UCA Decision help

cpark_12

cpark_12

New member
So, I have all the stuff ready for my lift. I ended up with TRD Tacoma front struts and rear shocks. I have Superflex 2" rear springs. I have a leveling spacer up front and am planning on putting it back on with the taco struts to kinda level things out. My guess is I'll get around 1.5" of lift out of the struts and springs alone. The spacer is 1", so that's 2" of lift. So that'll be 3.5" up front alone. I think it'll be pretty level at that point, maybe just a slight hint of rake. Any ideas on this?

I'm gonna put everything on and go for an alignment. I'm thinking I'm gonna need some UCA's with more adjustment though. I may get lucky, but we'll see.

My question is: I've narrowed it down to LR UCA or Camburg UCA with the stock ball joints. Do any one of these have more adjustment that the other? I'm gonna be doing some offroading, but nothing too hardcore. Anyone have both and prefer one over the other?

I'm looking at these specifically:

Camburg
Camburg Upper Control Arm Set - 310040 "Ball-Joint"

LR
Light Racing UCA - 25480 Upper Control Arm Set

Any help is appreciated!!
 
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zopperman said:
dont get LR
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this. I had a set, on the surface they were fine but when i drove only 20k miles and the boots were shot, bushings replaced three times. Then an updated bushing design every month. It gets old. I bought my Total Chaos arms and havent had any problems.
 
Okay...LR UCA's are out! How do the uni-ball's compare to the ball joints as far as longevity goes? I know ball joints last longer, but how much longer?
 
I have the camburg with stock style ball joints. I recommend them over uni balls if you live in an area that uses road salt in the winter or you like to drive in mud. The uni balls are open to the elements and don't last long whereas the stock ball joint style is booted and will last a very long time. My original ball joints lasted 140k miles and were still in good condition.
 
absolute yota said:
I have the camburg with stock style ball joints. I recommend them over uni balls if you live in an area that uses road salt in the winter or you like to drive in mud. The uni balls are open to the elements and don't last long whereas the stock ball joint style is booted and will last a very long time. My original ball joints lasted 140k miles and were still in good condition.
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somewhat incorrect. The uniball is stronger, can last just as long. Its all in the care of them, regardless conditions. I was in Pismo covered in sand and they're going without a scratch.

Having said that i know not everyone "needs" uniballs so the normal BJ style works just as good for some.
 
zopperman said:
get uniballs with covers or boots
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who carries the uniballs with covers/boots other than ICON?? Looking for UCA and was thinking uniballs but if they are not recommended in northern areas I might as well just get the ball joint kind from Camburg. I am hesitant about Camburg due to the reviews...I don't mind greasing the uniballs as I would rather have something that is serviceable than not.
 
Depends on who ya ask but.....

I'm on 6 or so drama free years. Live at the beach and don't mud bog my rig. Yes the ball is exposed but sealed with a ring. Same idea of a dirt bike front fork - exposed but fork seals.

I do hit em with some lube every now and then - like 2 times a year when I hear a slight creeeeek noise when I turn the wheel. Zero indication of any deterioration of the product.

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And yes I currently run homemade inner wheel well to keep road grime out of the engine bay.
 
LTDSC said:
somewhat incorrect. The uniball is stronger, can last just as long. Its all in the care of them, regardless conditions. I was in Pismo covered in sand and they're going without a scratch.

Having said that i know not everyone "needs" uniballs so the normal BJ style works just as good for some.
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How can you say im incorrect when you are talking about a completley different situation and region? It doesn't matter how well you take care of uniballs in the Northeast where I live. They WILL corrode and the mud and salt will certainly kill them . I don't make this stuff up thats the way it is in New England. Since the OP lives in Gerorgia he may not have to worry about salt so much as mud. Mud will destroy things that have boots nevermind parts wide open to the elements. Your area (you said pismo... so sand, not salt) wont kill them as fast. Up here you really need boots on everything because of the elements and conditions. Do I need the extra strength ? Lets just say it wouldnt hurt considering the big rocks we play on but I cant justify a rebuild of my uniball UCAs once a year so I run the Camburg stock style UCAs.
 
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Apparently you're not aware of the ocean that is surrounding sand. Pretty sure it's salty. We also have snow, congratulations that you do too.

Praising ball joints over uniball for longevity and strength is stupid. There's a reason why Offroad racers use it. Its cheap to repair and replace and takes a few minutes. You can keep your ball joints and keep your salt and snow in the boots they give you. But it seems like you're just trying to over justify your purchase rather than helping someone else.

Just because I'm from California doesn't mean we don't have snow, it's called climates Copernicus.
 
absolute yota said:
How can you say im incorrect when you are talking about a completley different situation and region? It doesn't matter how well you take care of uniballs in the Northeast where I live. They WILL corrode and the mud and salt will certainly kill them . I don't make this stuff up thats the way it is in New England. Since the OP lives in Gerorgia he may not have to worry about salt so much as mud. Mud will destroy things that have boots nevermind parts wide open to the elements. Your area (you said pismo... so sand, not salt) wont kill them as fast. Up here you really need boots on everything because of the elements and conditions. Do I need the extra strength ? Lets just say it wouldnt hurt considering the big rocks we play on but I cant justify a rebuild of my uniball UCAs once a year so I run the Camburg stock style UCAs.
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LTDSC said:
Apparently you're not aware of the ocean that is surrounding sand. Pretty sure it's salty. We also have snow, congratulations that you do too.

Praising ball joints over uniball for longevity and strength is stupid. There's a reason why Offroad racers use it. Its cheap to repair and replace and takes a few minutes. You can keep your ball joints and keep your salt and snow in the boots they give you. But it seems like you're just trying to over justify your purchase rather than helping someone else.

Just because I'm from California doesn't mean we don't have snow, it's called climates Copernicus.
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Let's get back on track. Both the ball joint style & uni-ball both have their merits.

If someone wants a set it and forget it the Camburg with OEM ball joints is a great option. If someone doesn't mind a little maintenance and wants a little more articulation the uni-ball is another great option.

I have run heim & uni-ball suspension parts when I lived in CO & NH. They did require a little more dedicated maintenance during the winter, but I recall still getting 3-4 years or so from them before slipping in new ones. Some of the cheaper uni's have a track record of rust & pitting. But the better ones seem to hold up well.

Again everyone is welcome to have an opinion. We all have a personal preference to certain products. Let's keep the OP's thread moving forward.
 
Yeah you're right. I totally don't know the ocean has salt in it considering I live on the Coast ...that isn't the point. I'm talking about road salt and the liquid calcium whatever it is that they spray on the roads here, not salty air. I'm not justifying my purchase, I can afford to buy whatever I desire. I'm just stating my opinion. Guys I run with end up changing the uni balls every year and I think that is excessive maintenance to the point of being unsuitable for our application. Then again we run our rigs hard on muddy trails almost every weekend. I never said ball joints were stronger, that would obviously be incorrect. Also, I feel that this whole conversation is helping the OP since we are discussing the exact topic he posted about. Its not my fault if someone disagreed with my opinion. He can run gumballs in his UCAs if he wants I dont really care. I'm just warning him of the downside of uni balls. In the case he decides to run them I recommend using a dry lube on them , grease will trap dirt particles which will in then wear down the ball and eventually reduce the diameter of it making it loose over time. Regular ball joints require only a little grease gun action on the zerk once a year and that's a wrap. I'd be very interested in uni balls with boots as zopperman suggested and I will be looking into them.
 
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Was kinda looking into this myself recently.

Tempted to go with the Camberg/OEM ball joint combo after the strong recommendation not to use LR's.
It seems to be the best of both worlds with the adjustment available on the Camberg arm and the longevity/lo maintenance of an OEM sealed ball joint.
However, they don't come equipped with the actual ball joint assembly, and I wouldn't imagine anyone would stick their old ball joint assembly into a spankin' new UCA, so you need to add in the cost of a pair of good OEM ball joints on top of the Camberg UCA price.
$400.00 - Camberg ball joint style UCA's
$150.00 (or therabouts) pair of OEM ball joints
$550.00-ish more or less for that system, not $400.00.
Just sayin, it's not as inexpensive as Camberg makes it out to be in their literature once you add in the new OEM ball joints.
 
I used one Moog and one raybestos as an experiment to see which one will last longer. Total cost was about $70 . OEM is definitely better but I wanted the zerk fittings that he aftermarket ones come with.
 
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