Long time lurker with some questions about my new to me Dodge 2500

[brodiee2]

Hey guys, i have been lurking expo for a few years now but this is my first post! I recently bought a 08 ram 2500 and i am looking for opinions on a few things. The truck is a single cab 4x4 with a hemi, currently has 155xxx miles on her or 240xxx km. The truck is stock other than a cheapo block lift. My questions start with the front end, the truck has a fair bit of play up front and after getting it up onto a lift today I discovered the upper drivers side ball joint is completely shot. first question, is it in my best interest to get the carli front end upgrade kit or just replace all the ball joints with oem parts? The Carli front end kit is $1900cad right now because of our weak dollar so its definitely a good chunk of change. can anyone chime in on the life span of the carli joints or there overall experience with the kit? I am also thinking about doing the carli starter suspension kit, it will also cost me around $1900. Are there any other good kits or is the carli what i want? I will be using the truck as a daily driver but spend most of my weekends of the beaten path quading and camping when weather permits.There is also a good chance i will put a pop top or other light camper on the truck in the future. Any help would be appreciated,

Thanks
Brodie

 

[chet6.7]

The two big names in ball joints are Carli and Dynatrac,the Carli's have a lifetime warranty,and the Dynatrac are rebuildable.I think Mood may have a lifetime warrenty as well,but they don't seem to last as long.I guess it comes down to how much you want to spend on labor ,or,time, if you have to rebuild them,and of course, the safety factor.
Death Wobble is not something I want to experience.

Carli and Thuren are the big names in Ram suspension at this time.There is a company called AEV that is supposed to be releasing some Ram suspension stuff soon,possibly in Feb. Google AEV SEMA to see and read about them.

There are other companies making Ram stuff, but from my readings on the Turbo Diesel Registry and the Cummins Forum they are of lesser quality then Carli and Thuren.
AEV has a reputation for good stuff in the Jeep world,so I suspect their offering to be quality as well,I am impatiently waiting for them to release some products.

 

[TwinStick]

I have a 2008 Dodge 2500 Power Wagon. Most of the same front end parts.

Be prepared. Dodges have absolute crap stock front end parts. I had to do a total rebuild at 18,500 miles. I bought truck brand new, ordered it. Dealer said nothing was wrong---even though i could not keep it in my lane when towing our camper. $4850+ later, it drives fine. I still need a new steering gearbox though.

Carli upper & lower balljoints
Carli adj trac bar. Adj to 39"
Carli CroMo control arms
PSC steering gearbox brace--- had to be notched & welded to clear my elec disconnecting swaybar.
MOOG HD tie rod ends x4
Spicer triple lip seal front axle u-joints
Borgeson steering shaft

My suspension is bone stock. No lift. I have Hellwig Load Pro 35's on rear & tow a 10,500 lb toyhauler.

The sad part is: USUALLY, but not always, no one part is so worn, that you can say "yup, there's your problem right there". It is the combination of crappy parts that cause death wobble. Just a tiny bit of play in the balljoints, control arms rubber bushings, tie rod ends, steering gearbox, steering shafts rubber bushings, u-joints, trac bars rubber bushings, can cause death wobble when they are all added together.

Tires/tire pressure
shocks
alignment
steering stabilizer
Lower cam bolts position
etc..

Can also be contibuting factors. My approach was to replace most everything at once. Even though it is costly, it is the cheapest way to go in the long run. I have never had death wobble. I never want to have death wobble. If i would have had more money, i also would have went with DynaTrac.s DynaLoc front lock out hubs.

 

[07Ram]

I will be going with carli joints in the future. My thinking is I'll do it right the first time as I don't want to have to mess with them again.

As for suspension, carli has hemi specific springs which is nice. If you get both I recommend the control arms as well as that would finish up replacing worn factory suspension parts. One thing to think about is that other than additional shipping costs, carli's parts can be bought separately. Build your truck a piece at a time.

For an alternative I recommend checking out BDS 3" suspension kit. Springs, control arms, track bar, sway bar links, shocks and rear block with u-bolts for $1,400 US. This was my second choice before deciding on carli.

Best of luck, and post some pics!

 

[brodiee2]

thanks for the input guys, all very helpful. Did you notice a big difference in ride quality from stock to your carli kit 07Ram?

 

[07Ram]

Yes, I did. It rides more like a 1/2 ton, very soft and flexible, it soaks up so much and gets better the faster you go. Its a Cadillac ride, at a Cadillac price. The only part I'm not impressed with is the torsion bar. I had it break in the middle of a full day trail ride (my fault, I think I over extended) and I never noticed a difference in the ride.

 

[Buliwyf]

The Carli joints are listed at $800? I don't get it?

But Carli has always been excellent stuff IMO. I've never been disappointed in any of their products. I hope to add one of their better 2.5" kits to my Superduty soon.

 

[07Ram]

He is talking about the front end kit which includes the ball joints, track bar and Bilstein stabilizer.