This has been coming up a lot lately, the discussion of which ball joints are the best ones to use for your Jeep Wrangler TJ. Well, I'm going to sum this up short and sweet. The ball joints you want to buy are the Spicer 706944X ball joints (you need two of those, and that threaded brass insert included in the kit is for old YJs, it's not used on our TJs). These work on both Dana 30 and Dana 44 front axles (the only two front axles ever offered with the Jeep Wrangler TJ) and they are proven time-and-time again to last in excess of 100k miles for most of us, even with bigger tires and off-roading.
Should I consider the Synergy ball joints?
NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! The Synergy ball joints are notorious for premature failure, often times with only a few thousand miles on them. Do not believe the marketing hype that Synergy has tried to establish with these ball joints. These are widely regarded as being complete pieces of junk, that are in no way, shape, or form superior to the factory Spicer 706944X ball joints. I can promise you that you will regret buying Synergy ball joints, so don't make the mistake so many others have.
Here's some threads from this forum on Synergy ball joints and the bad experiences people have had with them:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/synergy-ball-joints.3269/
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/upgraded-ball-joints.276/
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/synergy-ball-joints-bad-after-only-7k-miles.12319/
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/upgraded-ball-joints.276/#post-158288 (an update from @Ted about a second set of Synergy ball joints that failed in under 5k miles!)
How about TeraFlex ball joints?
In my opinion, avoid these as well. I don't have any real world experience with them, but I've read plenty of bad things about them, including this:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/any-experience-with-teraflex-ball-joints.11050/#post-174105
How do I change my ball joints?
If you're interested in changing your own ball joints on your Jeep Wrangler TJ, check out this how-to thread: How to replace the ball joints on your Jeep Wrangler TJ
Special Tools
I highly, highly suggest purchasing these tools when doing your ball joints. These tools will make the job so much easier (not an exaggeration either)!
You can rent a ball joint press from Autozone, but the tools I linked to above are a must have tool if you plan on owning your Jeep for a long time (especially if you off-road at all).
Should I consider the Synergy ball joints?
NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT! The Synergy ball joints are notorious for premature failure, often times with only a few thousand miles on them. Do not believe the marketing hype that Synergy has tried to establish with these ball joints. These are widely regarded as being complete pieces of junk, that are in no way, shape, or form superior to the factory Spicer 706944X ball joints. I can promise you that you will regret buying Synergy ball joints, so don't make the mistake so many others have.
Here's some threads from this forum on Synergy ball joints and the bad experiences people have had with them:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/synergy-ball-joints.3269/
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/upgraded-ball-joints.276/
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/synergy-ball-joints-bad-after-only-7k-miles.12319/
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/upgraded-ball-joints.276/#post-158288 (an update from @Ted about a second set of Synergy ball joints that failed in under 5k miles!)
How about TeraFlex ball joints?
In my opinion, avoid these as well. I don't have any real world experience with them, but I've read plenty of bad things about them, including this:
https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/any-experience-with-teraflex-ball-joints.11050/#post-174105
How do I change my ball joints?
If you're interested in changing your own ball joints on your Jeep Wrangler TJ, check out this how-to thread: How to replace the ball joints on your Jeep Wrangler TJ
Special Tools
I highly, highly suggest purchasing these tools when doing your ball joints. These tools will make the job so much easier (not an exaggeration either)!
You can rent a ball joint press from Autozone, but the tools I linked to above are a must have tool if you plan on owning your Jeep for a long time (especially if you off-road at all).
