Carli Suspension Extreme Duty Upper & Lower Ball Joints

Get the last set of ball joints you will ever need for your Ram 2500/3500 4WD with the Carli Suspension Extreme Duty Upper & Lower Ball Joints CS-DBJP-03. If you own a Ram HD and you’ve spent any time researching front end parts, it’s likely you’ve heard of Carli Ball Joints. Now that the research has begun and you are overloaded with information, what’s the benefit to Carli Joints?

The key differentiators lie in the materials, process, and design. Carli focuses on these elements without delving too much into the specifics--leaving the technical details to the engineers who craft these advanced components. Carli's lifetime ball joints have been in use for years, and as the market becomes more competitive, the question of "what makes these so special" is asked more frequently. Here's an insight into what makes these joints unique.

To improve upon the ball joint, Carli took a deeper look at the factory design, cutting it apart to understand its functionality. The upper ball joint serves as a pivot point for the knuckle, bearing only lateral loads. Inside the factory ball joint, the housing contains grease, with the "hat" of the pin floating during steering cycles to prevent the pin from coming out of the housing. However, this design also has a sleeve isolating the pin from the housing, with the vertical surface of the sleeve being the sole wear surface for the upper ball joint.

Carli's design builds on this concept with several key improvements. The upper ball joint still uses a floating king pin but incorporates a "hat" of the pin that contacts the housing. This change creates a second wear surface, which helps distribute lateral loads more evenly while maintaining the factory failsafe to prevent the pin from being pulled through the housing. Unlike the factory design, Carli's ball joints eliminate the isolating sleeve, removing a potential failure point. The upper cavity is larger to accommodate a bigger grease reserve, and the threaded cap allows for easy access to the cavity and pin, enabling servicing via a Zerk fitting. A channel in the pin helps grease flow directly to the wear surface, and a Viton seal at the bottom of the housing ensures the environment remains sealed out.

The lower ball joints are true ball joints in the AAM design. Unlike the upper king pin, the lower joint uses a ball and socket design that allows for lateral misalignment. This spherical joint allows the knuckle to track on an imperfect axis with minimal vertical movement during steering. The factory lower joint relies on a pin isolated from the housing by a nylon material, which eventually fails and necessitates replacement. Carli's improvement focuses on serviceability, with a recessed Zerk fitting that makes it easier to grease the joint without disassembling anything. Channels are machined into the ball surface to aid grease migration, and, once again, there are no liners. A bronze wear surface, preloaded by a disc spring, safety washer, and snap ring, ensures that the wear surfaces stay tightly together for optimal performance. A rubber seal locks the housing to the pin for added durability.

Carli's confidence in their materials is backed by years of testing and refinement. The ball joints undergo a multi-step process, starting with copper plating to mask the joint, followed by carburizing to create a hard surface with superior case hardness. This process results in wear surfaces that are incredibly hard and durable. After heat treatment, the joints are coated with a corrosion-resistant dry-lube and paired with high-performance grease for optimal lubrication and longevity.

Carli's commitment to producing the best product is evident in their willingness to safeguard their proprietary processes and materials, which have been refined over years of development and investment. To ensure peace of mind, Carli offers an Advanced Replacement Lifetime Guarantee. Customers simply need to keep their purchase receipt, and if the ball joints ever fail (with excess vertical play over 0.040" or lateral play over 0.020"), Carli will send replacements with a return label for the defective joints. This customer-centric policy ensures that Carli stands behind their products, offering both superior quality and long-term support.

Features:

• (2) Upper Ball Joints
• (2) Lower Ball Joints
• Tube of CV2 Grease
• Lower Ball Joint Tool
• Lifetime Warranty