Suspension questions

[Shoey]

After some thorough reading and an inspection at my local off-roading shop, it is evident that I'm in need of new bushings. I have a 2007 V8 Limited. It currently has a 2" Old Man Emu lift that was installed around 70k miles or so (previous owner). Vehicle currently has 181k miles. Primary function of the vehicle is following strange dirt roads off into the hills. Outside of that, it is a semi-daily use vehicle.

With the bushings needing to be replaced, is it recommended i replace the entire control arm?

At that point, i'm guessing my suspension parts are nearing the end of their line (maybe not?), should i look at replacing all of that while i'm in there? I'm leaning on the members for their experience in this situation to provide insight as to the best course of action.

I'm not attempting to be cheap, just practical. If i choose to overhaul the control arms and suspension, then that's ok, but if it's not necessary, i'm willing to save the money for other toys. TIA

 

[Syr4RinNC]

so to be clear - you believe that your lower control arm bushings need to be replaced?

 

[rdruss]

There are aftermarket bushings available for all the control arms; front/rear, upper/lower, and ball joints for the LCA. Replacing them can be a PITA! I've rebushed LCA, bought a used SPC UCA with new bushings, rebushed rear control arms upper, lower and Panhard. The bushing aren't cheap, but less than replacement arms and you live in Arizona so rust shouldn't be a problem.
The LBJ on LCA were beyond me and the bushings would not come out, so I bought new 1Aauto LCA and rebushed them, those bushings came out pretty easy and the LCA came with new LBJ.
Close to $500+ in new Super Pro bushings for all, $400 for the LCA's, $300 for the used UCA and another $250 for new rear arms that I rebushed. So, however you decide to go it isn't cheap!

 

[Shoey]

so to be clear - you believe that your lower control arm bushings need to be replaced?

Correct. The shop took me under the vehicle during the inspection and showed me the bushings and their current state, which is less than ideal.

 

[Shoey]

[MENTION=101325]rdruss[/MENTION] Good info, thank you.

 

[Syr4RinNC]

[MENTION=117206]Shoey[/MENTION] I had to replace my lower ball joint and my bushings were getting bad. For the price and everything I just went with this and pretty happy so far. The metal on the lower control arm doesnt go bad, but oits easier and cheaper than swapping the bushings and ball joint

2008 Toyota 4Runner Front Driver & Passenger Side Lower 2 Piece Control Arm with Ball Joint Set TRQ PSA62475

 

[daprotege5]

i'm following right behind, trying to figure out what the best course of action is replacing control arm parts. plan on going with bilstein/OME setup and wanted to get this done at the same time while i'm already messing with suspension stuff. luckily i have access to a press and most of the tools that will help significantly. is it as easy as press in and good to go??

is it 2 bushings and one ball joint per arm??
seems to be about $100 per arm, replacing them with ACDELCO brand and able to keep the OEM arms.

 

[Shoey]

I may end up just doing something along the lines of an ICON stage kit and adding the LCA's. I don't have the tools or the know-how to do it at home. If i have already have to pay for labor, i may as well get the most bang for my buck.

Do the LCA's need replacement very often? If the part is solid, then i may consider just have the new bushings and such installed on it, otherwise i'll replace.

 

[Bluesky 07]

For UCAs, a very cost-effective way to get like-new parts is to look for people who have swapped out the suspension on late-model Tacomas. Mine are from FB marketplace and were taken off a 2020 Tacoma at 3700 miles. They’re plug-n-play on 4th Gen 4Rs. Unfortunately, they usually only swap the uppers.

 

[Battle Born Offroad]

I may end up just doing something along the lines of an ICON stage kit and adding the LCA's. I don't have the tools or the know-how to do it at home. If i have already have to pay for labor, i may as well get the most bang for my buck.

Do the LCA's need replacement very often? If the part is solid, then i may consider just have the new bushings and such installed on it, otherwise i'll replace.

We have seen 100s of trucks with cracking or bad lower arm bushings, its a common issue. Most of them have 80k+ miles or are 10+ years older. Out here in Vegas, the hot summers and colder winters do a number on bushings.

The bushings are somewhat difficult to install, but going with fresh balljoints and whiteline bushings you'd be rocking a setup that will last a long time and perform better than stock. If you have a local machine shop, they are most likely able to press the bushings in for you.

The W53312 kit from Whiteline is what we recommend.

Let me know if I can answer any questions or get you setup with a T4R deal on the ICON kit and bushing set.