Lower Ball Joints On The Radar

After the explosion of interest in the Carli Extreme Duty Upper Ball Joints, the big question is "Where are the lower ball joints for the Dodge Ram?" Well, we've answered the call and we'll be prototyping lower ball joints in the next few weeks. You can expect the same development time as with our uppers and we'll probably wind up improving the design time and time again before the first production run. The upper ball joints were fitted with a two-stage aerospace dry lubricant process and we added zirc fittings for Red Line CV2 high performance grease and if that wasn't enough, we ported the pin for better grease flow. All of this was part of the improvement process on the unique design. We'll be doing this one more time to meet the demand of our first ball joint product.

The lower joint is actually a true "ball and socket" assembly and the upper is a "pivot joint" assembly. There are quite a few differences in the role these components play and the amount of force and direction they are subject to. Priding ourselves on extreme duty level components, the lower ball joints will be another brute strength product to compliment your Dodge Ram Suspension System.

Stay tuned for the development of another Carli only Dodge Ram product.

Dodge Ram Front End Rebuild

How many miles does it take before you find the front end of the truck, just not as tight as it used to be? For those of us who recreation off road with the same truck we drive in the city, that time is cut down even more. The cause? Simple, rubber track bar bushings, light weight upper ball joints and the OEM emulsion style steering stabilizer. The solution? Even simpler... a 4130 chromoly track bar that can be adjusted for 0 to 3 inches of lift, extreme duty upper ball joints and a Bilstein 7100 series IFP (internal floating piston) steering stabilizer.

After I upgraded to a 3.0 lift and added 37" tires, my stock stabilizer didn't stand a chance. Within a matter of 4,000 miles I noticed a steady decline in how tight my steering was. The immediate difference was felt with the Bilstein stabilizer, night and day from the OEM component. The track bar adjusts so that even if you don't have a lift now, you can still use it when you do, or vice versa. This will keep your front end within OEM geometry while upgrading design and material of critical components.

Everything here is life of the vehicle. Certainly the ball joints aren't going anywhere no matter how hard we punish them in the worst conditions... and the track bar with 3/4" ball and 7/8" shaft is not breaking down. This will rejuvenate that tired old feeling your Dodge Ram develops after the miles start stacking up and it will maintain that tightness without fade.

Check out the Dodge Ram Front End Upgrade System

Ball Joint Demand

Guys, the ball joints are a hotter item than we anticipated. We placed an order double of our first run and as of last week, we had a waiting list that accounted for all but 10 assemblies. The good news is that they're flying off the shelves before they even arrive... the downside is that we're forced to maintain an interest list for those of you who know you want a set. Jesse is taking interest every day and when the units arrive, he'll let you know and you can place your order on the spot.

We're going to have to bump up the production on these babies pretty soon as we'll be introducing a new Dodge Ram system that includes these as a component. Still for some of us, we just want the lifetime ball joint in our trucks... and for right now, that means you can get on the list for this order, or ask Jesse when the time is right to put your name on the next.

Bilstein 2.65 Production Valving

As the Carli order of Bilstein 2.65's come along in the production line, the call came in asking what the valve stack is going to be for the part number. Having developed an excellent riding system, that to date, rivals that of any street ride, Carli or any other system for that matter... and the shocking performance in the dirt with 4 Wheeler Magazine, we are stoked to introduce this system with such a broad range of outstanding performance. One of our finest freeway rides to date... and (same tune) is balanced while floating over big desert whoops.

The performance demonstrated in the videos, photos and soon to be published magazine, is the EXACT same level of performance from the Bilstein 2.65's you can expect in your shocks. There isn't any "one off" valve profile for hitting gnarly humps in the dirt... this is what we all can have. The system showcasing the Bilstein 2.65 shocks is running Carli Bumpstops in the front. Everything else about the suspension system is the same hardware each of our high end systems run.

These systems are just weeks away guys... stay tuned!

Carli Sway Control

Yesterday we outfitted one of the shop trucks with a custom rate adjustable sway-bar. First road tests are staggering... each of us taking turns in the driver's seat and every reaction was "no way"... what a difference. Increasing articulation by 30% and making the truck's manners pretty sweet.

You can actually get a sense that the front end of the truck is "detached" and the axle is allowed to do its job without undo movement of the chassis. Going into driveways at an angle... speed bumps while turning... offset terrain... you name it, the truck is completely different. I can't wait to get one on my truck. The last time I drove out of Mike's Sky Ranch on the trail to El Coyote, an hour and a half into the rock crawling and tight trail journey, I simply had to stop. The amount of "rocking" back and forth from side to side was enough to ring my bell a couple times with the seat belt clasp on the pillar and I conceded for a beer stop. As soon as mine is mounted, I'm planning to hit Baja's nasty terrain and feel for myself what really happens with a superior sway bar design and torsion rate.

The Ultimate Bumpstop

Working closely with King Off Road Racing Shocks, a Carli only part has been in development for a while... a true "upside down" bumpstop for the front of the Dodge Ram 4x4. The King technology delivers a true bumpstop that will allow for a definite hydraulic end point. So far, during our testing, these bumpstops come on nice and soft and scale up compression in a huge way - we like them better than previous versions so far. We're very happy to offer another increase in performance and one more component that is only available from Carli Suspension, Inc.

The order has been placed and these are in production... the only final test will be the valve tune and gas charge to get them just right. The Baja 1000 Pre-run in October will be the perfect platform to dial these in for the market.

Stay tuned for the release of these in October. This will make our Mexico trip even better!

Where are the Bilstein 2.65's

Following the first appearance of the Bilstein 2.65 system... the big question is, When will these systems be in production? The good news is that just a week after the successful testing, our part number is created in Bilstein's system. The great news is, there is a truck load of these 2.65 shocks already on the job board at the German shock manufacturer. We could have a shipment of shocks as soon as a week from now... however all of these are getting clear powder coating for superior corrosion resistance. Most of us in Southern California could get away without the final treatment, however Canada, East Coast and wet climates require a corrosion resistant process. We couldn't allow these out the door and ignore the final touch.

You can expect these on the shelf as well as our distributor's shelves in November!