I don’t think the front ends of these things like to be lifted, or be put under extra stress from heavier tires. You can lift, but do not expect normal service life from ball joints and all that good stuff.

For american cars & trucks moog & cardone seem to be upgrades. Not for Japanese cars & trucks. I've only heard good things about the BA boots.

I agree with what your saying here, though I have evidence that proves other wise.
Not being Smartass saying that, ight.
Useage and setup can make a lot of difference, emphasis on setup.
I'm sure you know this, all BJ's have a operating range, stock height no problems.
I ran 96red 2" daystar lift to 246k mi DD 265/75's, got a real lift SS1.2 3" F 4" R, 285/75 STT's
This is where setup becomes crucial (operating range) of BJ's.
When I installed SS1.2 limit straps went also and I set them to the range of BJ's not strut travel.
Sure I lost usable travel of strut, mechanical limits are what they are.
I think if folks would utilize limit straps when lifting it would help.
96red got BJ's @ 349k mi @ FSM spec limit.
My $.02

The OEM Toyota reboot kit is expensive but will last the longest. The reason why most aftermarket boot kits and even CV joints suck is because they use neoprene/silicone. Almost ALL OEM's for the last 20 years have switched to thermoplastic for the CV boots, which is a far superior material and can be expected to last 20 years in normal applications.

On average I've had to redo my CV boots every 2 years. BOTH sides have been failing together like clockwork within months of each other. I have lifetime warranty on these boots but it's annoying to keep having to redo them.

Agreed, just Like Mahle, Meyle, and some other euro aftermarket brands are great replacements for European Cars.

I've had Audi's and VW's in the past and the aftermarket like control arm kits, OTR's etc are either OEM Suppliers or on par with OEM at the fraction of the cost.

Check out Proforged ball joints. I put them in my FJ Cruiser and they are built very well. They come with a 1 million mile warranty. If you are lifted and they fail, you get a free set.

Rockauto.com sells them

The FJ ball joint design is much different from 3rd gen runner. If the ball joint fails on a FJ, nothing will happen and you still can drive until someone detects that the ball joint is shot. For the 3rd gen case is very different and dangerous.

OEM TOYOTA ball joint is the ONLY way to go with 3rd gen 4runner and Hilux Surf.

1st picture is FJ

2nd picture is 4runner

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Edited

Anyone with experience with these though? I've heard great things about this brand, just not for this specific application. The million mile warranty is all marketing BS. A sealed ball joint is a wearing part. Highly doubt they will make money on that, plus the money you save with the warranty exchange is down the drain when you consider downtime and labor. With the amount of lifted failures happening, I wouldn't be surprised if these companies began voiding warranties if a failure happened on a lifted vehicle. Plus, what's the point of a free set of ball joints if the vehicle gets totaled?

I'd love to see how they stack up considering all I've heard about the brand, but I'm still mucho skeptical.

OEM in the bracket just bolt on is the best way to go for 3rd gen. I just experienced a wild ride. My 4runner popped the lower ball joint with out warning. No warble, no drift, nothing. Stretched the upper ball joint but did not break. I have spoke to other owners that went with after market. They have not lasted 200k miles only lasted around 50k I decided OEM since the was the first ball joint replacement

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Your LBJ was OEM or AM ?
How many miles?

All good questions. I searched the web hard for any negative stories on Proforged LBJs and did not find one bad story, expeience or even warranty replacement. You Cant say the same about all the others. Bad news travels far and wide. They are built in USA in NJ.

Any of the BJ's will work any can fail. If I'm not willing to run them on my rig I won't suggest them to someone else. I installed Toyota's on the 01 I bought 2-17
11k mi on them now, won't be long I'll be doing the FSM check when I rotate the tires.

There's so many variables that unless we can get data from a big sample size it's still hard to find a conclusion. The original OEM LBJs lasted 320,000kms and were still very tight. Then I lifted it 3" and installed new OEM LBJs, but this time they became VERY loose after only 70,000kms.

I wonder how the lifting factors in on the ball joint life if they wear out quicker quicker or is it the fact we drive on tougher surfaces wearing them out sooner. My T4R is a 98 on 99 tall springs well with in OEM standards. Not lifted for a T4R but a little higher then stock. I wish my would have lasted to 300k but fate did not work that way..

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