03-01-2019, 02:31 PM
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#1
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Location: Las Vegas, NV
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FREEDOM Offroad Control Arms - Under $350 Tubular Upper Arms from Battle Born!
FREEDOM OFFROAD TOYOTA SPECIAL!
Freedom Offroad was formed for and by for automotive enthusiasts! With 14+ years experience in the performance and OE replacement suspension parts manufacturing, design and distribution we saw a gap in the market for quality built affordable off-road suspension parts. In 2012 we formed our off-road division which came to be known as Freedom Off-Road. All of our parts include industry leading warranty and are manufactured to exceed OE standards.
All Freedom Offroad suspension components from Battle Born Offroad are covered by FREEDOM's Lifetime Structural Warranty which covers breakage, bending, welds and cracks for the original purchaser for lifetime on the originally installed vehicle. Wear and tear items such as bushings, ball joints, shock dampning properties/leakage are covered for the original purchaser for one year from date of purchase on the originally installed vehicle.
Freedom Front Upper Control Arms
Freedom Offroad front upper control arms are designed to provide superior strength over factory units with a 1.5” tubed design that has built in correction for ball joint angle and castor for Toyota's lifted 2-4”. These arms allow for the end user to extract the full travel from "Extended Travel" coilovers. Replaceable heavy duty OE style fixed position greaseable ball joints and hardened rubber bushings provide a solid mounting and positive ride feel.
Freedom Balljoint UCA for 2005+ Tacoma
Part Number - FO-T701FU
MSRP: $340
Freedom Balljoint UCA for 03+ 4Runner, 07+ FJ Cruiser, 03+ GX
Part Number - FO-T702FU
MSRP: $360
Freedom Balljoint UCA for 2007+ Tundra
Part Number - FO-T703FU
MSRP: $360
Freedom Balljoint UCA for 00-06 Tundra, 02-07 Sequoia
Part Number - FO-T704FU
MSRP: $360
Freedom Balljoint UCA for 95-04 Tacoma, 96-02 4Runner
Part Number - FO-T705FU
MSRP: $360
ADD TO CART - USE CODE T4R FOR FORUM DISCOUNT - LIMITED TIME ENDS 3/31
Battle Born Offroad of Las Vegas, NV. We are your source for Tacoma offroad parts and accessories. Contact us for all your upgrade needs!
BATTLE BORN OFFROAD
FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL
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03-04-2019, 07:53 AM
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#2
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Other then the rubber bushings looks like a pretty good option for the money. How long have they been making them?
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Paul
2016 TRD Pro, Mag Gray. Mods: SSO Sliders, Bilstein 6112 Front Springs, Dobinson 599 Rear Springs, GY Duratrac LT285/70R17s, Spidertrax 1.25" Spacers, Morimoto LEDs (Lows, Highs & xB Fogs), Full LED Interior Lights....More to Come
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03-04-2019, 12:16 PM
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#3
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Join Date: May 2014
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How much caster is built into them? The 4Runner/FJ specifically.
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03-04-2019, 02:03 PM
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#4
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I asked them a while back about what ball joint they use - they said it was their own ball joint they were manufacturing IIRC. Which threw up a big red flag to me that they just don't know what the ball joint is. I think it is highly unlikely that they are manufacturing their own ball joints.
They also said that their arm does not increase caster, which is kinda the point of doing it.
So... I think it's worth being aware that these have all the hallmarks of an import arm with probably zero R&D from a warehouse re-seller that has no shop, no vehicle to test them on, no oversight of the manufacturing process, and no real knowledge of the product. When the arm breaks and you have thousands of dollars of damage - who are you going to track down to stand behind the product?
Possibly BBO has a different relationship with the seller? I did look into these arms in the past and everything about Freedom Offroad raised red flags to me; minimal website information, warehouse address shared with a bunch of other import brands that are all the same owner, etc.
If I'm wrong - tell me. Does Freedom Offroad have a shop at all? Have they ever installed a set of these arms? Have they tested them? They advertise a set of front 4Runner coilovers for a 5" lift...
Edit: Also FWIW I have had a single experience with Battle Born - and it was positive. Order was shipped quickly, correctly, and price was great. No problems with the vendor. I'm cautious of the manufacturer.
Last edited by Jetboy; 03-04-2019 at 02:17 PM.
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03-04-2019, 03:19 PM
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#5
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Where are these manufactured? Can you clarify on the ball joint question above?
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03-05-2019, 08:22 PM
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#6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jetboy
I asked them a while back about what ball joint they use - they said it was their own ball joint they were manufacturing IIRC. Which threw up a big red flag to me that they just don't know what the ball joint is. I think it is highly unlikely that they are manufacturing their own ball joints.
They also said that their arm does not increase caster, which is kinda the point of doing it.
So... I think it's worth being aware that these have all the hallmarks of an import arm with probably zero R&D from a warehouse re-seller that has no shop, no vehicle to test them on, no oversight of the manufacturing process, and no real knowledge of the product. When the arm breaks and you have thousands of dollars of damage - who are you going to track down to stand behind the product?
Possibly BBO has a different relationship with the seller? I did look into these arms in the past and everything about Freedom Offroad raised red flags to me; minimal website information, warehouse address shared with a bunch of other import brands that are all the same owner, etc.
If I'm wrong - tell me. Does Freedom Offroad have a shop at all? Have they ever installed a set of these arms? Have they tested them? They advertise a set of front 4Runner coilovers for a 5" lift...
Edit: Also FWIW I have had a single experience with Battle Born - and it was positive. Order was shipped quickly, correctly, and price was great. No problems with the vendor. I'm cautious of the manufacturer.
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I'd have to agree with you on ALL points!! Not worth it to save a few hundred buck.
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Paul
2016 TRD Pro, Mag Gray. Mods: SSO Sliders, Bilstein 6112 Front Springs, Dobinson 599 Rear Springs, GY Duratrac LT285/70R17s, Spidertrax 1.25" Spacers, Morimoto LEDs (Lows, Highs & xB Fogs), Full LED Interior Lights....More to Come
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03-06-2019, 02:13 PM
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#7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bayou_Pro
I'd have to agree with you on ALL points!! Not worth it to save a few hundred buck.
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I know from experience unfortunately. Ebay Uniball UCAs (WARNING w/pics)
Not the same arm. But the same type of import chinesium. I'd need some serious assurance of testing and quality. Saving $150 cost me a bit. If it happened on the highway at speed... could have cost a lot more.
I'm fine with things made in china. Im okay with off brand stuff. Most ucas are very high profit items. They should be $350. That's not an unreasonable price for a high quality part. But there's a point where certain products require manufacturing quality control and these no name imports don't have it. They don't even know what ball joint is put in. Could be an FK. could be playdough. Who knows. Are all of them the same?
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03-06-2019, 07:07 PM
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#8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jetboy
I know from experience unfortunately. Ebay Uniball UCAs (WARNING w/pics)
Not the same arm. But the same type of import chinesium. I'd need some serious assurance of testing and quality. Saving $150 cost me a bit. If it happened on the highway at speed... could have cost a lot more.
I'm fine with things made in china. Im okay with off brand stuff. Most ucas are very high profit items. They should be $350. That's not an unreasonable price for a high quality part. But there's a point where certain products require manufacturing quality control and these no name imports don't have it. They don't even know what ball joint is put in. Could be an FK. could be playdough. Who knows. Are all of them the same?
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Very well said. Yes I've read your posts about that. Hope your problems have saved others from the same issues.
I'm going with the SPCs at this point. I was a little leery of them from some bad press they received a while back but it looks like they have corrected those issues and are making a great product. Thanks again.
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Paul
2016 TRD Pro, Mag Gray. Mods: SSO Sliders, Bilstein 6112 Front Springs, Dobinson 599 Rear Springs, GY Duratrac LT285/70R17s, Spidertrax 1.25" Spacers, Morimoto LEDs (Lows, Highs & xB Fogs), Full LED Interior Lights....More to Come
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03-11-2019, 08:28 PM
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#9
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Freedom Off-Road is based in the US, but is manufactured elsewhere. While they are not going to be the best option for a heavy offroader, these are still awesome arms for their price.
We had requests to bring in cheaper UCAs for some who cant afford total chaos, camburg or icon. We do run these on our shop tundra and are impressed with them so far. We are also impressed with the fact that they have a lifetime warranty. Obviously, we don't want to sell anyone junk here, which is why we are testing them as well.
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03-11-2019, 09:43 PM
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#10
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So I don't see no Zerk thingy.
Guessing you need to remove to grease?
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04-22-2019, 05:11 PM
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#11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dillusion
So I don't see no Zerk thingy.
Guessing you need to remove to grease?
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Its on top of the uniball, under the cap
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04-22-2019, 05:13 PM
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#12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Battle Born Offroad
Its on top of the uniball, under the cap
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Sorry meant for the bushings. Not the uniball.
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04-22-2019, 05:20 PM
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#13
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We see all your concerns and wouldnt offer something to you all that we wouldnt run ourselves, so weve reached out to Freedom Offroad to offer to review and test their products at our expense to make sure its up to our spec.
We will be testing both their balljoint arms (black) as well as their new uniball arms (grey). After initial inspection they look very stout and well built. Welds are of good quality and the finish looks solid.
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04-22-2019, 05:24 PM
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#14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dillusion
Sorry meant for the bushings. Not the uniball.
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Ahh I get it now. The bushings are not polyurethane like Total Chaos or ICON, they are pressed in hardened rubber bushings like the OE design. Should provide much quieter operation without the need to lubricate. I would just coat the inside of the bushing sleeve and the UCA bolt before reinstalling and it should be good to go for several years before requiring any service.
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04-23-2019, 05:11 PM
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#15
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It would go a long way if they would at least tell you/us how much caster is built in compared to OEM and what ball joint they are using (brand and part number).
We can all buy unknown arms for $50-100/pair from Alibaba. We don't need a middle man if it's just a black box product. For the extra cost, we should know what what they are at least. I do appreciate the testing you're doing. But I'm not sure how you'll really test them without either durability testing in some sort of competition vehicle or wear testing on a machine of some type.
Last edited by Jetboy; 04-23-2019 at 05:35 PM.
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