BP-51s UCA Question

[Jeffwouldgo]

I plan on getting the BP-51 setups in order to mainly carry the weight of our rhino bumper and winch. I plan on keeping it at the lowest setting possible for the next 5 years or so.

That being said should I buy UCAs now or keep the stock? It’s my wife’s daily driver and I would hate for anything to start creaking or making noise but still would like a solid alignment.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

[Climbingnut]

If you’re keeping the height as OEM, there’s no need for UCA’s. If you’re doing 2” or higher, IMO, you’ll need them.

 

[TLC2013]

If you’re keeping the height as OEM, there’s no need for UCA’s. If you’re doing 2” or higher, IMO, you’ll need them.

I agree with the above. I have nitro gear UCAs on my tough dog lift. It’s my wife’s daily driver and I wanted to make sure that caster would be high enough post lift to not impact driveability. No creaking or noises from the nitro gears. Caster is above 3 degrees and drives better then stock. Their UCAs are a fixed design so no potential for things to loosen up or shift. While the adjustability of the SPCs was appealing I wanted a simpler design with less parts.

 

[kcruiser200]

not to hijack the thread, but a query on similar lines - if one chooses to maintain the OEM height (goal - as less suspension and tire modification from stock as possible), then in the event that the mods include a LRA 24 gallon tank, a rear bumper with tire relocation (lets say slee for example) +/- a front bumper (eg - ARB summit) - then in this case, would just upgraded springs suffice (lets say 2722s or 2723s in the rear with 2702 or higher in the front if front bumper is installed) in order to manage the added weight without altering the stock suspension geometry / alignment??

I am assuming that the rig may behave differently from stock due to weight transfer issues , but considering that the mods still are within the payload capacity of the truck, would this be a safe setup?? and is it even possible?? essentially, compensate for weight with uprated springs but leave the stock shocks, height and alignment as is.

 

[Scylth]

I have BP51s with 2723s, SPC UCAs. I got the from OK4WD, who also does installs. A few notes:

1) I left the compression and rebound stock
2) even with a SLEE rear bumper, drawer kit, and recovery gear and tools, still have a slight rake in the rear
3) I suggest buying the BP-51s from someone who also does installs, even if you are installing yourself, as they can tell you if you'll need UCAs. Mine said yes (and they threw them in for free as I also bought an ARB bumper and other gear at the same time, and they were already having a sale - so they would have saved money if I didn't need them).
4) I'm pretty sure you need them - but there are at least a dozen guys on this forum that are way better at this type of stuff than me
5) I'm dumb enough to try to install them myself. If you aren't a good mechanic, I suggest at least finding a buddy who is if you are determined to do the work yourself. Even being careful, we messed up a boot on the CV axle, so I got to buy another of those on short notice. And, I just spent, 20,000 miles later, $1700 to get 2 new CV axles, Toyota brand, professionally installed - whatever we did, we likely reinstalled them (had to take them out to get new suspension and UCAs on) in such a way that we didn't perfectly get them back in. OR, the geometry is aggressive enough that you'll wear CVs faster than you'd like. I've done some wheeling with my 200, but not enough that I thought I'd be replacing them by now.
6) Not sure what tires you are going with, but without some lift, you are likely not going to be able to get a tire in there that looks proportional to the rest of the vehicle (that obviously my opinion, but I've always thought the LC200 looks silly with stock wheel diameter). I have the KO2s that are 33.8", and I still wish I could fit 35s.

If I was going to do it over again, especially if I didn't want lift, I'd go with Nitrochargers, which cost much less, don't require (I think) UCAs, and from what I hear, still make the vehicle drive much better. Surprisingly, I haven't competed in a Baja race like I dreamed of, so the BP51s just aren't necessary.

 

[kcruiser200]

I have BP51s with 2723s, SPC UCAs. I got the from OK4WD, who also does installs. A few notes:

1) I left the compression and rebound stock
2) even with a SLEE rear bumper, drawer kit, and recovery gear and tools, still have a slight rake in the rear
3) I suggest buying the BP-51s from someone who also does installs, even if you are installing yourself, as they can tell you if you'll need UCAs. Mine said yes (and they threw them in for free as I also bought an ARB bumper and other gear at the same time, and they were already having a sale - so they would have saved money if I didn't need them).
4) I'm pretty sure you need them - but there are at least a dozen guys on this forum that are way better at this type of stuff than me
5) I'm dumb enough to try to install them myself. If you aren't a good mechanic, I suggest at least finding a buddy who is if you are determined to do the work yourself. Even being careful, we messed up a boot on the CV axle, so I got to buy another of those on short notice. And, I just spent, 20,000 miles later, $1700 to get 2 new CV axles, Toyota brand, professionally installed - whatever we did, we likely reinstalled them (had to take them out to get new suspension and UCAs on) in such a way that we didn't perfectly get them back in. OR, the geometry is aggressive enough that you'll wear CVs faster than you'd like. I've done some wheeling with my 200, but not enough that I thought I'd be replacing them by now.
6) Not sure what tires you are going with, but without some lift, you are likely not going to be able to get a tire in there that looks proportional to the rest of the vehicle (that obviously my opinion, but I've always thought the LC200 looks silly with stock wheel diameter). I have the KO2s that are 33.8", and I still wish I could fit 35s.

If I was going to do it over again, especially if I didn't want lift, I'd go with Nitrochargers, which cost much less, don't require (I think) UCAs, and from what I hear, still make the vehicle drive much better. Surprisingly, I haven't competed in a Baja race like I dreamed of, so the BP51s just aren't necessary.

no way I am doing this install myself. it'll either be done by @sleeoffroad or at @Eric Sarjeant place at ed martin. my mechanical skill stops at preventative maintenance and when it comes to suspension geometry, I neither have the tools nor the expertise / patience to go at it myself.

good point on CV joint wear. I'll look more into this once I get closer to build time. first, I have to get a LC!!!

I actually find the stock wheel/tire size combo pretty decent. the vehicle will be a daily as well as a family long distance tourer and not a rock crawler. The most I was thinking of was TRD17" RW wheels with 285/70/17 KO2s as a separate set to use when planning trips that involve offroading. the revised suspension just needs to accomodate the extra weight and the stock wheels n tires for long distance driving and daily duties (without rubbing) and the TRD RW set up for mild-moderate offroading (again without rubbing), then I am good.

slight rake in the rear I can live with. rear sagging compared to the front I cannot digest nor tolerate - hurts my eyes!!!

 

[slowride]

no way I am doing this install myself. it'll either be done by @sleeoffroad or at @Eric Sarjeant place at ed martin. my mechanical skill stops at preventative maintenance and when it comes to suspension geometry, I neither have the tools nor the expertise / patience to go at it myself.

good point on CV joint wear. I'll look more into this once I get closer to build time. first, I have to get a LC!!!

I actually find the stock wheel/tire size combo pretty decent. the vehicle will be a daily as well as a family long distance tourer and not a rock crawler. The most I was thinking of was TRD17" RW wheels with 285/70/17 KO2s as a separate set to use when planning trips that involve offroading. the revised suspension just needs to accomodate the extra weight and the stock wheels n tires for long distance driving and daily duties (without rubbing) and the TRD RW set up for mild-moderate offroading (again without rubbing), then I am good.

slight rake in the rear I can live with. rear sagging compared to the front I cannot digest nor tolerate - hurts my eyes!!!

Eric and his crew will take good care of you.

They just put BP-51's and SPC UCA's on my 2013 just a few months ago.

Absolute first class people and operation.

And it is a Toyota Dealership.

I'm sure Slee is great too, but I can only speak for Eric.

You'll have no regrets...

I'm planning on doing more mods on my LC when things get somewhat back to normal...

Hopefully, very soon...

Eric was working on LC's from all over the country and Texas too... LOL...