Hey guys - if big brakes are all that is needed to snap a ball joint then somebody phone the NTSB and become a hero for reporting a massive safety defect with a Lexus. Be the first on your block, be famous, get the credit for saving many lives.
Or not.
Read my previous post.

 

Dam this sure does sound quite strange

 

strange is not the word unlike what SRK is trying to imply i do have some idea about suspensions and brakes..

the balljoints sit at the very bottom of the steering knuckle , when you turn the steering wheel left or right the angle or castor degree change inward or outward on our cars so therefore the susp geometry changes as well.. my point was while making a left turn and hitting my brakes hard i heard a loud very clear pop.. it appears that while the wheels are turned the load shifts primarily to the lower ball joint and it could not take the force of the sudden stop .. 2 1/2 yrs ago after installing the supra tt brakes i was driving to a meet and someone stopped short in front of me so hitting the brake hard while turning to left (natural reaction as to not run in the back of someone) agin the same pop sound. i ignored it until i started to feel some loosness and decided to swap it out sure enough the entire joint had popped out of the socket , now tony you were at my home and i showed you that joint , you rem how it was destroyed , well this new joint looked the same so i dont think it was a faulty joint i think we need to be careful making a sudden panic stop while turning for you just might exp the same thing i did

 

any pics yet ??

 

sorry bro no pics because i had to exchange it under parts warranty and i was in a hurry to change it and get to work

 

But what's the purpose of having big brakes with all that stopping power if you have to be careful using them? That defeats the purpose. I want bigger, better brakes so I CAN go faster with confidence and then brake later with confidence, therefore stopping harder.

I hope yours is an isolated case, but you said it has happened TWICE already?

I hope if anyone else has ever had this problem, they let us know.

What kind of brakes your running? Brembo?

 

May I add one more piece of advice,

NEVER BRAKE HARD INTO A TURN WITH OR WITHOUT BIG BRAKES!!!

It throws your center of gravity off and lifts the rear end causing you to lose traction and possibly cause the rear end slide out from under you, especially if it's a high speed winding road.

Once into a turn you should already be in the lower gear ready to take off .

Hope this helps someone do something other then drive faster

 

umm this is weird ed.... you are actually the first guy i have heard with this happening, you sure the ball joint is put in correctly? i mean, a lot of people here including me with bbk and we brake hard too, but i havae never read about the ball joint being ripped apart coz' of the braking. if the braking power in the front is really that much more, i think the car would have fish tail bad.

just wondering. i just looked at my ball joint this past weekend and it looks ok, and i have had my bbk for almost 2 yrs

 

HENRY

THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO PUT IN A BALLJOINT , ITS EITHER RIGHT OR IT DOES NOT FIT


BRAHEEM ILLUSTRATED ABOVE EXACTLY WHAT I AM TALKING ABOUT, DONT BRAKE HARD WHILE INTO A SHARP TURN


all i am saying is it happened twice to me .. big brakes are great but was it designed by toyota or aftermarket.. if toyota designed it into the overall design of the car i am sure allowances would have been made for parts of the susp to absorb the extra clamping forces .. going from 2 piston to 6piston translates into at least 30-40% more clamping forces up front so with the wheel turned hard left or right while slamming brakes it is possible to snap ball joint.. i know for i have done it TWICE already

 

I wonder what ball joint these guys use? Didn't I read that Aristos have beefier front suspension too?


https://www.clublexus.com/forums/sho...64#post1476064

 

hahaha, easy on my ed, i never did ball joint in the past myself if i get a chance to talk to todd next time i will ask him about it

 

sorry henry for the caps i meant nothing by it i was typing and was too laszy to delete and redo

 

Pardon my ignorance, but what are the signs of bad lower ball joints?

Can we see it when the tire is removed? Or is the harshness/looseness felt while driving?

Pete

 

well todd of tmengineering showed me how bad ball joints are like. at least on a worn item, you will start to hear alot of noise when y ou turn and go up and down driveways, a lot of clunking noise and such

 

Thanks Henry...I hear alot of clunks (like loose suspension parts) when driving on uneven surfaces.

Pete