ICON Vehicle Dynamics announced today the introduction of its Delta Joint, a new suspension component that combines the durability of a ball joint with the performance of a traditional uniball.
The Delta Joint’s patent pending design came about after ICON’s engineering team discovered a pattern of premature uniball wear. “What was peculiar about these cases was that they seemed to be consistently reported from areas in which road salts and other harsh de-icing agents are used throughout the year,” ICON reports in its press release.
“After the inspection of several sets of uniballs, it was clear that wear and tear was being accelerated on these components in these particular conditions.”
ICON reports that while the industry standard uniball does a great job of allowing the control arms of a vehicle to articulate with little bind, their daily exposure to the elements makes them vulnerable to premature wear.
“Whether it be corrosive chemicals used on roadways or the unforgiving dirt and mud that comes with off-road adventure, uniballs allow this debris to build up and eventually work its way into the internals causing wear and possibly failure,” ICON states. “Understanding this flaw and the problems that it creates is what sparked the idea of developing a heavy duty, high angle retrofit ball joint which ultimately led to the creation of the patent pending ICON Delta Joint.”
The Delta Joint features a zinc plated housing which provides the first layer of corrosion resistance, while a tough grease seal keeps potentially harmful elements out of the inner workings of the joint. Metal on metal construction and a greasable design increase the longevity of the Delta Joint while at the same time allowing for noise-free operation. A carburized taper pin decreases internal friction and further improves corrosion resistance.
“It is the design of the Delta Joint’s taper pin that allows it to achieve the high angularity required to optimize suspension geometry in lifted applications,” ICON reports. “Combine these features with the fact that the Delta Joint repeatedly outperformed the traditional 1-inch uniball in industrial pullout tests and it’s clear that this is a no-compromise addition to the vehicle’s suspension.”
The ICON Vehicle Dynamics Delta Joint is currently available in retrofit kits for all ICON tubular steel and billet upper control arms, as well as in upper control arm kits that have the Delta Joint pressed into them during the ICON manufacturing process. To retrofit a Delta Joint into a set of ICON upper control arms is a fairly simple operation, according to ICON. However there are tools offered by ICON to make the job even easier.
ICON’s Delta Joint will eventually be offered in additional applications and sizes, including competitors’ brands.