Aftermarket LCA or OEM delimma

[jminz]

I'm replacing all of my suspension and steering components (rack and pinion, JBA UCAs, sway bar bushings, end links, ect). I'm hung up on the lower control arms. I found OEM arms for $250/ea, and the I found 1aauto arms for $70 apiece. The only review I found of 1aauto arms on a 4runner was a good one. I'm hesitant to pay $500 when I could save $360 in buying the 1aauto arms. I figured with the money I save maybe rebuild my oem ones and if the 1aauto arms fail I'll just throw my stock rebuilt ones back on. With labor and parts everything I'm replacing is approaching $3k. I'd like to save money somewhere if possible.

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[djkurious]

If it was me and I didn't want to go with the OEM for suspension, I would go MOOG.

 

[wkeryder4]

I went with OEM when I replaced my LCA's and tie rod ends just because I wanted to do them once and have it over with. I've gone OEM with a lot of big parts like those just because I know the originals have lasted me 100k+ miles and replacing with OEM should give me the same reliability. I personally believe the arms themselves are all the same but the balljoints/boots are where the difference comes into play. I've heard good things about Moog and I actually purchased Moog ball joints & tie rod ends but ended up going the OEM route in the end. If you do decide to purchase a1a and rebuild your OEM I still have the Moog ball joints and tie rod ends if you're interested.

 

[Billynath1988]

there really isnt any dilemma . Your replacing the LCA's on a 4wheel drive vehicle presumably after 100k+ miles and about 10+ years or more. there is pretty much no reason to question going again with OEM. As it is in many cases, cheaper aftermarket options are not going to be the same quality as oem toyota. Im sure they will work if you wanna save some money up front, but expect at least half the life or less.

 

[jminz]

there really isnt any dilemma . Your replacing the LCA's on a 4wheel drive vehicle presumably after 100k+ miles and about 10+ years or more. there is pretty much no reason to question going again with OEM. As it is in many cases, cheaper aftermarket options are not going to be the same quality as oem toyota. Im sure they will work if you wanna save some money up front, but expect at least half the life or less.

That's why I would rebuild my OEM arms. If the aftermarket ball joints or bushings fail in 50k. Looking for more input from folks who have aftermarket arms that have put a lot of lifted miles on them without issue. Is there a market for used OEM LCAs?

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[Billynath1988]

That's why I would rebuild my OEM arms. If the aftermarket ball joints or bushings fail in 50k. Looking for more input from folks who have aftermarket arms that have put a lot of lifted miles on them without issue. Is there a market for used OEM LCAs?

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the issue is the lower ball joint.. toyota doesnt sell OEM baljoint seperate from the lca. so yes with the right press, and will power you can press it out and replace the bushings and balljoint with a moog replacment. although a little work involved for rebuilding and re installing and re aligning.. for normal street driving, its probably fine for a little while. However it still wont be as good for as long as OEM.

that said, there is a small market for used oem LCAs. i still have my old ones ive thrown up for a sale every once in a while for rebuilding. Ive seen them get sold but not so often.

 

[blackoutt]

Moog LCA bushings were garbage, didn't last 10k miles on my rebuild. I ended up trying some aftermarket cheepie control arms but they were still too mushy for me. I ended up rebuilding another OEM set with energy suspension bushings (still need the old OEM bushings for the metal parts) and moog greasable lower ball joints. All good for many thousands of miles now other than the occasional creaky bushing but that's to be expected with polyurethane. If you just want a bolt on solution then OEM is the answer.

 

[Rodtheviking]

What about the Mevotech brand, I hear good things about them?

 

[lightfreak]

What about the Mevotech brand, I hear good things about them?

I have a set of their LCA’s . Haven’t installed yet but looks to be good quality.
It’s a Canadian company , their head office is just a few minutes from me.

 

[DZNUTS]

The real question is, are you comfortable trusting $70 LCAs with your family’s safety? My answer would be absolutely not.

I’m always one to recommend an aftermarket replacement when it is actually better than OEM. However, just press out the old bushings and ball joint and throw in fresh parts and call it a day. Unless the LCAs are all jacked up, what’s the point in replacing the entire arm??


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[jminz]

The real question is, are you comfortable trusting $70 LCAs with your family’s safety? My answer would be absolutely not.

I’m always one to recommend an aftermarket replacement when it is actually better than OEM. However, just press out the old bushings and ball joint and throw in fresh parts and call it a day. Unless the LCAs are all jacked up, what’s the point in replacing the entire arm??


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Good point. I've decided to go with OEM LCAs. Gonna he a pricey job.

 

[SeanWN86]

Good point. I've decided to go with OEM LCAs. Gonna he a pricey job.

Good call.

I tried the cheapies, lasted about 3 weeks.
Rebuilt the OEM's with ES bushings, and Moog ball joints. Bushings are alright, but the crappy system for install made it impossible to hold alignment. And the ball joints feel like they're made of stone.
Now I'm onto my second "rebuilt" LCA's, on the replacement arms. Still hate how my front end feels.

IMHO the only option is OEM(or maybe the TCs).