Aftermarket UCAs - Slee vs Total Chaos vs Nitro

[Kofoed]

I was going to start with 2° but thanks to your feedback Im in for 4°. Being part time Im a little lighter anyway and I like the feel to caster alot.

I have 2 degrees, which is the minimum factory number.....not really a fan. I will be dong to next deeper caster setting on ball joint soon

 

[LandCruiserPhil]

I have 2 degrees, which is the minimum factory number.....not really a fan. I will be dong to next deeper caster setting on ball joint soon

Good to hear looks like 4° is now a good starting point

 

[Bloomer]

For clarity Slee sells but doesn't make a UCA- the manufacturer is SPC.

SPC is the only option with an adjustable ball joint the provides both caster correction and camber adjustment. This allows you get the alignment back to factory spec( or improve it) after 2"+ lift. The ball joint is also replaceable- and has a zerk to add grease when needed. If you shop around a little, these can be bought for under $500 for the pair. There was some issues on their early production with ball joint longevity and they made some improvements in the design durability of the ball joint in the past year so if you read about ball joint durability- that has been addresssed. I'm about 5,000 miles into my set and so far, good.

Each aftermarket UCA offers a little different functionality benefit (and has pros & cons) that suits individual set up or needs. Which one you choose really depends on how your going use your truck. There are 10 years of threads on this forum discussing the different options for UCAs-some linked above. These helped me discern the best one for my needs.

Any idea if the new ball joint design with grease zerk is compatible with previous design UCA (the one without the geese zerk)? Wondering if it's possible to upgrade?

 

[Kofoed]

Good to hear looks like 4° is now a good starting point

I set the ball joint "cam" at the recommended setting ("C" IIRC) and then took it to an alignment shop and got new tires at the same time. I had some issues with worn steering rack bushings, and just a tad too loose wheel bearings, which have tightened things up a lot......my next step is to go to caster to get that last bit of wandering on the highway out of it

 

[abuck99]

Any idea if the new ball joint design with grease zerk is compatible with previous design UCA (the one without the geese zerk)? Wondering if it's possible to upgrade?

Yes the new ball joint design retrofits- if you have a problem with your existing ball joint, you might contact SPC and see if they'll warranty it and upgrade you. Otherwise, you can buy them on Amazon for around $89 for the pair.

Amazon.com: Specialty Products Company Upgraded Ball Joint Kit (PR) - 25001: Automotive

 

[jLB]

Can I assume your are running 4° of caster and liking it without issue?

Yes, I am liking it w/o issue. However, steering effort is slightly increased, which I am fine with. Tire/wheel offset combinations that are already tight on clearance at the firewall will have slightly tighter clearance with the added caster. My last alignment specs say 4.5 and 4.1 degrees.

I was going to start with 2° but thanks to your feedback Im in for 4°. Being part time Im a little lighter anyway and I like the feel to caster alot.

Depending on your tire size, if you go too postive on the caster you might get a little rub at the back of the fenderwell- typically when your turning into an approach or declining grade the edge of the outside tead rubs the plastic fender liner where it sticks out.

Im at approx 3 & 3.25 degrees on caster and had a minor rub, that I cured by using a heat gun and reforming the plastic liner.

I have 2 degrees, which is the minimum factory number.....not really a fan. I will be dong to next deeper caster setting on ball joint soon

Good to hear looks like 4° is now a good starting point

I set the ball joint "cam" at the recommended setting ("C" IIRC) and then took it to an alignment shop and got new tires at the same time. I had some issues with worn steering rack bushings, and just a tad too loose wheel bearings, which have tightened things up a lot......my next step is to go to caster to get that last bit of wandering on the highway out of it

So we're not the only one dialing in a little extra caster...

We're running a little over Mr T's recommended caster (a little over 4*) on my son's LC.
Part of it was that we had worn steering rack bushings, and TRE (which have since been replaced) at the time the UCAs were installed, but it just feels "right" to us at 4* (even after fixing the other issues).

(We're running 285/75R16 tires and no rubbing at all with the added caster.)

 

[Catskills]

I have the TC and love them. They are quiet and I was really worried about the noise. They were noisy for the first week, but that was it.

I had read about some ugly failures of the SPC when I bought them for my '10 4R and while that seems to be an issue that has been resolved, I ultimately decided that the next ucas I bought would not be SPC.

 

[SurfSwitch]

I ended up with TCs, but.... I hate them. They are so loud they're embarrassing. Teflon spray on the ball, grease on the poly, I've tried everything. They constantly squeak at even the slightest movement of the Cruiser. I know I'm not the only one who has run into this so I'm wondering if I did something wrong. It's completely unlivable and they're about to get taken off. Any hints?

 

[Catskills]

Mine were awful last week. But I told myself I'd have them greased every time I changed the oil and have forgotten to do that, and then this man in my life drives it through a river every chance he gets. So there's that.

Anyway, took it to Toyota where they greased them for free.

That was last week.

They just yesterday stopped squeaking.

This is the first time since they were installed that they've been noisy. Make sure that you're using what TC recommends.

 

[SurfSwitch]

Mine were awful last week. But I told myself I'd have them greased every time I changed the oil and have forgotten to do that, and then this man in my life drives it through a river every chance he gets. So there's that.

Anyway, took it to Toyota where they greased them for free.

That was last week.

They just yesterday stopped squeaking.

This is the first time since they were installed that they've been noisy. Make sure that you're using what TC recommends.

Thanks, I did follow the directions putting them in, but I guess I'll give them a re-grease and see what happens.

 

[DJCloz]

My TC's didn't squeak for the first year. They finally did back in July, but I just lubed the uniball and been good. What kind of grease are you using on the bushings? Personally I use Mobil 1 and haven't greased them since install. you are using Teflon spray? I think you should change that. I know they use spray lube on their tutorial video, but the Tri-flow in this bottle seems to work great. just put a light amount around the top of the ball joint and it works its way down in a matter of minutes. I also live in dry Socal, not sure how much that is a factor where you live.

 

[YardPig]

I run SPC, set of joints that came with them were non-greasable and did not last. I emailed SPC and they asked for the numbers off the joints, they then agreed to warranty the joints with their new greaseable joints. Have had no problems with them since.
They do ride very nice, silent and allow lots of adjustment. I'm at about 3.5 degrees of caster and it drives beautifully. I'd try for more but I think I'd be contacting my rear fenders with 315/75/16 and Spacers. I had to do a fairly aggressive pinch weld fold over and get crafty with the heat gun to retain my liners which I refuse to cut. No rubbing.
SPC have been making quality suspension components for a long time and their customer service is excellent, I would buy from them again 100%.
I wish they'd make an adjustable lower arm so we could really move the wheel around where we want it in the wheel well.

 

[yeti in ga]

I end up with TC and have been very happy with them , been running them for about 5 months no issues. It took me 2 + years even after buying them to finally install them as the OEM where doing fine but with 260k it was time , once on it was a big diff... nice...

 

[Evan Kapel]

I had SPC UCAs installed by Slee last summer when having them install an OME HD 2.5" suspension.
The ride quality is better than stock and just as quiet.

 

[TheForger]

SPC here as well, the greaseable joints came with it and I absolutely love them. Smooth, quiet, and extremely adjustable. Right after I got them installed I went on a 3,200mile round trip to run trails in Colorado and they performed flawlessly

 

[04UZJ100]

SPC has a long history of catastrophic failure of welds, metal, and bushings.

For such a critical component, don't skimp. Get the TC arms and assemble them with gobs of M1 synthetic grease.

 

[TheForger]

SPC has a long history of catastrophic failure of welds, metal, and bushings.

For such a critical component, don't skimp. Get the TC arms and assemble them with gobs of M1 synthetic grease.

There has not been a reported catastrophic failure of SPC control arms in many years. Last one I could find was 2013. They have since redesigned their arms as well as the ball joints and there has yet to be a failure on the new design AFAIK. Going with SPC would not be skimping...

 

[Evan Kapel]

If SPCs are so bad, why is Slee using them? He is probably as knowledgeable as anyone about
LC suspension. It does not compute that he is using inferior products on his modifications when
he has an earned reputation for the quality of his work.

 

[04UZJ100]

There has not been a reported catastrophic failure of SPC control arms in many years. Last one I could find was 2013. They have since redesigned their arms as well as the ball joints and there has yet to be a failure on the new design AFAIK. Going with SPC would not be skimping...

It that's good enough for you, so be it. It's not for me or my family. The TC arms are a work of art.

 

[SanDiegoCruiser]

It that's good enough for you, so be it. It's not for me or my family. The TC arms are a work of art.

Both of my SPC ball joints

There has not been a reported catastrophic failure of SPC control arms in many years. Last one I could find was 2013. They have since redesigned their arms as well as the ball joints and there has yet to be a failure on the new design AFAIK. Going with SPC would not be skimping...

Both of my SPC ball joints failed after less 10K miles. I was a few months out of warranty & SPC refused to replace them under warranty. I had the original ball joints with no zerks. Hopefully the newer design will last longer.