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Old 05-07-2020, 11:21 AM #1
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Most affordable UCA for 5th gen??

Hey guys, I am hearing mixed signals about the Eibach kit and using stock UCA's. Some say it is impossible to get factory alignment settings with the stockers and a lift and it will effect ride stability on highway. I really do not want to spend the money but I do not want to ruin my ride quality. I will be taking long highway trips in the near future. The eibach kit is coming in a week and want to be prepared. The prices for UCA's is all over the place. I am not rock crawling and going off cliff's. Who makes one that is built more for moderate offroad and costs less then $500?? I want to use std balljoints as well.

thanks!!
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Old 05-07-2020, 11:26 AM #2
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how much lift are you going after?

i drove mine for a year after lifting 3". My caster was somethhing like 0.5-1* camber/toe was in spec. It wandered abit on the hwy every now and then but i wouldn't say it "ruined" the ride quality at all. I did a 4000km road trip that year too.

just try the stock UCAs and see if you like or hate how it drives after you can always just grab a set of UCAs afterward if you absolutely hate it.
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Old 05-07-2020, 11:28 AM #3
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I think the only one that's available for under $500 and is from a reputable manufacturer is JBA:
Read the fine print with these. There are some reported issues with the UCA hitting the coil at full droop. May or may not be an issue in your situation

JBA STD High Caster Upper A-arms for 2005-14 Toyota Tacoma, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser


However for a bit more the Dobinson's look good too:


Dobinsons Front Upper Control Arm Kit (UCA's) for Toyota FJ Cruiser, 4 – Dobinsons Direct
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Old 05-07-2020, 11:33 AM #4
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@Crikeymike has one from Dobinsons for $580:

4Runner 5th Gen (2010+) Archives | Exit Offroad

He'll give you a forum discount, too, if you DM for the code.

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Old 05-07-2020, 11:38 AM #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by comtn4x4 View Post
I think the only one that's available for under $500 and is from a reputable manufacturer is JBA:
Read the fine print with these. There are some reported issues with the UCA hitting the coil at full droop. May or may not be an issue in your situation

JBA STD High Caster Upper A-arms for 2005-14 Toyota Tacoma, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser
Yeah, I only just found out about that 2 weeks ago when a customer sent in a photo, then I found out from some Tacoma guys that it can be an issue too with the JBA's and longer travel struts. Due to this, I can't recommend them for the long travel struts (GS59-574 or GS59-220) that we offer anymore.

First photo is Dobinsons GS59-574, 2nd photo is Bilstein 5100's, both at full extension. With standard length struts, they're probably ok.
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Old 05-07-2020, 11:39 AM #6
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freedom offroad has UCA's for $350. If you lift under 2.5 inches, you should be okay with stock ucas as long as the alignment tech knows what they are doing.
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Old 05-07-2020, 11:41 AM #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gnfanatic View Post
Hey guys, I am hearing mixed signals about the Eibach kit and using stock UCA's. Some say it is impossible to get factory alignment settings with the stockers and a lift and it will effect ride stability on highway. I really do not want to spend the money but I do not want to ruin my ride quality. I will be taking long highway trips in the near future. The eibach kit is coming in a week and want to be prepared. The prices for UCA's is all over the place. I am not rock crawling and going off cliff's. Who makes one that is built more for moderate offroad and costs less then $500?? I want to use std balljoints as well.

thanks!!
Really depends on what lift height you end up with up front. With 2.5" or less, you should be able to get a decent alignment.

But so much comes down to alignment techs, and so many barely know how to adjust and set it to maximum caster. And for that reason, people report different alignment settings all the time. It's happened to me personally several times in the past few years where they say "caster is maxed out", and I look under and can see that it isn't.
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Old 05-07-2020, 11:51 AM #8
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Thanks for the reply guys. I want to level my truck with the eibach kit. So the 2.5in will be completely fine. I really would prefer not to got aftermarket on UCA. I hear to many issues like noise, breakage and coils getting hit
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Old 05-07-2020, 12:00 PM #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Crikeymike View Post
Really depends on what lift height you end up with up front. With 2.5" or less, you should be able to get a decent alignment.

But so much comes down to alignment techs, and so many barely know how to adjust and set it to maximum caster. And for that reason, people report different alignment settings all the time. It's happened to me personally several times in the past few years where they say "caster is maxed out", and I look under and can see that it isn't.
this is bang on. so much relies on the alignment tech. try and find a good shop

i asked for "as much caster as you can get" when i first got my lift and alignment done.. they didn't touch it. just did a toe and go.
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Old 05-07-2020, 12:48 PM #10
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I'm running a 2.5" lift (it's sitting at 2.7") and I went with the Freedom Offroad UCA's.

People don't like them because they are a "lesser quality arm". So far I haven't found issues with them, the welds were great, and the fit was perfect. Lots of reviews on Tacoma World.

I probably didn't need them but I'm happy I got them. Caster is at a 3.6 and the truck rides a bit smoother than on OEM arms. Between Ebay sales and other sales, you can sometimes find them for under $300 shipped.
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Most affordable UCA for 5th gen??-img_20200417_202735-jpg  Most affordable UCA for 5th gen??-img_20200417_193954-jpg  Most affordable UCA for 5th gen??-img_20200417_193958-jpg  Most affordable UCA for 5th gen??-img_20200417_192606-jpg  Most affordable UCA for 5th gen??-img_20200417_201659-jpg 
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Old 05-07-2020, 01:07 PM #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Crikeymike View Post
Really depends on what lift height you end up with up front. With 2.5" or less, you should be able to get a decent alignment.



But so much comes down to alignment techs, and so many barely know how to adjust and set it to maximum caster. And for that reason, people report different alignment settings all the time. It's happened to me personally several times in the past few years where they say "caster is maxed out", and I look under and can see that it isn't.
Agreed. I should have added that to me earlier reply. You could have all the correct components and a lazy tech who just tries to convince you it cant be aligned.

I have the firestone life time and its paid for itself so far. But it can be VERY dependant on who actually touches the truck. Some locations are better than others.



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Old 05-07-2020, 01:09 PM #12
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Most affordable are probably the cheap Ebay ones. Don't. Let me tell you why... build quality of the arm was fine - actually pretty good. Quality of the hardware was not. The cheap uniball hardware failed on about day 2:



The Tough Country UCA's are the next cheapest I think along with the Freedom Offroad. Again - don't. For starters, they don't correct for caster angle that I'm aware of, the Tough Country ones for sure do not. They were one of the first to use a ball joint instead of a uniball so I ordered a set. They do not have any caster correction, I sent them back. Freecom Offroad are just chinese import junk. They (the reseller warehouse) doesn't even know what ball joint they use and literally could not provide any information on what it is or whether you can replace it and what you'd replace with. They don't even own a 4Runner or have any testing. They are just a different version of the cheap ebay model with a different sticker.

If you want cheap chinese ones, you can get them for about $150 per set ordering directly through alibaba. There's a dozen or more vendors.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...El&bypass=true

As for ones with decent quality - JBAs are pretty solid and only $450. You don't need the HD version. No one does. The UCA doesn't experience high loads. After that I think the Ironman forged ones are the next best. They should be the strongest of any of them from any vendor by a wide margin. And they're about the same price as most of the other ones.

They really shouldn't cost more than about $300 for a set. They're dead simple to manufacture. I'd guess they're around $100/set to build. Just a really high profit margin item and no one is really challenging that other than the cheap no-name ebay junk.

Last edited by Jetboy; 05-07-2020 at 01:16 PM.
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Old 05-07-2020, 01:13 PM #13
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Another great option for Ball-Joint UCA is from Dirt King...

Part #DK-812901

MSRP: $549.00






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Old 05-07-2020, 01:36 PM #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jetboy View Post
Most affordable are probably the cheap Ebay ones. Don't. Let me tell you why... build quality of the arm was fine - actually pretty good. Quality of the hardware was not. The cheap uniball hardware failed on about day 2:



The Tough Country UCA's are the next cheapest I think along with the Freedom Offroad. Again - don't. For starters, they don't correct for caster angle that I'm aware of, the Tough Country ones for sure do not. They were one of the first to use a ball joint instead of a uniball so I ordered a set. They do not have any caster correction, I sent them back. Freecom Offroad are just chinese import junk. They (the reseller warehouse) doesn't even know what ball joint they use and literally could not provide any information on what it is or whether you can replace it and what you'd replace with. They don't even own a 4Runner or have any testing. They are just a different version of the cheap ebay model with a different sticker.

If you want cheap chinese ones, you can get them for about $150 per set ordering directly through alibaba. There's a dozen or more vendors.

https://www.alibaba.com/product-deta...El&bypass=true

As for ones with decent quality - JBAs are pretty solid and only $450. You don't need the HD version. No one does. The UCA doesn't experience high loads. After that I think the Ironman forged ones are the next best. They should be the strongest of any of them from any vendor by a wide margin. And they're about the same price as most of the other ones.

They really shouldn't cost more than about $300 for a set. They're dead simple to manufacture. I'd guess they're around $100/set to build. Just a really high profit margin item and no one is really challenging that other than the cheap no-name ebay junk.
That is insane and downright scary. I am hoping no one was hurt and minimal damage?? There is a massive markup on all these parts, it is crazy. I love supporting this country as much as possible , especially family owned companies. But $1000 for UCA's and $2000 for aluminum skidplate is insane!
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Old 05-07-2020, 01:38 PM #15
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Thank you all for the quick replies and comments. I got the eibach kit coming and also the 1/2in spacers for the driver side. I have a really good alignment tech that I can trust and will see how it goes with the factory arms. If I can save that money, it will help me with getting new Fulken tires
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