Toytec 3" Lift with stock UCA's - Opinions?

Hi all, I know this topic has been beaten to death a couple of times in various posts but i'm looking for a couple of opinions here.

I know the advantages of running aftermarket UCA's with a lift such as the ability to get proper alignment. However, I also know that there is more maintenance required when running UCA's and a couple of members have had issues with failures. One of the primary draws to the 4Runner for me was the "bulletproof" reliability and durability that Toyota's are known for. And yes, I understand that when you perform any type of modification to a vehicle there are certain drawbacks (and potential reductions in reliability). Having UCA's will no doubt allow for better alignment as well as allowing me to get the most out of the lift from a performance standpoint, but my question is how much of a difference will it make?

I have been running the Toytec/Bilstein coilovers for about a year with bilstein 5100's/stock springs at the rear. I have the coilovers set at the lowest setting to level the vehicle, and have been able to get the alignment almost right on spec. The vehicle drives great, but still has some rubbing with the duratracs at close to full lock when i hit bumps. Now that i've convinced my wife to use our other vehicle as her daily driver I want to add the rear lift springs and get the vehicle to full lift height.

Are aftermarket UCA's essential? Will my alignment be so far out of spec that the vehicles on road performance will be noticeably effected? Do I run the risk of causing damage to the stock UCA's and have a potentially less reliable vehicle than one with aftermarket UCA's? Opinions from those who have run both UCA's on a lifted vehicle would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

Steven

CaliTE said:

1. Are aftermarket UCA's essential?
2. Will my alignment be so far out of spec that the vehicles on road performance will be noticeably effected?
3. Do I run the risk of causing damage to the stock UCA's and have a potentially less reliable vehicle than one with aftermarket UCA's?

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1. No
2. Yes, but if you don't try it with aftermarket UCAs, you won't know any better
3. No

Steven, Personally I feel the handling improvements from the aftermarket UCAs fully justify their price. I bolded in the answers to your specific questions.

CaliTE said:

Are aftermarket UCA's essential? No

Will my alignment be so far out of spec that the vehicles on road performance will be noticeably effected? To an extent yes, Performance will be affected. The low caster can make the truck feel twitchy at highway speeds, which some members don't mind, others feel its unsafe

Do I run the risk of causing damage to the stock UCA's and have a potentially less reliable vehicle than one with aftermarket UCA's? No

Opinions from those who have run both UCA's on a lifted vehicle would be greatly appreciated.

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Thanks guys. I'm not too concerned with price, just more concerned that they provide an additional failure point. However, I would not want the vehicle to be twitchy at highway speeds, that sounds like enough of a degradation in performance to warrant the upgrade.

The Light Racing UCA's are generally considered to be the lowest maintenance option right? Is one brand regarded as being more durable than any other?

Your tires will wear unevenly and/or your handling will be crappy, depending on which way the alignment tech compromises the alignment settings. It won't be right at that height without UCA's. I did the LR UCAs and they act just like the OEM parts except the alignment is correct.


JD

i would search the forum, I have no experience yet but from what i could tell there was a time that the LR USC's were giving a lot of issue to people with fitment side to side and bushings going out fast.

I see a lot with the Total Chaos ones but the new Icon Tubular seem like they could be a winner as well. I am a big fan of ball joints and there ease for adapting the angles.

CaliTE said:

Thanks guys. I'm not too concerned with price, just more concerned that they provide an additional failure point. However, I would not want the vehicle to be twitchy at highway speeds, that sounds like enough of a degradation in performance to warrant the upgrade.

The Light Racing UCA's are generally considered to be the lowest maintenance option right? Is one brand regarded as being more durable than any other?

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Ball joints are considered low maintenance, how ever they do wear out. Uniballs are considered "race application" parts and are "supposed" to be replaced yearly, most people get more than a year out of them though. Either route has benefits. Uniballs are unsealed though and in northern states where there is a lot of salt used its more wise to go the ball joint route.

Although LR did have some bushing issues, they believe to have completely resolved that issue. I haven't seen any cases of failure other than the bushing problems( they broke due to the busing expanding and having no room to expand). The tubular arms should be stronger simply due to design. Icon and i think TC is starting to incorporate caps over the top of the uniballs to decrease the amount of dirt and debris that works its way in and causes excessive wear.

Either way you slice it ball joint replacement and uniball replacement parts are both pretty cheap. And some companies are bridging the gap and making tubular arms that use ball joints.

I was one of those who started a similar thread...

I can't say how it would be with just stock UCAs...but I can tell you after doing the Toytec 3" lift with Light Racing UCAs, I have put about 3000 miles on the setup and have had no problems whatsoever regarding alignment or wandering. I've made 3 different highway trips with a loaded car full of stuff and family. Cruising at 80mph....no wandering and feels super good. Handling is great. Suspension is tighter but not super stiff....very close to stock...but without the squishyness or nosedive. I feel so much more in control even though its 3" higher. Went with Goodyear Duratracs and sure enough....they perform exactly like everyone said they would. Great on the highway....basically a 5%...maybe 10% increase in road noise....but not even enough to even notice. Trust me...if my wife doesn't notice a difference...then you know they are good! Wear seems to be good so far. Overall I'm super happy with the Light Racing UCAs.

If you're updating your suspension...technically you don't need them...but why not? You're already intrusively in there...might as well replace them. I will say compared to the stocks sitting next to each other, they seem lighter and better made. But thats just my opinion.

I had Low Range 4X4 of WIlmington, NC do my install. They did mention that they were glad I got the Light Racing UCAs as it made it much easier to properly tune my suspension. It gave you more options to have it dialed in properly.

If you decide to go with aftermarket UCAs....you won't go wrong. I can at least say that with confidence.

Here are my links...they may help you:

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/129566-toytec-ultimate-lift-kit-your-thoughts.html

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/150462-toytec-ultimate-lift-kit-ucas-not-ucas.html

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-g...-ultimate-lift-light-racing-uca-question.html

CaliTE said:

The Light Racing UCA's are generally considered to be the lowest maintenance option right? Is one brand regarded as being more durable than any other?

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That's what I thought when I installed mine with my Toytec Ultimate lift ~20 months ago but I recently found the boot on my driver side arm wasn't attached anymore and I 'd started to get a "tremendous buildup of gunk" around the ball. After further inspection, my rubber bushings are cracking as well so it's time for an overhaul.

From the research I've done on the forum all UCAs are going to need some regular inspection and periodic maintanence -- replacing the uniballs and bushings every 2 years is what I'm planning on moving forward. I didn't really consider this at the time I installed the lift since I don't do a lot of "serious" wheeling and expected to get a long life out of the LR UCAs as long as I kept them clean and the BJ boots stayed in place. I'm now strongly considering getting new Icon Tubular or TC UCAs rather than replace the balls/bushings on my LR arms, there's another thread with more details on why so I won't get into that here... Compared to the LR parts, the other UCA options have grease zerks to lube the bushings and replacing the uniballs is pretty straightforward (and won't require another alignment since there's no adjustable nut to worry about like with the LR arms).

I installed the new UCAs when I installed the lift so I can't comment about driving with the lift and stock UCAs, but I think it's a no brainer to get new UCAs if you're investing in a 3" lift IMO (especially if you're "not to concerned with price" as you noted...).

Guys, thanks for all the input.

UtahSooner, I am with you on the Icon tubular UCA's after all the reading i've been doing the last couple of days. I like that I can add dust covers to help a little with keeping excess dirt from collecting on top of the uniballs. Really it just seems that the LR UCA's are having more issues than the other brands. Granted, the LR's are more cost effective and are likely installed on many more vehicles than any of the other brands....

I realize that my "cost not an issue" comment sounded pretty pretentious, not that anyone commented to that effect. I guess my feeling is that since I spent ~$40k+ on a new 4runner, and decided to add over $1000 in a lift kit, why not spend an additional $250 to get Icons UCA's over the LR if I perceive that there is a increase in quality and peace of mind.

Either way, thank you guys for helping me seal my decision. I appreciate all the input.

Steven