Hardrace camber-adding (offset)/roll-center-adjusting ball joints for STR and track S2000s
07-25-2011, 10:24 PM
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Hardrace camber-adding (offset)/roll-center-adjusting ball joints for STR and track S2000s
For those that run their cars in STR and/or also track their cars, increasing front camber is a must, both for fast times, and also to increase tire life. The main choices before were either the SPC upper ball joint, or the J's racing camber joint. The SPC ball joint was inexpensive, but people have had issues with the ball joint slipping in it's plates and unknowingly losing front camber. The J's Racing solution is great becuase it's a stout piece that will never slip and also sheds some weight because of it's aluminum construction, but unfortunately, you have to pay thru the nose for "JDM bling." Well, now there is a solution that is relatively inexpensive like the SPCs, but as stout and as light as the J's Racing camber joints. A company called Hardrace makes a camber joint that is very similar to the J's Racing version for almost half the price.
The part number is 6621. It's pretty much a replica of the J's Racing L1 joint, that includes a plate to adjust the roll center for lowered cars. The plate and the mount are made out of aluminum, and the kit includes all the hardware needed to install it on your car. Hardrace camber joints were installed on the S2000 that won the Lincoln National Tour and took 2nd at the Lincoln Pro-Solo. With these camber joints, I was able to get 4 degrees of camber on my S2000!!! They have been sold out for a while, but have recently come back in stock!!!
The next time I do an install, I will take pics and do a write-up on how to install it, but it's really very simple. The hardest part is popping the ball joint out of the lower arm. I'd like to warn you guys, I do NOT recommend using the method of wedging a ratchet as was done on a youtube video. I tried that as well as another S2000 owner, and not only did it NOT pop off the ball joint, one of my OEM dust boots was torn in the process. Instead, go to your local parts store, and rent (for free) a Pitman Arm Puller. They just happened to be the exact width to fit on the bottom a-arm. Please take care to not sandwich the dustboots when using them. I used a screwdriver to slide the dustboot out of the way. Once positioned correctly, they pop off the ball joint in seconds. Once I get another set of the Hardrace balljoints in my possession, I will post pics of how to use the Pitman Arm Puller.
Please note, if using the Hardrace offset camber joints for STR, the roll center adjusting plates cannot be used.
In doing some research about Hardrace, it looks like they've had success in building some quality suspension parts for Civics and other makes of cars. For you track guys, they make a ton of spherical bushing equipped suspension parts for the S2000 (illegal in STR). They do however make engine, differential, and steering mounts that are made of a stiffer bushing material that is legal for STR, and I will do write-ups on those when I am able to get them in my hands as well.
The US distributor is called VelocityShop. You can google them to find out more info on the camber joints and other Hardrace parts.
Hope this helps,
James Yom
The part number is 6621. It's pretty much a replica of the J's Racing L1 joint, that includes a plate to adjust the roll center for lowered cars. The plate and the mount are made out of aluminum, and the kit includes all the hardware needed to install it on your car. Hardrace camber joints were installed on the S2000 that won the Lincoln National Tour and took 2nd at the Lincoln Pro-Solo. With these camber joints, I was able to get 4 degrees of camber on my S2000!!! They have been sold out for a while, but have recently come back in stock!!!
The next time I do an install, I will take pics and do a write-up on how to install it, but it's really very simple. The hardest part is popping the ball joint out of the lower arm. I'd like to warn you guys, I do NOT recommend using the method of wedging a ratchet as was done on a youtube video. I tried that as well as another S2000 owner, and not only did it NOT pop off the ball joint, one of my OEM dust boots was torn in the process. Instead, go to your local parts store, and rent (for free) a Pitman Arm Puller. They just happened to be the exact width to fit on the bottom a-arm. Please take care to not sandwich the dustboots when using them. I used a screwdriver to slide the dustboot out of the way. Once positioned correctly, they pop off the ball joint in seconds. Once I get another set of the Hardrace balljoints in my possession, I will post pics of how to use the Pitman Arm Puller.
Please note, if using the Hardrace offset camber joints for STR, the roll center adjusting plates cannot be used.
In doing some research about Hardrace, it looks like they've had success in building some quality suspension parts for Civics and other makes of cars. For you track guys, they make a ton of spherical bushing equipped suspension parts for the S2000 (illegal in STR). They do however make engine, differential, and steering mounts that are made of a stiffer bushing material that is legal for STR, and I will do write-ups on those when I am able to get them in my hands as well.
The US distributor is called VelocityShop. You can google them to find out more info on the camber joints and other Hardrace parts.
Hope this helps,
James Yom
07-26-2011, 04:02 AM
#2
The easiest way to get the ball joint out of the hub is to hit it with a big hammer. Just put a nut on the very end to protect the threads if you ever think you might need to reuse them. Much easier than a ball joint tool.
The install is very easy though. I had some J's L1 joints on my last s2k (which I got for a steal) and didn't run into any problems. I will say the roll center aspect of them didn't change the feel of the car at all.
The only thing I would question with these is the quality of the actual joint inside the boot. Looks like a simple piece but I'm sure it can somehow be screwed up.
The install is very easy though. I had some J's L1 joints on my last s2k (which I got for a steal) and didn't run into any problems. I will say the roll center aspect of them didn't change the feel of the car at all.
The only thing I would question with these is the quality of the actual joint inside the boot. Looks like a simple piece but I'm sure it can somehow be screwed up.
07-26-2011, 08:17 AM
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For those that run their cars in STR and/or also track their cars, increasing front camber is a must, both for fast times, and also to increase tire life. The main choices before were either the SPC upper ball joint, or the J's racing camber joint. The SPC ball joint was inexpensive, but people have had issues with the ball joint slipping in it's plates and unknowingly losing front camber. The J's Racing solution is great becuase it's a stout piece that will never slip and also sheds some weight because of it's aluminum construction, but unfortunately, you have to pay thru the nose for "JDM bling." Well, now there is a solution that is relatively inexpensive like the SPCs, but as stout and as light as the J's Racing camber joints. A company called Hardrace makes a camber joint that is very similar to the J's Racing version for almost half the price.
The part number is 6621. It's pretty much a replica of the J's Racing L1 joint, that includes a plate to adjust the roll center for lowered cars. The plate and the mount are made out of aluminum, and the kit includes all the hardware needed to install it on your car. Hardrace camber joints were installed on the S2000 that won the Lincoln National Tour and took 2nd at the Lincoln Pro-Solo. With these camber joints, I was able to get 4 degrees of camber on my S2000!!! They have been sold out for a while, but have recently come back in stock!!!
The next time I do an install, I will take pics and do a write-up on how to install it, but it's really very simple. The hardest part is popping the ball joint out of the lower arm. I'd like to warn you guys, I do NOT recommend using the method of wedging a ratchet as was done on a youtube video. I tried that as well as another S2000 owner, and not only did it NOT pop off the ball joint, one of my OEM dust boots was torn in the process. Instead, go to your local parts store, and rent (for free) a Pitman Arm Puller. They just happened to be the exact width to fit on the bottom a-arm. Please take care to not sandwich the dustboots when using them. I used a screwdriver to slide the dustboot out of the way. Once positioned correctly, they pop off the ball joint in seconds. Once I get another set of the Hardrace balljoints in my possession, I will post pics of how to use the Pitman Arm Puller.
Please note, if using the Hardrace offset camber joints for STR, the roll center adjusting plates cannot be used.
In doing some research about Hardrace, it looks like they've had success in building some quality suspension parts for Civics and other makes of cars. For you track guys, they make a ton of spherical bushing equipped suspension parts for the S2000 (illegal in STR). They do however make engine, differential, and steering mounts that are made of a stiffer bushing material that is legal for STR, and I will do write-ups on those when I am able to get them in my hands as well.
The US distributor is called VelocityShop. You can google them to find out more info on the camber joints and other Hardrace parts.
Hope this helps,
James Yom
The part number is 6621. It's pretty much a replica of the J's Racing L1 joint, that includes a plate to adjust the roll center for lowered cars. The plate and the mount are made out of aluminum, and the kit includes all the hardware needed to install it on your car. Hardrace camber joints were installed on the S2000 that won the Lincoln National Tour and took 2nd at the Lincoln Pro-Solo. With these camber joints, I was able to get 4 degrees of camber on my S2000!!! They have been sold out for a while, but have recently come back in stock!!!
The next time I do an install, I will take pics and do a write-up on how to install it, but it's really very simple. The hardest part is popping the ball joint out of the lower arm. I'd like to warn you guys, I do NOT recommend using the method of wedging a ratchet as was done on a youtube video. I tried that as well as another S2000 owner, and not only did it NOT pop off the ball joint, one of my OEM dust boots was torn in the process. Instead, go to your local parts store, and rent (for free) a Pitman Arm Puller. They just happened to be the exact width to fit on the bottom a-arm. Please take care to not sandwich the dustboots when using them. I used a screwdriver to slide the dustboot out of the way. Once positioned correctly, they pop off the ball joint in seconds. Once I get another set of the Hardrace balljoints in my possession, I will post pics of how to use the Pitman Arm Puller.
Please note, if using the Hardrace offset camber joints for STR, the roll center adjusting plates cannot be used.
In doing some research about Hardrace, it looks like they've had success in building some quality suspension parts for Civics and other makes of cars. For you track guys, they make a ton of spherical bushing equipped suspension parts for the S2000 (illegal in STR). They do however make engine, differential, and steering mounts that are made of a stiffer bushing material that is legal for STR, and I will do write-ups on those when I am able to get them in my hands as well.
The US distributor is called VelocityShop. You can google them to find out more info on the camber joints and other Hardrace parts.
Hope this helps,
James Yom
I've been trying to find out more info on these. Thanks for posting.
07-26-2011, 10:53 AM
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A hammer doesn't always work. It was easy for removing the OEM ball joint on one side of my car, but the other side needed a combination of the hammer and a pickle fork to get out after endless banging, pushing, and pulling. One of the worst installs I've been through. The pickle fork was all I could find at my local auto parts store, and it ruined the dust boot on the OEM ball joint. At that point, I decided I was going to spend the money on a new ball joint if/when I ever go back to stock.
07-26-2011, 01:05 PM
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07-26-2011, 01:15 PM
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The only thing that worries me is the strength or quality of the aluminum used as well as the quality of the ball joint used. There's a tremendous amount of force applied in a pulling direction and would hate to find out the hard way that the products used weren't up to the task.
Thanks for posting this up, I've been looking at them for a while but just wasn't sure of the material used.
Thanks for posting this up, I've been looking at them for a while but just wasn't sure of the material used.
07-26-2011, 01:31 PM
#9
^I'm right there with you and mentioned the same thing above. I wasn't so much worried about the aluminum as the actual ball joint. I'll probably just keep looking around for some used J's part or just get their standard camber joints and turn them into roll center adjusters myself.
07-26-2011, 02:03 PM
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If you guys are worried that these are some cheap knock offs with low quality, you're worries are ill-founded. First let me just tell you, these things are BEEFY. If they wanted to be cheap, the hardware they provide would reflect cheapness, but the hardware they provided is anything but cheap. They even upgraded the size of the castle nut on the ball joint (found that out the hard way). As for quality of the ball joint, what's to say that the J's Racing ball joint is any better than this one? That's pure speculation on your part, as I can guarantee that J's does not make their own ball joints and gets them from a 3rd party supplier, just like Hardrace does.
Thus far, the one set that I've had has been installed on two different cars, has been autoxed at a cumulative 7 events (autox is harder on these joints than on the track IMO due to the repeated direction changes in a short span of time), and has also been daily driven for the last few months, and there has been no problems that I'm aware of. If you do a search on Hardrace, there are guys that track their Civics that speak very highly of the build quality and beefieness of Hardrace products. They've been around for a while, they just haven't made products for the S2000 until recently. And if you look at their website, they make a TON of other suspension parts for all different kinds of makes and models, not just Hondas. I don't think a company would be around long enuf or make such a wide variety of parts for so many different makes and models if their parts were second rate. They've just never made a big push in the US until now.
Hope that alleviates some of your fears of this being an inferior product.
Thus far, the one set that I've had has been installed on two different cars, has been autoxed at a cumulative 7 events (autox is harder on these joints than on the track IMO due to the repeated direction changes in a short span of time), and has also been daily driven for the last few months, and there has been no problems that I'm aware of. If you do a search on Hardrace, there are guys that track their Civics that speak very highly of the build quality and beefieness of Hardrace products. They've been around for a while, they just haven't made products for the S2000 until recently. And if you look at their website, they make a TON of other suspension parts for all different kinds of makes and models, not just Hondas. I don't think a company would be around long enuf or make such a wide variety of parts for so many different makes and models if their parts were second rate. They've just never made a big push in the US until now.
Hope that alleviates some of your fears of this being an inferior product.