Why You Should be Upgrading Your UCA's
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- Опубликовано: 16 мар 2022
- Lots of people talk about Upper Control Arms when it comes to lifting your truck, but not everybody really understands what they actually do. We wanted to try and clear the air around UCA's and help you know WHY you should look at UCA's for your Toyota, as well as which Upper Control Arms would be best for you and your build: SPC? Total Chaos? Delta Joints? Rubber bushings? What's the best for your build?
Interested in purchasing or having new UCA's installed for your Toyota Tacoma, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser or Tundra? Hit us up!
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I’ve spent hours combing Tacoma world for simple answers and you guys nail it every time! Amazing content.
Check out tinkerer's adventure on uca. Makes this video look mickey mouse in comparison.
Just installed SPCs and an OME 005 kit on my Tacoma. Couldn't be happier. I tow 3500# and have the Decked Drawers and Leitner Rack so I went with the heavy leafs and coils.
Great content as always. Maddie suggested the JD Fab to go with my all around King2.5 setup. When it all gets here I will let you know. Appreciate the time you put into this 😊
Thanks Braeden that was really helpful for someone new to building their truck.
Glad I could help!!!
Looking forward to the next vid! This one is really insightful and helped me understand the need for SPC UCAs (or aftermarket in general). Loving my new Bilstein 6112/5160 + Icon RXT setup, thanks Braeden and Jenna!
Stoked you're happy, and glad I could be of some help!
What do you think of fab tech uca?
One of the most informal videos as far as knowledgeable explanations I’ve seen on UCA’s. Thanks.
My brother have been running King 2.5 and a total chaos UCA since 2018. He runs his Fj cruiser high speed desert dunes driving and he didn’t face any single issue. However last month he recognized uniball noise because he didn’t even know that he had to lubricate them
Using camburg and its probably the best one ☝🏽
Great Video, I have a 2005 Tacoma that I Bought used in late 2009 that has a Fabtech 6" lift (unfortunately 🤣) First thing I did was Buy a set of Total Chaos upper arms with Heim joint inners because Three different Shops couldn't get my alignment Right.
Even with these the Alignment wasn't great So I Replaced the Fabtech Coilovers with Fox Coilovers and new Springs (which are 750lbs) where as the Fabtechs were 600lbs.
I went with the 750lbs springs because I put a Hybrid front bumper and winch.
After doing this A Shop near me was able to get my alignment as Close too Factory as possible but still not Perfect.
I Still had too Trim my front fenders again when I replaced my 33's with 35's.
With all that being said, I've only Replaced my uni-balls twice So far. My truck is my Daily driver and Probably twice a month Snow/fire road driver Here in Washington State.
I had the SPC X Axis bushings fail under normal street driving. I threw on the Rough Country aluminum arms and they’ve been great, but the rubber boot dried out quickly. OEM style rubber bushings are the way to go for daily driving and occasional off-road camping stuff
Good break down.
SPC for my tundra, still in the research phase but once the 6112 are in stock might be more serious about making the switch
TC have been great in the Pnw for me. Original uniball and bushings with 40k miles and going strong. No noise either
I run the jd fab with rubber inner bushings and a set of dirt king lcas
I'm running Bilstein 6112/5160 + Bilstein UCA's. Front springs are 650 lbs. Loving it so far.
Update on the bilstein upper arms?
@@Constipatedoverlord Traded in my Taco to a newer Tundra. Had no issues from the time I bought them until the day we parted ways.
Thank you
I installed UCA's with poly bushing and Delta joints, 4* castor, drives better than stock by far. Small increase in droop. So far it's quiet. Your advise is spot on.
Big handling improvement for sure! Happy that your poly bushings are quiet!
I'm going to be using a core 4x4 uca with my carli commuter leveling kit. I have their rear control arm kit with their track bar.
I like the video, I’m looking for what uca to buy. I just wish you would’ve showed more images of top 3, but other than that good!
I agree! Still learning how to make good videos, but hopefully getting a bit better with each one! Thank you for the feedback!
Great video! I have a 2012 TTSE FJ Cruiser with OEM Bilstein 5100 shocks and OEM UCAs. I’m building my rig out to overland that will have steel bumpers. Can you please provide a UCA recommendation?
Been selling the SPC arms but in the last couple of years after 2020 the ball joints went to shit. We had customers with 50k of on/off road use on them. Now we would be lucky to see 20k before a failure. Switched to the ICON delta and they have been awesome. Was hard to find a good uca for Colorado's harsh climate winter/summer. So far so good!
getting jba arms with fox 2.5s cant wait
We kind of did, but I guess didn't really make it super obvious. We will be more clear in series 2!
Ty
Question, I just got Eibach Pro-Truck Coil-Over Kit; Stage 2R. Going to set to 2” front & 1.5” in back. Would you suggest new uca? Only doing trails for overland camping mostly. 21 Tacoma sr. Nothing serious on flexing the frame.
Thank for the video. Provides the assurance I need to pull the trigger with JD Fab. Did alot of research as well and going with there 2.25 LT w/ pivot kit. Will probably go with rubber bushings for the UCA. Any reseller u recommend? I live in PA.
Would love to hear your thoughts on some of the newer arms available to us Canadians, like the Bilstein B8’s or the ARB Old Man Emu ones. I’m frustrated with my SPC’s after the bushings failing twice in the last year and a half, so when looking into other options. It looks like these two are readily available in Canada at a similar price point.
Dobinsons UCA's are great!
I have a 2nd gen Tundra.... Total Chaos UCA and LCA with king 2.5 coilovers adjustables.....everybody says that the poly-bushes squeek like crazy... mine never did. I must have been lucky.... BUT the comment that you said that PARTS WEAR OUT FASTER. Is 100% TRUE. I have king shocks that need rebuilding at around the 30K mark. and I have been changing the the bushings and uniballs every 60K. it gets really expensive. $125.00/shock being rebuilt. 12 pairs of polyurethane bushings (8 pairs for the LCA and 4 pairs for the UCA). 8 uniballs (2 for LCA/2 for the UCA/4 for the Kings).... but I go over speed bumps at 30 mph easily....
Should you replace your stock lower control arms with aftermarket control arms?
Total chaos or SPC what would you recommend? Thank you in advance
common reason i hear to get lower and upper arms is better reinforcements because of weight difference compared to stock
Thanks for the great info.
Question: I live in the south.
Have a taco 3rd gen Sr5 4x2
Lifting with 4” Max trac spindles & 2” spacer- total 6”.
Want to add 35s
Do I need to run an aftermarket UCA to clear the Cab Mount and prevent trimming?
For someone who drives in snow/salt, which arms would you recommend?
I have a 22 4Runner pro, and looking at getting the eibach TRD spring lift kit. Do you recommend that I upgrade my UCAs? I also wanna go with a 285 as well……thanks in advance
I’m planning on getting total chaos for a 5th gen 4Runner with kings... any insight on it?
Hi, What are guys think about the Trial-Runner Off Road 6061 billet aluminum?
What is your opinion on the best overall pick for uca ? Reliability and long-term average use nothing hardcore
I just want to know which ones will clear a 2.5” fox shock on a 2018 1500
I have a 17 tundra sr5 crewmax. I currently have a 3inch spacer on front and a 1inch block on back using the OEM 4 shocks and don't like the ride Ican feel every bump on the road by lifting I feel like I lost cushion any recommendations for better ride
What about freedom offroad uca’s???
I put a RC 2 inch leveling kit in my 2022 F150 and now my upper ball joints are already shot at 12k miles. Can someone suggest a different kit or brand of adjustable UCAs?
Any experience with the Poly Performance UCA's? They use an OEM style joints and bushings but correct some alignment issues and will clear fatter springs. And they're WAY less expensive than the more well-known brands.
I have them, they seem like a good quality. I didn’t want to spend a crazy amount on UCA they definitely helped with travel, rides much better after installation with the 3/2 lift prior.
If I did less than a two-inch lift (like an inch or inch and a half), is it still good idea to install new UCA?
Thanks for the video. It was really informative. I just put a 2” lift on my 4Runner and noticed going over speed bumps it has a really harsh rebound. Would UCA help to fix that?
Im on the same boat with a 2018 sr5 tacoma.. 3'' lift with 33x12.5R20 ... hopefully if u get a reply, ill get a notification as well lol
Usually this is a damping issue. It's especially common when lifting too high, or running a coil that is too stiff for the shock valving. One thing you could do is have limit straps installed. These are basically a "bump stop" for extension. It would be a custom weld on install though. If your upper ball joint is contacting your coil on full extension for whatever reason, then a UCA would fix that issue.
I have 2012 Tundra 4x4 with a BDS 7” lift with Fox coil overs . I’ve always had a slight issue with wear on the passenger side….. with a 7” lift I should have after market UCA correct? And what can I do about the passenger side outside wearing faster? And what UCA do you recommend for this truck and lift…..?
I have a 15 Tundra, 7" BDS lift with ADS coilovers, King 3" secondaries, TC heim uppers. BDS doesn't use factory specs as they claim! Use these specs.
Camber +.2 per side
Caster +2.2 - +2.5 per side
Toe +.07 - +.10 per side, don't exceed +.20 combined
I live on the Oregon Coast and haven't had issues with my uppers. The heims on the arms will occasionally squeak, but just spray them. If you use Teflon lube on the uniballs, you shouldn't have issues. I have a suspension angle vid on my channel to show I use my suspension for what it's for.
FYI, if you go with an upper that's for a 1"-3" lift, and don't want to pay extra for heim adjustable arms, you'll need a 1" spacer since our BDS spindles are longer than stock.
If I were to buy UCA's again, I'd go with Camburg and their uniball dust cap, or Icon and their Delta. I believe Delta Joints are interchangeable in TC arms. Also, the bushings on most control arms need greased every 5k or so to prevent squeaks. Break the tq, grease gun and re-tq. Shouldn't have issues after that.
Is the 3-4 degree castor for all vehicles or just the Yota tribe ? (Bronco addict inquiring)
Got SPC with a 3” lift on a 5th gen 4runner. After about a year and 20k miles, there’s play in SPC ball joints and I’m in the process of replacing them now. I’m not sure why they wore out so quickly but my guess would be the alignment shop that did the first alignment after the lift. They simply returned the vehicle to me without doing any alignment, albeit saying they did. The truck pulled to the right hard enough that I had to hold the steering wheel about 1/5 turn to keep it running straight. Not sure if this caused the premature failure on the SPC ball joints.
We've seen a lot of SPC arms installed in the last 2 years having failed ball joints every 6-12 months. Not sure if something changed in manufacturing or what, but it has definitely been an issue.
Are you greasing them regularly?
@@BryanSeaton every 5k miles I do 5-10 pumps
@@OverlandOutfitters what are the symptoms of the SPC joint failure?
Dang. I just ordered a set of these. Are they joints relatively easy to replace?
SPC is common for premature worn ball joints. Wouldn’t use a pair if you gave them to me.
How adjustable are uniball UCA's?
Dirt king square tube. Gmc 1500 sierra 4x4. Your thoughts
If you wrap poly-bushings with Teflon tape, then grease and press in they won’t squeak… at least not for a very long time.
How are the Dobinsons UCA’s. Heard they are quiet and strong
what's your opinion on the icon billet?
Do you sell the UCAs that you have on your truck?
What’s your opinion on the Camburg w/ball joint?
I don't know a lot about them honestly. Camburg makes really good stuff though. I'm sure they would say the same thing though, that even though their new X-Joint ball joints are stronger than a standard ball joint, they aren't going to be as strong as a uni-ball, but they will be great at keeping the elements out.
What UCA works with Rough country 6 inch lift in 3rd Gen Tacomas?
Would like to know too. I have same kit for Fj cruiser + 37x12.5 tires
Why does every brand seem to have issues? I just want to set it and forget it.
Dobinsons/Ironman. Stock ball joint and bushing. Set it, forget it.
if you want them working properly and last as long as possible then it will need at least a little maintenance
Such is engineering from what I understand. Always trade offs.
@@randomuser6306 I learned that the only uca that can help clear bigger tires are spc. All the other ones with built in caster move the tire closer to the cab mounts.
I have Total Chaos uppers w/heim adjustable arms on my Tundra. Live on the Oregon Coast and the climate hasn't been an issue for me. I drive hard enough to ruin 2 separate heim tie rod ends, (2nd set have rubber boots,) and my uppers are still fine. I regularly use Teflon lube and spray the arms. The control arm heims will occasionally squeeze, but it's not loud. If I were to do it again, I'd go with Camburg uppers because they offer a dust cap.
The guy said the poly bushings squeek, that's because they need greased ever 5k or so. Break the tq of the connecting bolt, grease gun and re-tq.
Are the SPC UCAs ok for light off-road use?
I’ve got 5100s front and back, with Dobinsons springs. 2.5 up front and 1.5 in the back….
Thanks in advance
Yes. Oem should be fine too. The uppers don't really take much abuse. The shocks themselves do most. The uppers are really just holding the the spindle to the truck. But yes, aftermarket uppers do have their benefits over stock as the vid pointed out. The only reason I wouldn't go with SPC is the adjustable joint coming loose, but I drive pretty hard. With light use, should be good.
Also, I had 5100s when I first bought my truck. Things really soak up washboard roads at light speed. They impressed me forsure
Do not run SPC.. I have pretty much the same setup as yours. The ball joint and the bushings were bad after 15k miles, of street driving. I have dobinsons uppers now, with no issues.
@@podreels7932 thx.
Thx. ended up going with Iron Man
Any experience with JBA UCAs? I’m debating between JBAs and Icon Delta Joints for my 1st gen Tacoma thanks!
I’m in the same boat. You make a decision yet? JBA seems like a great fit and not too fussy. But a little more performance from Icon but may squeak.
@@19888995 I did I ended up getting the icons very happy with them.
Jba is the best uCA by farrr
How are the jba arms?
Honestly? Garbage. The balljoints are easy to replace, which is great because you will be replacing them twice a year if you wheel at all.
I have been running Kings at 2.5" and Icon UCAs with Delta joints for 4 years as a daily driver on the salty roads of the Dakotas. I also agree...do not go above 2.5" of lift on these Toyotas. I did the 3" thing and ended up swapping the needle bearing and lost downtravel...not worth the mistake and a learning opportunity!
I spend a lot of time trying to talk people down from 3"!
@@OverlandOutfitters amen to that!
I went 3 inches on 2007 4Runner and love it. I got Icon stage 4 and it has been quite. I don’t do hard core rock crawler stuff but otherwise I feel I wheel fairly aggressive. I live in mountains and off road a lot. I got 34 inch tires. I am almost 50 years old and have only owned 3 cars. 2 Toyota pick ups with 4 banger and v8 4 runner. I can only compare to pick up but 4 runner is way more capable than my pick ups. Is quality Icon help or I just don’t no and would be more capable with 33 inch tires and 2 inch lift.
Interesting. I was planning on doing a 3/2 Dobinson IMS lift on my 4runner. I’ve seen lots of people do it, haven’t heard of issues from them. Is this a YMMV sorta thing?
Where can I find more info on “losing down travel”?
High caster ucas are the worst thing I’ve bought for my tacoma. Cant wait to get them off
Why did they cause rubbing?
Any thoughts on the Ironman 4x4 upper control arms?
I don't really have any experience with them, sorry
are you talking about the alloy forged ones??
@@hardtop123 Yes the ones that come with the stage 2 kit.
Why shouldn't I go above a 2" lift on my Tacoma?
More than 2" of lift starts to adversely effect your suspension performance due to losing down travel, which is important for how your suspension reacts to bumps and holes in the road.
@@OverlandOutfitters thanks for the reply 👍
@@OverlandOutfitters this would be a great video to make, to explain this with pictures 😁
Re JBA control arms.
The control arms themselves is nothing but a couple of welded pipes and plates.
The only part that might require basic intelligence and quality control is the ball joint, and the damn thing failed in less than a year. Not extremes/off-roading.
The reason is that this outfit get incompatible pieces from third parties - the boot doesn't seal at all because it's FOR A DIFFERENT BALL JOINT, for fuck's sake! They attempted to "fix" the issue by adding an aluminum bushing but it's like treating a corpse with aspirin. The joint is full of water/sand mixture, and, of course, their "warranty" doesn't cover a damn thing other than the pipes.
In three words, IT'S A SCAM.
I replaced the ball joints after only 12,000 miles - they were not loose yet but felt very rough. I initially thought the issue was just the boots but after I cleaned it up, I found that the ball was not smooth as it's supposed to be - the surface is rough so nothing can be done to rectify lousy manufacturing defect.
Update after three years/40,000 miles. The bushings that's supposed to be bulletproof are already worn. Again, no off-roading, mostly highway driving.
I have definitely never seen, heard of, or personally experienced a good thing with the jba arms... Sorry that they've been so bad for you!
I'm surprised to see this, I've had a good experience with mine. They had a bad batch of rubber covers from an outside supplier, but sent me a new one for free and it was easy to replace. I've ran mine for around 20k now with lots of off roading and they seem to be fine. I like how I could go buy another ball joint at any parts store, and how it's so easy to grease properly compared to any other option.
@@scholotzkys395 You actually can't go buy another ball joint at any parts store - gm's analog fits but fits poorly. And it's of a gm "quality".
I - as a consumer - don't buy the "bad batch from an outside supplier" excuse. They knew the boots were wrong but opted to ship the aca's anyways. That's outright wrong. They did not, however, forget to include some pseudo-"christian" dvd. I'd prefer correct boots. And so would Jesus.
@@nofyfb123 I see where you’re coming from but for what it’s worth the new rubber boot is working well for me.
More misinformation here. Guess you can’t blame anybody for following the marketing department of these suspension companies - unless you actually have the tools and knowledge to test these things for yourself. Or ya know, you sell them.
Myth #1 UCAs don’t allow you to clear for bigger tires.
While it is true that the alignment starts further back than normal, maxing out the caster will typically yield more clearance from the firewall than factory at the same point in the travel arc.
Had the caster maxed out on stock UCA, measured distance to firewall, then put on a Camburg one and it ended up being further once the caster was maxed.
Myth #2 Strength.
You could split hairs on the balljoints/uniballs being more beefy than stock but the “strength” of the joint doesn’t matter when it comes down to the weakest link, which is that same grade 8 bolt in the middle that goes to the spindle. It’s also important to consider that a UCA does not need strength as it’s the LCA taking majority of the load. Have you ever heard of somebody snapping a UCA on IFS? Neither have I, but either way, they’re going to snap that bolt before anything else anyways.
#3 probably the biggest myth of all. That the balljoint/uniball in an aftermarket UCA has more angularity than a stock arm.
Couldn’t be further from the truth yet everyone just takes everyone’s word for it and doesn’t test anything themselves. Put a stock arm next to any aftermarket one and bend the joints. I’ve yet to find a single aftermarket UCA that even comes close to the stock UCA angle. Best I’ve found is Icon’s deltajoint pro just matching a stock arm for a Bronco. The rest aren’t even close, yet this seems to be repeated message everyone believes.
It’s my opinion that aftermarket UCAs *on a mid travel*, other than to correct alignment or clearance an aftermarket coil, is snake oil
These videos don’t help anyone if you’re just gonna be echoing marketing materials without any sort of testing.
I have installed, used, driven and aligned all of these arms. I have seen worn out ball joints and uniballs, I have seen a bent UCA, I've seen bent UCA bolts, and bent spindles, as well as bent and broken coil buckets/towers.
The reason you got more clearance with the Camburg UCA compared to stock was because the built in camber allows you to push the lower arm further forward than you could with the stock UCA while still getting a good alignment, which netted more clearance. Simple physics will tell you that moving the ball joint backwards, either upper or lower, everything else the same, will put the tire closer to the firewall. Moving the upper ball joint back does not move the tire back very much, but it does move it back.
As I said, I actually have seen a broken arm from a nasty hit. Spindle bent as well, ball joint stud was okay. There are a lot of variables in how hits can happen, and the weakest link will move depending on the impact. If ball joints were stronger than uniballs, you wouldn't see every desert race truck on Earth using them. But mainly I just find that ball joints wear out quicker in hard use. Uniballs wear out faster if there are elements that can get into them, which is why the greasable sealed ones are better there. The UCA takes more force than you think whenever there are lateral forces on the tire, such as hitting a corner, sliding into a rut or rock, etc.
Most of the extra angle comes from the extra clearance to the coil, but I actually have held both in hand and tested them, and they do have higher angle over stock. However, we only work on Toyota's in our shop, so that's what I'm talking about here. I haven't checked all vehicles.
I'm really not bias, I dont care if we sell more UCA's or not, or what brand they are, I'm just trying to help people understand how these products work, and why they are out there. I don't really speak on a topic unless I have personal hands on experience with it and have tested things myself.
@@OverlandOutfitters I’d pay to see a video of any aftermarket joint (other than a delta pro) being bent next to the factory joint. I don’t have my Tacoma anymore otherwise id be happy to show it
@@thomblank2915 I'm working on a truck right now that has the JD arms with EMF joints on it. Figured I'd measure just out of curiousity.
Measuring from flat on the top cap of the ball joint to the mounting surface on the spindle;
OEM ball joint was 115°
JD Fab with EMF was 117.5°
Maybe if I have time I'll get all the arms together and do a more detailed comparison and shoot a video.
@@OverlandOutfitters a difference no one would notice. Also there could be other factors at play there, like the castor correction changing where the angle sits mounted up. The best way to do it would be to put them side by side (off the truck) and bend them to each end by hand.
@@thomblank2915 they were off the truck 👍
In your next introduction do it while doing a TikTok dance😂😂😂