Best NON-OEM Lower Ball Joint ( LBJ )

MTD

MTD

New member
I am going to buy OEM LBJ. They are the best from what I am hearing. Unless any one has something better.






Let me make this clear! I'm not looking for the cheapest solution I'm looking for the best i don't care if it is more than OEM

I can't find a thread that has any information without wading through tons of crap so I made a new one. I will keep this updated with what we come with in the first post.

So what is the best non-toyota/oem LBJ?

I found these, but there was no definitive answer on whether or not taco lbj's fit our rigs. I do know that tundra/sequoia ball joints fit our rigs though...

1995.5-2004 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 Lower Ball Joint

Other wise I was thinking of these from Rock auto...

More Information for RAYBESTOS 5051299


flame away :flamethrwoer2:
 
Register to hide this ad
OK, let me get this straight. You invested X amount of dollars on that nice bumper and lights, yet are considering going cheap on a crucial part such as the LBJ?

OEM and nothing else. Nothing. I'd beat the horse some more but even the skeleton is gone by now.
 
LittleCaesar said:
OK, let me get this straight. You invested X amount of dollars on that nice bumper and lights, yet are considering going cheap on a crucial part such as the LBJ?

OEM and nothing else. Nothing. I'd beat the horse some more but even the skeleton is gone by now.
Click to expand...

Everybody is entitled to their own opinion on this. Tons of people only run OEM with no issues. Tons of people run NAPA's with no issues. Some people run Moogs with no issues (I'd stay away).

This conversation will get you to the same place as every other thread. It always ends up with about 10 different answers, and 100 reasons why. This is just like a Chevy vs Ford argument (Ford).

To the OP, you'll get responses like this all day on a thread like this. People will tell you to only use OEM, others swear by NAPA, and not many will suggest Moog.
 
MTD said:
Thanks for the reply! I may still go OEM, but just trying to compile the options before I drop the coin...
Click to expand...

I would go with OEM. Lower end ball joints sometimes require painting, as they don't come with a coat of paint or rust inhibitors.

So over the course of a couple months, it will begin to rust. Also, the joints of cheaper BJ's become loose and sloppy quicker than OEM. This is from experience.

And this topic has been beaten down many times. It usually creates debate. So I concur with everyone above. Just do OEM and call it a day.
 
Last edited:
LittleCaesar said:
OK, let me get this straight. You invested X amount of dollars on that nice bumper and lights, yet are considering going cheap on a crucial part such as the LBJ?

OEM and nothing else. Nothing. I'd beat the horse some more but even the skeleton is gone by now.
Click to expand...

I want the best obviously... I'm not looking to Cheap out I'm exploring my options, the aftermarket is full of parts that are stronger than OEM with other things and that is why I specified non OEM. Ball joints though from what I'm seeing are one of the suspension parts that OEM is the way to go though.
 
MTD said:
I want the best obviously... I'm not looking to Cheap out I'm exploring my options, the aftermarket is full of parts that are stronger than OEM with other things and that is why I specified non OEM. Ball joints though from what I'm seeing are one of the suspension parts that OEM is the way to go though.
Click to expand...

Yeah, there aren't too many aftermarket companies that specialize in ball joints for us. I know what you mean though, you're looking for a Fox, Camburg, Eibach, King, Icon, etc. But they don't make anything for us in terms of ball joints. In this case, OEM is the strongest.
 
My understanding of lbj issues is the boot right?

The casting is pretty much the same save the rust inhibitor on some aftermarket joints. But the boot that contains the grease is the part that will break and allow corrosion to break down the spindle that it protects.

Right/wrong?
 
PitbullRescuer said:
No definitive answer on whether or not taco LBJ's fit our rigs? There is a ton if info that confirms they do.
Click to expand...

From what I gathered, you need both tacoma LBJs and tacoma OTRs for it to work. However, people have reported a decreased turning radius and/or rubbing issues.

FWIW I went (4Runner) OEM....

There's only about 500 other threads on this subject so what's 1 more :deadhorse:

BTW how many miles on your originals?
 
Last edited:
MyHigh said:
My understanding of lbj issues is the boot right?

The casting is pretty much the same save the rust inhibitor on some aftermarket joints. But the boot that contains the grease is the part that will break and allow corrosion to break down the spindle that it protects.

Right/wrong?
Click to expand...

:shrug: more research needed...





PitbullRescuer said:
No definitive answer on whether or not taco LBJ's fit our rigs? There is a ton if info that confirms they do.
Click to expand...

It would be cool if they did I think.
 
Like stated before a lot of aftermarket cast parts dont have any coating. After a month its rusted out. OEM is always coated/painted black and are 99% of the time better quality than anything else. There is a reason other parts are cheaper. They use cheaper materials like the metal used in the cast and the rubber used for the boots. Go oem.
 


It's personal preference, man. The names I hear tossed around are NAPA, OEM, and ProForged. Find one and use that.

Or replace your whole front end with parts from all three and have the best of all three worlds?
 
Last edited:
MTD said:
I'm looking for the best i don't care if it is more than OEM
Click to expand...

I don't see how anything out there could be better than OEM in terms of quality unless you were running a long-travel setup with custom LCAs. Taco pieces also fit, but you will lose a little bit of turning radius.

Mission critical component = Toyota OEM required, in my book.

My buddy used Moog for his tundra and it hasn't exploded in flames yet. :)
 
white_n_slow said:
I don't see how anything out there could be better than OEM in terms of quality unless you were running a long-travel setup with custom LCAs. Taco pieces also fit, but you will lose a little bit of turning radius.

Mission critical component = Toyota OEM required, in my book.

My buddy used Moog for his tundra and it hasn't exploded in flames yet. :)
Click to expand...

kk Well I guess my main hope of this thread was to possibly flush this is like how RCV axels are to OEM CV's but in LBJ terms
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

Total: 496 (members: 2, guests: 494)

Forum statistics

Threads
278,316
Messages
3,554,106
Members
248,016
Latest member
Advally Service

Share this page

Trending content

Back
Top