Which is better?

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 2:34 am

Lee's & others Ball-Joint front ends have easily adjustable camber & caster.......... :2cents:

joemama · Post by **joemama** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 2:47 am

I have a balljoint beam on my current clone. Works great on the street,off road I would like more travel. How much travel can you get out of a stock linkpin front beam? How much more than balljoint?

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 7:08 pm

Well, at this point in time we actually have a pan with a balljoint frontend and a pan with a linkpin frontend. Both pans are in worse condition once we got them home and started to thoroughly examine them than we thought. We are in the process now of looking for a new pan and we were just wondering which one to look for. So far everyone has said that the linkpin is stronger for off-road and on road, but I was wondering if there were any advantages to having a balljoint for strickly street use.

CairoManx · Post by **CairoManx** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 10:54 pm

[QUOTE="streetbuggy"] I was wondering if there were any advantages to having a balljoint for strickly street use.[/QUOTE] Ball joint have easier to adjust camber and caster. They are easier and cheaper to overhaul/replace than link/king pin. You can install stock junkyard Karman Ghia disc brakes on ball joint.

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 10:58 pm

really the only thing that is weak about a BJ beam is the ball joints. Pretty much everything else on a BJ beam is stronger. The only reason There used in off road is because you can only get about 8 inches of travel with them, where as a linkpin beam the most i've heard of is 20 iches of travel. A ball joint beam will be fine for street use. They handle better than a linkpin beam. Unless your planning on doing massive jumps and slamming into pot holes a Ball joint beam would be my suggestion.

I have a balljoint beam on my current clone. Works great on the street,off road I would like more travel. How much travel can you get out of a stock linkpin front beam? How much more than balljoint?

A stock linkpin beam will not have any more travel than a ball joint beam. The main reason there better for off road is because you can make them so they have more travel by adding longer arms to them and other various things.

manxdavid · Post by **manxdavid** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 11:02 pm

[QUOTE="mel hubbard"]Now come on Dave which one?? you cant have both

With all the anti speed ramps in the UK, doesn't that qualify for the occasional rough stuff? :rock:[/QUOTE] OK then ball-joints, but good quality ones; not South American crap.

Gene-C · Post by **Gene-C** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 11:31 pm

I apply my same feeble reasoning to this issue that I apply to the brakes. The ball joints and the brakes were designed by real engineers to perform well on a car that weighs much more than a buggy does. Therefore, either should be fine. Ball joints are much more user friendly and will take quite a pounding in the sand. However, I know the king pins will take more. :2cents:

Lee · Post by **Lee** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 12:02 am

"However, I know the king pins will take more." Correct, as long as you avoid the South American parts, like David said. Poorly made king and link pins will break the same as poorly made ball joints with hard use. German ones are the way to go, or you can get heavy duty king and link pins from places like McKenzies.