20 Mile Trip, Bad Ball Joints

[MODALsoul]

so as some of you may know, my two front ball joints are bad... but DCI is going on this weekend in stanford, ca and i live in hayward, ca... it's about a 20 mile drive and usually i try to play it safe and stay as local as i can. but i really want to go, think i should go? or should i just forget about it

[datzenmike]

Define bad.

20 miles or 2 miles is the same if it is bad enough to cause an accident, right?

[MODALsoul]

true. i'll probably just have to avoid being young and stupid this time around thanks

[I'm BLUE]

Not worth the risk , especially liability ( do you have to claim fault in Cali in accidents ? ) Bad Tie-Rods ( I mean worn ones not just tired ) scare the shiz out of me when I am working , use to drive a work truck that required you moved the steering wheel 1/3-1/2 turns to keep the thing going straight :blink: :blink: :blink: I finally had to "suggest firmly" that if it didn't get fixed ---> you get the idea :mellow: , thing is solid and smooth now :D

 

Brakes/Steering are 2 things I do not test :D

[thisismatt]

I don't know if this is gonna fly, but I got this crazy insane idea. What if, and just bear with me now...what if...you got and installed new ball joints???

[I'm BLUE]

I don't know if this is gonna fly, but I got this crazy insane idea. What if, and just bear with me now...what if...you got and installed new ball joints???

 

:lol: +1 --- not that hard to do , just need your tools and an free evening MODALsoul :D , in fact stop driving until you do if you can ;)

 

Check your Tie-Rods while your there :D ( you can get damn close for alignment if you are counting threads/spins and mark/measure areas if need be )

[HRH]

Go for it! I once drove a 1963 Ford F100 with no brakes and one headlight from Kachina Village on I-17 all the way to my house in east Flag. Just geared down to stop. Had like 15 cars behind me, one pulled out to pass on a double yellow and a cop pulled him over! ;) Granted, this was when I was 19, in college, and very stupid.

[cosmo]

ask my brother what happens when you get brand new tires and drive from where i live in portland to sac city cali, with bad tie rods...... needless to say, 200 dollars in front tires barley made it and the were brand spanken new. not to mention what dtp said about have to turn the wheel a half turn to keep it straight. i had a nissan hard body that had just one bad tie rod and on the freeway if you were not carefull all of a sudden it would jerk into another lane, scared the piss out of me once when there was a car there, lucky they were paying attention. anyway, advise against it by all means. spend the thirty bucks and couple hours and fix it. the whole "been there, done that" only really works if you survive to tell about it.

[datzenmike]

"There are old drivers and bold drivers, but no old bold drivers" ... just remember that.

[nismo dr]

old and bold

http://www.cobbsociety.com/content/index.cfm?pageid=6

 

a buddy of mine in a mazda 626 was driving from new york to phoenix had a ball joint totally let loose about half way, tied it together with speaker wire and somehow madde it all the way to phoenix :blink:

[sick620]

Man this is where you make memories if thats good or bad you can be the judge.....

[74datsun620]

Just fix it right and injoy your Datsun.