Thread: Balljoint front lower arm RBJ500920

Both arms were replaced at 150K with Britpart brand (any port in a storm) when 1 balljoint was found very worn. By 7-9 months they had both failed so were replaced with Delphi brand and now 14 months / 16K kms later I'll be refitting the good original shortly as a Delphi is doing lots of groaning when the steering is turned. Comparing the LR to the Britpart I found that the LR balljoints move at a greater angle than the Britpart for when at full suspension droop. The Britpart shank also protrudes some 5mm longer than the LR which puts the arm lower, increasing the angle.

I'm reminded that Bilstein rear airsprings are the shorter original versions fitted prior to MY07 even though Bilstein advertise them to fit the whole L322 range. Front arm part number RBJ500920 was introduced for MY07 which also superseded the 2 earlier part numbers. As MY07 rear shocks extend longer than earlier rear shocks, I now suspect that MY07 front shocks also extend longer which would require the balljoint in the lower arm to move at a greater angle than earlier versions. If at least some after-market arms are still based on the earlier arms then they may not be suitable for MY07+ and that is without adding the extra angle required for the Britpart example with its shank protruding further out.

My front suspension can top-out on my lumpy 2km driveway if I'm not careful.

I'll update with Delphi details when the noisy one is removed, but Lemforder or LR (do I need both my arms and legs?) next time. The original arms have a symbol that looks very much like the Lemforder symbol.

Lemforder are the best, leaning further than the LR original.
Lemforder.jpg