Ebay's freedom offroad uca?

[Raymond_q]

installed...

Finally installed the uca's, bilstein 5100's, fj coils up front, and t12 in the rear. I only ran into 1 problem with the uca's, the drivers side ball joint nut strip out on me before i hit 110 ft lbs torque. Had to make a trip to the local hardware store for 2 grade 8 nuts(m14 1.5 pitch) Used a die to clean out the ball joint thread. Would of helped if the ucas came with a installation guide. Greased both balljoints before i dropped the front. So far I drove around the block and nothing fell off. Tuesday afternoon is the soonest I can get the 4runner in the alignment shop. Ill keep you updated on the numbers i get back from the shop.

 

[Lolrax]

Glad to see this, the prices we are having to pay for something as simple as a UCA is absolutely ridiculous.

 

[unevolved]

Glad to see this, the prices we are having to pay for something as simple as a UCA is absolutely ridiculous.

Eh, I've seen enough cheap Chineseium shit fail, they have minimal quality control and traceability. I have no problem paying $600 for suspension parts when they'll be on the truck for the next ten years. Sure, you can save a little bit, but when cheap parts fail, you'll wind up in a ditch or worse. Just gotta think about what you're risking by saving money with unknown suppliers.

There's SO MUCH fake shit in motorsports/offroad, everyone just copies everyone and eventually there's no analysis or engineering behind the products. Only the people that are racing and validating their products like Camburg, Total Chaos, etc. really understand the loads that are being placed on their vehicles. Knockoff stuff like these and hurting the industry. Everyone *****es and moans about the lack of parts for the 4th Gens, but no one wants to pay the companies that are actually designing parts.

/rant

 

[Raymond_q]

Alignment Done

hey guys here are the numbers i got back from the alignment shop today. Also a few more shots of the uca

 

[morphious]

I like the fact that the bushings used in these seem to be the same as the stock bushings.

 

[Raymond_q]

I like the fact that the bushings used in these seem to be the same as the stock bushings.

Ya they used hard rubber bushings, but when I contacted freedom they said they use there own so you would have them buy them directly if they ever go bad

 

[unevolved]

Ya they used hard rubber bushings, but when I contacted freedom they said they use there own so you would have them buy them directly if they ever go bad

I bet you $5 they're not actually making the bushings themselves. They're just buying them from someone else, they don't want to tell you who.

 

[dkyleb]

Oh man, these look pretty sweet!!

 

[dkyleb]

Eh, I've seen enough cheap Chineseium shit fail, they have minimal quality control and traceability. I have no problem paying $600 for suspension parts when they'll be on the truck for the next ten years. Sure, you can save a little bit, but when cheap parts fail, you'll wind up in a ditch or worse. Just gotta think about what you're risking by saving money with unknown suppliers.

There's SO MUCH fake shit in motorsports/offroad, everyone just copies everyone and eventually there's no analysis or engineering behind the products. Only the people that are racing and validating their products like Camburg, Total Chaos, etc. really understand the loads that are being placed on their vehicles. Knockoff stuff like these and hurting the industry. Everyone *****es and moans about the lack of parts for the 4th Gens, but no one wants to pay the companies that are actually designing parts.

/rant

Cool story.

We've yet to see an eBay UCA fail yet... I run mine pretty hard, too.

 

[alextmullis]

So do these make up for lost caster? The above alignment specs are no longer there

 

[latrell treewell]

Here are/were the results

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Caster looks good...it would be great if we could see the lift w/ stock UCA specs as a baseline. I contacted Freedom Offroad's customer support. I asked if it added caster. He said "It's not any longer, it re-adjusts where the ball joint is...but not necessarily caster or camber." Not sure how you can move the position of the ball joint itself without effecting anything...seems off.

Anyone else using these UCAs successfully?

 

[JKLNHYD]

I'd be curious, and since I'm a noob with 4 Runners, do any of the UCA manufacturer's designs allow for enough adjustment that a 4" lift is possible? I haven't seen anything stating that folks are pushing coilovers beyond 3"... Not sure why they would advertise these as being able to go to 4" of lift if it isn't possible...

The Ebay seller also has 2.5"-5" lift coilovers!

2.5-5" Lift Coilovers Front Upper Control Arms 4Rrunner FJ Cruiser | eBay

 

[theoutbackdream]

OP, how are you liking your freedom offroad UCA's? Any problems so far? How are the conditions of the boots?

I've been thinking of picking up a pair for mine.

 

[Raymond_q]

Uca are holding up great. Boots are still in good shape

 

[WA2000]

I found a set of these new still in the box near me for about $300.

Curious to see if any issues to report on these? Or if we have found any more info about the manufacturer?

 

[jtice]

Anyone else running these?
Seriously considering these, I mainly just want to correct my caster, and use something that has an easy to get replaceable ball joint.
I do some light offroading, but nothing serious.

 

[MN4RNR]

Anyone else running these?
Seriously considering these, I mainly just want to correct my caster, and use something that has an easy to get replaceable ball joint.
I do some light offroading, but nothing serious.

I was researching UCAs over the last couple weeks. I contacted Freedom Offroad to ask about their product. Made in Taiwan. Not standard OEM balljoint sizes so you need to order their replacement. Their front and rear suspension components look identical to these products HARDRACE GLOBAL
so I wouldn't be surprised if they came from the same manufacturer. Freedom was expecting more stock in early June, which was a deal breaker for me as I was working on a timeline.

I ended up getting Wulf suspension's UCAs. They look identical to FO and HR. They were more but customer service was immediately responsive and answered my questions. I went with the ball joint model due to MN and our winters/road treatments.

Install was easy. Everything assembled easily. Rides nicely, I did replace the entire front end though so it should. Tire clearance is good, aligned well. They are beefy as heck. My son helped me with the swap. I had him hold a Wulf UCA to get the idea of the heft with the bolt dropped. Pulled off the OEM one and it is like half the weight. Welds are done well, gussets are solid, powdercoating is without blemish, bushing and ball joint had no issues. I have only driven it twice so I can't speak to longevity yet, but as their customer service rep Anne was extremely responsive I am comfortable that issues will be addressed quickly as they come with a lifetime warranty.

I rabbit trailed a little from Freedom Offroad but I hope that helps you with some information.

 

[Manfred]

Hi Raymond, after some years how are the Freedom Offroad UCAs holding up so far?
Thanks

Uca are holding up great. Boots are still in good shape

 

[Berty_K]

I'm not affiliated with JBA, but their standard high caster control arms are only $90 more: JBA STD High Caster Upper A-arms for 2005-14 Toyota Tacoma, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser. I run JBA's myself. They're super high quality and are successfully run by many beyond the toyota community.

My two cents, $90 isn't much more to spend for a durable item like an upper control arm.

 

[Manfred]

Agreed, but there are several posts out here which claim problems with the boots.

I'm not affiliated with JBA, but their standard high caster control arms are only $90 more: JBA STD High Caster Upper A-arms for 2005-14 Toyota Tacoma, 4Runner, FJ Cruiser. I run JBA's myself. They're super high quality and are successfully run by many beyond the toyota community.

My two cents, $90 isn't much more to spend for a durable item like an upper control arm.