressively the car is lowered, there are certainly other options that take this principle further. Stay Tuned for more information on these: www.flatironstuning.com//wisefab-front-knuckles-02-14-wrx-04-14-sti www.flatironstuning.com//wisefab-rear-knuckles-02-07-wrx-04-07-sti Thanks for watching!

@siyaindagulag. 2 жыл бұрын

When shifting the lower control arm pivot point is out of the question. 99% of the time.

@Silent_Keith 7 жыл бұрын

Quick fix for rusty pinch bolts and ball joints....Buy a new knuckle.

@FlatironsTuning 7 жыл бұрын

The further you get into this job, the better that option looks :-)

@Silent_Keith 7 жыл бұрын

Okay honest question time. I have the suspension set up from an S202 so my car is lowered via factory equipment, would you still recommend using the Whiteline RCA kit?

@FlatironsTuning 7 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the question Keith. I would say it would most likely be helpful. McPherson front suspension systems like having a slightly steeper down-angle on the lower control arms, and that is exactly what this does. I'd say it is definitely worth a shot :-) Especially if you see any of those same components that have signs of wear.