Does anyone have info on ICON's tubular UCAs? They are priced much cheaper than their billet ones and I was wondering how well they perform.
Know this thread is a little old but wanted to add some info on the Icons tubular UCAs I've compiled over the past few days trying to decide what UCA will replace my LRs that need to be rebuilt. Don't have any performance info since I'm not running them currently...
Pros:
1) They have a cover for the 1" uniball like their billet (aka "bling") UCAs do to keep the dust/dirt/winter salt/muck off the top of the uniball
2) Uniball is stainless, not chrome plated steel
3) Grease zerks on the bushings for periodic lubing
4) Mounting bolt on the top of the arm for the sensor cable bracket mounting
Cons:
Only have "maybe 1 degree" of caster angle designed (according to the Icon rep I spoke with today) compared to the +2 that the LRs, TCs, and Camburgs have built in.
EDIT: called Icon again today with some install questions (new UCAs arrived today, hoping to install this weekend) and spoke with a different guy than earlier in the week. Asked him about the caster since the previous guy I spoke with didn't seem too confident in his answer. He was sure the caster of the tubular arms for the 5th Gens had a little over +3 caster and confirmed with the designer. He wasn't sure who I could have spoken with earlier in the week but said they did have a few new hires around. I'll update again once I get my LR arms off and can compare side by side, but today's conversation has me feeling much better about my choice and likelihood of getting a good alignment after install (and the UCAs look real nice in the box)
Of course not all of the pros (#2 & #3) are unique to Icon. But, the "maybe 1 degree" of added caster is on the low side of what the other aftermarket UCAs offer. Some folks have had success getting their lifted rigs aligned (can't recall who was able to get +3.9 on the caster, but [MENTION=88525]sdhobbs[/MENTION] was able to get his rig aligned with "no issues" with these UCAs) but at least one couldn't get the caster setup properly (Scott@Hightech did the install as I recall).
All that said, if you're like me and running a Toytec Ultimate lift you'll probably be fine getting a decent alignment since the Icon rep I spoke with said the tubular arms were designed for non-long travel setups like the Toytec, etc. Still, has me a bit concerned on the alignment (I didn't have the time to call Toytec today and ask their advice, but am planning to do so in the morning). I have close to +4 caster now with my LR arms). For now, I'll end with saying that if you're considering going with a long-travel kit now or on the future, the tubular Icons are probably not the right choice based on the reading I've done. Jury is out on the ability to get a good alignment if you're running a "normal travel" 2.5"-3" lift on the front end.
Sucks because if they had +2 caster instead of "maybe 1 degree" I'd pretty much convinced myself to pull the trigger on the Icon Tubular UCAs today. Now I'm back to ground zero in the decision process. I'm not planning to upgrade to a long-travel suspension setup anytime soon but since I spend most of my time in the truck on the highway doing >70 mph, having a good alignment with close to +4 caster is important for my use case. For those that have the Icon tubulars, please add any alignment numbers if you have them.