Anyone Using EMF Ball Joints?

[TimothyLong]

The time has come to replace the ball joints on my wife's 2013 Ram 4x4 with 91K miles on it. I'm considering getting a set of EMF ball joints for her truck and would like to hear from you kind folks that are running them how you like them. I have zero experience with them and don't know anyone that has them, but I've read that they are supposed to be very good.

That being said, I have Dynatracs on my 2013 Ram 2500 and I love them. I also had a set on my old 2003 Ram 2500 and put about 100K miles on them with no issue before I sold it to get the truck I have now. I have no issue getting a set of Dynatracs for my wife's truck, but the EMF ball joints are quite a bit less expensive and the difference in price would all but pay for a new set of shocks, which she also needs. And before anyone asks, yes, the front axle u-joints will be getting replaced at the same time.

I'd very much appreciate any feedback that anyone has to offer.


2013 Ram 2500 Laramie QC LB 4x4, Thuren Fabrication adjustable track bar, sway bar kit, and 2" leveling kit, Bilstein 5100 shocks, Westin Chrome Ultimate Bull Bar, Weatherguard Saddle Box, Line-X Bed Liner, Cooper Discoverer AT3 XLT's LT315/70/R17

 

[TRAMPLINEMAN]

I put them on my ‘14. The install went great and they seem like a very good product.

 

[Diesel Gunner]

Yes! I had them installed and really like them. Have been on the truck for about 30K. Even better when I had further questions on front end issues I texted them on a Sunday evening and got an answer back with suggestions on alignment which went even further in making this old truck steer better than when it was new. I HIGHLY recommend them.

Watch their You Tube videos to se how much they really know about what they are doing. And learn how not to fix steering issues.

 

[TimothyLong]

Yes! I had them installed and really like them. Have been on the truck for about 30K. Even better when I had further questions on front end issues I texted them on a Sunday evening and got an answer back with suggestions on alignment which went even further in making this old truck steer better than when it was new. I HIGHLY recommend them.

Watch their You Tube videos to se how much they really know about what they are doing. And learn how not to fix steering issues.

What did they recommend for the alignment? Just curious because when I got the set of tires I have on now, I had the tire shop use Don Thuren's alignment specs and I really like the way my truck handles with it. Since I already had Thuren's adjustable track bar, sway bar kit, and leveling kit (front coil springs) installed, I decided to give it a try. I can honestly say that going down the road now I can let go of the steering wheel and my truck will keep the line until I turn the steering wheel, zero drift to one side or the other. On that note, I had the track bar installed at the same time as the leveling kit (the sway bar kit came later) and I still had the factory ball joints at that point. By the next time I took my truck in to get the tires rotated (I do that pretty religiously every 6K miles), the tire shop told me that the ball joints were starting to go (I think I only had about 60K miles on the truck at the time). It might have just been coincidence, but I think the stiffer Thuren track bar had something to do with that.

Thanks for the info and the feedback!

 

[Diesel Gunner]

EMF recommended going for 4 degrees caster and .1 toe in. I was only able to get 3.7 degrees caster and set it a .1 toe in. Keep in mind that my truck is a 2001. I would bet that they would be happy to answer any of your questions direct via text (403) 999-0592. And take the time to watch their your tube vids. Lots of things get explained there.

 

[TimothyLong]

EMF recommended going for 4 degrees caster and .1 toe in. I was only able to get 3.7 degrees caster and set it a .1 toe in. Keep in mind that my truck is a 2001. I would bet that they would be happy to answer any of your questions direct via text (403) 999-0592. And take the time to watch their your tube vids. Lots of things get explained there.

The Thuren recommendations are similar. Thuren recommends 0 to 0.05 degrees toe-in and 3.2 to 4.0 degrees caster for the 2010 - 2019 diesel trucks. My tire shop was able to get the toe-in, but could only get about 3.3 degrees caster on my 2013. None the less, it works very well for me.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[AEdelheit]

The Thuren recommendations are similar. Thuren recommends 0 to 0.05 degrees toe-in and 3.2 to 4.0 degrees caster for the 2010 - 2019 diesel trucks. My tire shop was able to get the toe-in, but could only get about 3.3 degrees caster on my 2013. None the less, it works very well for me.

Thanks for sharing!

I would consult a different shop as there should be no reason they cant get 5-6 deg of caster if they wanted. With stock wheels a little more caster could help. If you have wheels with low offset then caster numbers work like the 3.3 deg as there is more leverage on the ball joints but stock wheels 4 deg would be better. .10 toe in is alot....