I will be doing road testing as well as destructive testing. I dont have a price yet but when I do, if people are turned off by the price then I guess it wasnt meant for them then. Things like this arent cheap, so if anyone thinks the price will be comparable to a OEM ball joint then they have never done anything like this before and dont understand the time and effort that goes into this kind of stuff. I am doing anything and everything to make this as affordable as possible, but ive put hours and hours into this and I dont really plan on working for free.
This is an interesting thread and I'd like to chime in and formally apologize for the Hi-jack, the work here is awesome and look forward to see more!
I like the idea of changing the design of the lower ball joint to something different.
Everyone can argue that the OE style is junk and aftermarket are even worse, I should know, at 229K I have already gone through at least 3 sets.
However and exposed uni ball joint might not be the greatest solution.
Just hear me out on this.
First set of LBJ's were replaced at 160K (120k w/no lift, 40K w/lift) and the failure was abnormal to what everyone else usually experiences, the cap on the joint actually came off and the joint pushed itself into the CV.
From there I have used aftermarket replacements, the second set lasting till around 40K, the 3rd set again aftermarket brought me another 20k before getting play in them, now on my 4th aftermarket set with no issues, but looking to go OEM.
Not done though, after my first initial lift I went from standard upper control arms to Uni-ball upper control arms. Living in the north east, and in the rust belt makes this a fun purchase, in that I find that I change out upper joints at least every 20K, I am already on my 3rd set of uniballs, while I did get the arms used, I was told that they had 30k on them and they just started to get play, then after that it seemed to follow a 20k interval.
Now considering that the upper ball joint is not a load bearing joint, this kinda sucks but its the environment, not change the position and add load, I would look to most likely cut that track record in 1/2, thats changing out joints a lot, an at $54 a unit w/o shipping that is a lot of $$$ I just would like to use else where.
Now going back to the ball joints, I understand it is not the best design, but if they are OEM, they still last quiet a good bit, on a stock rig can last well over 100k.
However, I feel they should be a normal maintenance item like many other items on the 3rd gen.
I feel if you stick with OEM joints and your stock, you should go ahead and replace the lower joints every 100k weather they are good or not, and if you have just lifted I would replace them while doing your lift and then proceed with an interval of every 75k.
As far as the lower ball joint being a limiting factor:
I haven't had a problem yet with stuffing that tire into the wheel well.
With just adding the OEM Ball joint at a routine maintenance a certain mileage interval you avoid having to deal with a failure.
Think of it as doing your plugs every 30K miles, they have a wear limit, and while if you exceed that mileage you don't instantly throw a misfire it is inevitable.
Again sorry for the hi-jack and keep up the good work, I look forward to see the progress and test results of the joints!
Its all good man. I am definitely open to all feedback. Anything that can help me form the best product is valuable.
The main difference I would say in the failure aspect is that when the ball joint fails it leaves you stranded whether that is on the trail or in the driveway. One of the core reasons that I decided to go down this road is that I believe the uniball will never fail like this. A uniball needs maintenance just like a ball joint would. Cleaning and dry film can go a long ways. I have seen uniballs last roughly 10k-15k on a class 5 car. Now thats racing in snore, score, bitd.. etc. Also using a good quality uniball makes a difference as well. To be completely honest I dont know how long these will last, the only way I will now is to put em on and give it a go. I dont want people to be fooled into thinking I am claiming these will last forever, but I do believe it will be comparable.
I am working on a way to keep the uniball from the elements. Being in southern California I dont have to worry about the salt, snow and mud that other parts of the country deal with but I am working on it. I hear everyone's concern and am toying with many different ideas.
Added travel was never my end game. Disconnecting the sway bars gives enough travel to get through most anything. These 4Runners are very capable vehicles, strength and not getting stranded are my end game.
If you feel the OEM ball joint is your best bet then stick with it. I am not forcing these upon anyone, and haven't even said I am going to sell them for sure. I am just fixing what I think to be a weak spot in the suspension, I am not providing a fix to maintenance. These will need to be maintained just the same.
