Which UCA did you go with and why?

[mo_mo]

Why would you say camburgs are best right now?

I do agree my top picks right now are camburg and total chaos.
Camburg seems to have the 1.25" uniball which might be overkill. But I can't find if the uniball itself is stainless. They don't mention it anywhere.

Whereas the total chaos has a standard 1" uniball but the uniball itself is stainless steel along with the sleeves being stainless.

We don't have snow in Hawaii but we do have a lot of salt in the air from the ocean. So stainless is an added bonus.

I'll go ahead and speculate that the 1.25" uniball is not stainless from Camburg, although if you're interested in the product ask them. If it's not maybe they have a better (bigger) option that is stainless. It appears that Camburg uses FK uniballs. The only (non extensive internet googling) 1.25" uniball from FK I could find was here: FK Rod Ends COM Series Spherical Bearings 1-1/4" ID Ball Bore w/ teflon liner - Kartek Off-Road
I'm okay with a teflon liner (think of the teflon as the meniscus in your joints separating bone on bone contact), but the 'alloy steel' body and '52100' ball aren't considered stainless. Probably best to find a 440C ball with stainless housing unless you're only going to run them for a season and then toss them.

 

[Jhalko]

Awesome responses!
Thanks for taking the time to help contribute

Keep in mind I'm just an average weekender off-roader. This will be my daily with a family in mind for the near future.

I ran stock UCA's for a year with 2.5" of lift up front, it was ok, but it drives a lot better on the highways now. I'm super glad I upgraded...

Your spending the cash for a lift to presumably help off-road, why wouldn't you want that extra 1" of travel up front? (If you are buying Icon, you can afford at least the Camburg Moog)

 

[marshal]

Why would you say camburgs are best right now?

I do agree my top picks right now are camburg and total chaos.
Camburg seems to have the 1.25" uniball which might be overkill. But I can't find if the uniball itself is stainless. They don't mention it anywhere.

Whereas the total chaos has a standard 1" uniball but the uniball itself is stainless steel along with the sleeves being stainless.

We don't have snow in Hawaii but we do have a lot of salt in the air from the ocean. So stainless is an added bonus.

Camburg uses FK rod ends for their uniball, which is chromolly steel with a Teflon race. Camburg also offers a cap for their uniball to keep crud out of the top, however it still leaves the bottom exposed to the elements.

Being in a salty environment constantly I'd avoid camburg or be active in pike the ball.

 

[awpsome]

Camburg uses FK rod ends for their uniball, which is chromolly steel with a Teflon race. Camburg also offers a cap for their uniball to keep crud out of the top, however it still leaves the bottom exposed to the elements.

Being in a salty environment constantly I'd avoid camburg or be active in pike the ball.

interesting, thanks for confirming the material of the uniball.

I am still on fence whether to buy a UCA or not.
Reading that many are running icon stage 1 setups with no UCA and seem to be doing fine.

 

[wfo9]

interesting, thanks for confirming the material of the uniball.

I am still on fence whether to buy a UCA or not.
Reading that many are running icon stage 1 setups with no UCA and seem to be doing fine.

These trucks are all totally different when it comes to alignment.... You can try the stock UCAs and see how it works out on your truck... but don't be surprised if it won't yield enough caster to feel stable at hwy speeds...

 

[BumRunner]

I went with icon UCA's.. good price and i dont wheel hard enough to warrant billets or anything crazy. don't know if hardly anyone does

 

[weeeee]

Camburg uses FK rod ends for their uniball, which is chromolly steel with a Teflon race. Camburg also offers a cap for their uniball to keep crud out of the top, however it still leaves the bottom exposed to the elements.

Being in a salty environment constantly I'd avoid camburg or be active in pike the ball.

Glad you like the Camburgs. May I ask if you're running higher caster numbers? My lift is pretty conservative (~2.5" lift), but I want the Camburgs because of the better 1.25" ball joint vs. the TC UCAs, and also the fact you can use a cap on top. My main concern is just the caster. I can get about 2.5 degrees out of my stock UCAs, and if I can't get more than this on Camburgs I'll be a little peeved at spending $500-600 down the drain.

 

[marshal]

Glad you like the Camburgs. May I ask if you're running higher caster numbers? My lift is pretty conservative (~2.5" lift), but I want the Camburgs because of the better 1.25" ball joint vs. the TC UCAs, and also the fact you can use a cap on top. My main concern is just the caster. I can get about 2.5 degrees out of my stock UCAs, and if I can't get more than this on Camburgs I'll be a little peeved at spending $500-600 down the drain.

i honestly wouldn't be the one to be asking unfortunately, i haven't had my truck aligned since i put the lift and arms on 40,000 miles ago - i have no idea what the numbers are or if I'm even in acceptable limits. i do know that the camburg's caster is one of the steepest on the market, they designed their arms to be used in high speed desert applications. a high caster value would force low bump steer and reduce anti-dive.

everyones truck is different and i have heard some conflicting numbers, i think it boils down to how much lift you have going.

i can say though that it tracks straight and drives well. I'm not sure how much lift i have as i didnt keep track, but I'm running old man emu 3" heavy coils.

 

[fubar]

I tried no UCAs after Icon lift. Squirrelly at speed. Decided on Camburg w/ BJ. Caster set to 3.5. All good now.

 

[Inv4drZm]

Camburg uses FK rod ends for their uniball, which is chromolly steel with a Teflon race. Camburg also offers a cap for their uniball to keep crud out of the top, however it still leaves the bottom exposed to the elements.

Being in a salty environment constantly I'd avoid camburg or be active in pike the ball.

I'm pretty sure Camburg's caps are only for their ball joint UCA's and won't fit their uniball style. That being said, I've heard good things about Camburg's; and All Pro's new design has some impressive specs as well. You really can't go wrong with either of those or Total Chaos.

However, I think I like Camburg's color, low profile top, and single piece uniball spacer more. I'm still not sure which to get:noidea:, we'll see in a few days...

 

[marshal]

i just looked it up, you're right. the cove is for the BJ version only. oh well

 

[Nocturtle]

here's an old thread and info about camburg ball joint uca.

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/185679-caster-camburg-uca-w-ball-joint.html

 

[LandCruiser]

I'm running SPCs, was told they'll go about 60k-80k before needing any maintenance... unless I snap them off road.

Can happen.

I want another old FJ, all this fancy suspension stuff is expensive.

 

[grapemilk]

I went with DIRT KING uniball UCA. I like the boxed style or arms, and they come preassembled, so I didn't have to have the bushings pressed in before I installed them. They also were very attentive when I met them at the Off-Road Expo. The installation was straight forward, and the instructions were very clear. Plus, not everyone is running them, so I get to be a little different.

Total Chaos wasn't very welcoming at their booth, and it was hard to find a representative to answer my questions.

Camburg staff was very helpful, and their ball joint arms were my second choice.

 

[RESQLAB]

Total Chaos... because when researching a year ago, Fox told me that is what they use to R&D their suspensions systems with at the time.

I went with the a heim joint on this vehicle.. I got tired of the squeak that showed every 5k miles on the urethane version that let me know it was once again, thirsty for lube.