Moog ball joints vs. Uniball

[sinks88]

So, I have been trying to solve my future front end progress. I'm at 2.5 with Bilstiens and stock coils at the moment. (my alignment is Wed. the 5th)

I know I am pushing stock adjustment and will be interested what my local Toyota has to say and do with my alignment.

but in the near future I plan on doing a winch and a smaller bumper (like Southern or C4's) and I have some coils in mind (OME or those teal ones )...but that naturally brings me to UCA's.

Can anyone explain if there is any benefits to running Moog style ball joints?

I live in the shittiest place for vehicles (MINNESOTA) Home of all extremes and the 4 letter word "SALT" . This 4runner get driven alot (already 80k miles) and see plenty of offroad!

any advise would be appreciated!

 

[wfo9]

Uni balls are way stronger and generally allow for more range of motion with misalignment spacers....

The downside of uni balls is that they are much more susceptible to corrosion and dirt since they are not sealed. There are covers for the top.. but you will still get significant exposure on the bottom and the cover may make things worse overall.

The moogs in the camburgs work pretty well. I ran them for a while and then sold them to a friend who ran them for another year or two. I even ran them with extended travel coil overs with no issues (and I push the truck very hard offroad from a crawling/obstacle perspective.. Not a high speed guy). Probably have 40k of hard use on them and still seem to be working. However... the caster angles on the camburgs are not that great. It was adequate.. but we both wanted to run 34/35 class tires and they would not accommodate those. So we are now both running TC uniball UCAs

There are some other ball joint style UCA vendors out there. JBA is one. Also, Icon announced at SEMA that they were coming out with something called the delta joint. It is a uniball compatible ball joint, so should retrofit into any ubiball UCA. Not sure when/if they are really coming out...

https://www.facebook.com/IVDSuspens...4871.199042353493120/1237085833022095/?type=3

 

[1engineer]

The most reliable, durable and maintenance free UCA's will be the OEM units. Aftermarket units can be adjusted (caster) further or might be more robust in certain off road applications but require more maintenance and are not as durable long term. Oh, aftermarket ones look cooler.

 

[sinks88]

So as I understand it Toyota (or whomever) should be able to reach a decent spec alignment with just a 2.5 lift?

(and i doubt I actually have that measurement in reality due to many miles on the stock coils)

Like I mentioned my appointment is Wed.

 

[2011T4RLE]

I keep my Total Chaos uniballs covered in a layer of white lithium grease to try and protect them from the elements. As soon as they went on the truck they were coated in grease. Every Sunday morning I apply a few squirts. I hope this will help keep them a bit longer.

 

[1engineer]

So as I understand it Toyota (or whomever) should be able to reach a decent spec alignment with just a 2.5 lift?

(and i doubt I actually have that measurement in reality due to many miles on the stock coils)

Like I mentioned my appointment is Wed.

They should be able to get you into spec. With that said, when you read this forum it seems like if you cannot get your Caster to +4 the world is going to end. In reality nothing could be further from the truth. Actually, +4 is out of the Toyota alignment spec. Too high. But, going towards the high side of the Caster limit can help you (if you are running oversize tires) not to rub the mud flap or body mount, depending on the size. It can also help control the "skittish" feel in side winds at speed. However, when they align it and it is within the OEM parameters and it feels fine driving it, having a Caster of +2 is no different than +4. Both are fine.

 

[propain]

I live in the shittiest place for vehicles (MINNESOTA) Home of all extremes and the 4 letter word "SALT" . This 4runner get driven alot (already 80k miles) and see plenty of offroad!

any advise would be appreciated!

I reside in the north east with heavy salted roads. I chose the Camburg Moog Ball-joint over the uni-ball. They are covered and also have zerk fittings which i grease every few thousand miles. Have not run into any issues yet.

 

[Vinsil]

From what you describe how you use your truck..balljoints all the way. You couldn't pay me to run uniballs on a daily driver that sees the miles and conditions you are in. Do you like noise and replacing them every year (or less?) sound like something you want to deal with? No thanks!

JBA seems like a great product and what I would run if you must have aftermarket UCA's

Follow Gregs advice...the truck will drive fine if the tech knows what he is doing.

 

[JPOVS]

I'm in Minnesota too. I was warned by a local 4x4 shop for longevity to stay away from uniballs and heim joints in MN due to the over use of salt on the roads. I chose the Moogs since I live in MN and didn't want to deal with corrosion issues sooner than later. Looks like we should get some nice weather this weekend, now I can finally install my lift.
Will be running 6112's top setting (2.55").
Seems like every vehicle I buy needs rust repair to some of the body panels in the first 3 years. Once had premium rotors replaced due to pitting from rust on my daily driver (F150).
With all the salt in the winter and humidity in the summer I cant wait to move from MN. 2 years left and I'm gone.