Best quality front end parts available these days?

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Ball Joints, Tie Rods, etc. Who makes the good stuff?

Seems like I've heard mixed reviews of the brands I've thought would be considered best. i.e. only 15k out of a set of USA made ball joints.
 
Glad to hear that. I've always heard MOOG was great quality.

Is this still the case?
 
Just used Moog Tie Rod Ends on an '07 Charger. I was not pleased with the experience, one of them was missing a grease fitting and the other one had a faulty seal so it oozed grease right out of the boot as soon as I greased her up. From what I understand Moog was top notch, they've apparently fallen quite a ways.
 
Moog has fallen off IMO.. I've had good luck with Raybestos "professional grade" products on my Explorer.
 
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I did a little google searching and it seems today's MOOG isn't the same MOOG or at least a mixed bag of experiences, but plenty of bad ones especially recent and also some imported stuff in the mix:

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=168009
http://www.thechicagogarage.com/forum/car-discussion/51987-moog-parts-all-theyre-cracked-up.html
http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f310/moog-tie-rod-ends-any-good-1268362/

Any other good/recommended brands? Anything that's for sure USA Made?

Just dug a little more and according to PSN this thread, it looks like the problem is that MOOG was bought out and is repackaging other products of lower quality in MOOG boxes and diluting the MOOG name.
 
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If you have some kind of suspension bind or geometry problem from raising or lowering this phantom vehicle, It is hard to say if Moog "problem solver" joints will fix your problem.
 
I just bought two Moog lower control arms w/ball joints and two stabilizer bar end link kits from RockAuto. Everything was made in USA and excellent quality.
 
I believe Moog has recently started going offshore like everyone else, you may find some USA stock, but not for much longer. I heard this in another post.
 
Moog has two separate lines:

The R-Series from China for the cheap [censored].

And the USA made Problem Solver Series for those who want the best.
 
Interesting. So if it's USA MOOG, it sounds like it's still good. This is for a Powerstroke Diesel (Truck chassis). I've read on one of the Ford Truck forums in more than one thread that a set of MOOG Ball Joints lasted 15k which seems awefully short for the type of job ball joints are. I just did mine and I used the cheapest at OReilly's 'Master Pro brand' with a lifetime warranty after reading some bad reports on MOOG. I ask because I would have gladly paid 2x the price (or even 3x) if I was confident I was getting what I was paying for.

The job took a couple days including a little research, and other maintenance. I don't want to have to do it again any time soon.
 
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Even MOOG's supposed "best" these days, isn't great at all.
Raybestos is just OK.

I hear Deeza is where its at this current time, but this bothers a lot of 'Murican mindset kinda people, so I'm not too sure there's a app for the bigger American trucks.


.....do check on Rockauto, they are the bees knees when it comes to variety in suspension parts.
 
Moog has been owned by Federal Mogul since 1998, so the recent changes (if there have been any major recent changes) are not because it was "bought out" any time in recent years.

An noted, Moog still has a lot of good stuff, but it appears not all Moog parts are equal.

The R-series parts previously mentioned are a newer low-priced series of control arms.
http://www.moogproblemsolver.com/suspension/r-series-control-arms#.U7oV7PldVI0
Quote:
The MOOG® R-Series™ (RK) line of control arms is the right choice for the value-driven repair. These control arms feature MOOG engineering-validated construction and design, OE fit and form, and pre-installed OE style bushings and ball joints where applicable.


For other parts, there also is some variability. For example, look at the ball joints for my Nissan.

The Moog catalog shows the upper ball joint being part of the Problem Solver line. It's a real Moog part with "Moog" on the boot and on the ball joint itself.
http://www.fme-cat.com/overlays/part-det...ONTIER&vin=
K90663_ANG.jpg


But the lower ball joint for the same truck doesn't have the "Problem Solver" designation, doesn't say "Moog" on the part itself and appears to just be a generic part. Likely, this part is sourced by Moog from another manufacturer. It could be good, but it could be bad, too.
http://www.fme-cat.com/overlays/part-det...ONTIER&vin=
K500038_P01_BAC.jpg


I recently used some Deeza parts for a Ford Escort and was quite impressed with the quality. Not made in the USA, though.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2925508
 
I rebuilt my 92 Dodge truck front end 2 years ago. I got all Moog parts. I was not happy when some of the control arm bushings had cracks on the rubber.

Moog said it's cosmetic. I will monitor them over the years.
 
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