Control Arms Again, yet again sigh... Real Time! (1 Viewer)

[SgtZen]

hello guys,

I have 2007 lx470 that i am lifting with an OME 2.5 inch lift because my ahc took a s***. I live In Canada and everything is Rust Seized.

Anyways I have discovered that my upper control arms are seized too and ill probably need new ones for the adjusted angels.

I am considering the
JTOUCA-TLC100-BJ

and the SPC's as mentioned on slee and other sites.

My questions are which should I buy and why. And my do they come with all the required bolts and mounting hardware because my original stuff is just seized and will probably break when taking it off.

 

[DirtDawg]

Both arms are good choices and the decision will ultimately be your choice, so let me highlight some things.

Nitro UCA Pros:
-Greaseable at ball joint and pivot locations
-Utilize Tundra ball joint, meaning easily sourced replacements
-Correct caster to a certain degree
Cons:
-Cannot adjust alignment specs as much as SPC arms
-I dont believe the OEM Tundra ball joint is available by itself, meaning replacement parts will most likely be aftermarket

SPC Pros:
-Greaseable at ball joint
-Allow for a wide range of alignment adjustments
-Most popular UCA for our rigs
-Cheaper than Nitro Arms
Cons:
-Iffy quality in the past, seems to be remedied now
-Not greaseable at pivot points

Hope this helps you make your decision, you cant go wrong with either one. As for the actual control arm bolts, you will need to source those yourself. The UCAs come with the arm only.

 

[hoser]

If I was buying today, I’d probably buy these...

Blackhawk Toyota 100 Series 3 Degree Upper Control Arms Front (PR)

 

[SgtZen]

dude those blackhawk control arms look beast. Never heard of them.

 

[ga12r1]

Both arms are good choices and the decision will ultimately be your choice, so let me highlight some things.

Nitro UCA Pros:
-Greaseable at ball joint and pivot locations
-Utilize Tundra ball joint, meaning easily sourced replacements
-Correct caster to a certain degree
Cons:
-Cannot adjust alignment specs as much as SPC arms
-I dont believe the OEM Tundra ball joint is available by itself, meaning replacement parts will most likely be aftermarket

SPC Pros:
-Greaseable at ball joint
-Allow for a wide range of alignment adjustments
-Most popular UCA for our rigs
-Cheaper than Nitro Arms
Cons:
-Iffy quality in the past, seems to be remedied now
-Not greaseable at pivot points

Hope this helps you make your decision, you cant go wrong with either one. As for the actual control arm bolts, you will need to source those yourself. The UCAs come with the arm only.

Another pro of the SPC is how easy it is to remove the ball joint from the UCA. The past few months I’ve had to separate the knuckle from the UCA on 3 separate occasions due to service I was doing. This was made so easy because all I had to do was remove the top nut on the ball joint, saving me from having to break the taper on the ball joint-knuckle connection and screw with the cotter key. When removing the knuckle I can remove it with the ball joint still attached.

I’ve also replaced the ball joints on SPCs and that whole process takes about 30 minutes because they are so easy to service. A pair of balls joints run about $65.

I don’t have any experience with the nitros and the ball joint may be just as easy to remove/service. I’m not sure how the ball joint attaches to those. Maybe someone can chime in?

 

[Kabanstva]

Which ball joints come on the Blackhawks? It says OE but doesn’t specify what truck model they are off of.

 

[hoser]

I’d assume they mean OE style and spec, not actually OE. Might be these...

http://www.blackhawk4x4.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Roadsafe_Next-Gen_HD_flyer.pdf

 

[SgtZen]

I believe i am going to order the SPC/SLEE/Light Racing control arms. I am ordering them because they are a popular option that people seem to like and because of ga12r1 personal experience with them.

However i do like the Nitro's, I like how they are locked in a clocked position for reliability . But I also don't like that for adjust-ability, Not that i should have to adjust that much.

 

[Somebodyelse5]

Both arms are good choices and the decision will ultimately be your choice, so let me highlight some things.

Nitro UCA Pros:
-Greaseable at ball joint and pivot locations
-Utilize Tundra ball joint, meaning easily sourced replacements
-Correct caster to a certain degree
Cons:
-Cannot adjust alignment specs as much as SPC arms
-I dont believe the OEM Tundra ball joint is available by itself, meaning replacement parts will most likely be aftermarket

SPC Pros:
-Greaseable at ball joint
-Allow for a wide range of alignment adjustments
-Most popular UCA for our rigs
-Cheaper than Nitro Arms
Cons:
-Iffy quality in the past, seems to be remedied now
-Not greaseable at pivot points

Hope this helps you make your decision, you cant go wrong with either one. As for the actual control arm bolts, you will need to source those yourself. The UCAs come with the arm only.

Before install, drill and tap for zerks

I'd also like to point out that almost everyone running the SPC arms have all of the adjustable settings at the same value... the extra adjustability looks great on paper, but in practice, you don't need it. I would have liked to get the total chaos arms, I know the squeek, but so do all the poly bushings I have!

I have the SPC arms, the one thing I don't like is that replacing my upper ball joints means an alignment unless I am super careful to match the position (Assuming my last alignment was with the new arms)

 

[DirtDawg]

Before install, drill and tap for zerks

I'd also like to point out that almost everyone running the SPC arms have all of the adjustable settings at the same value... the extra adjustability looks great on paper, but in practice, you don't need it. I would have liked to get the total chaos arms, I know the squeek, but so do all the poly bushings I have!

I have the SPC arms, the one thing I don't like is that replacing my upper ball joints means an alignment unless I am super careful to match the position (Assuming my last alignment was with the new arms)

What I have been told by a few people running non-spc arms is that their fixed arms don't give them enough caster correction as they would like.

 

[ga12r1]

Before install, drill and tap for zerks

I'd also like to point out that almost everyone running the SPC arms have all of the adjustable settings at the same value... the extra adjustability looks great on paper, but in practice, you don't need it. I would have liked to get the total chaos arms, I know the squeek, but so do all the poly bushings I have!

I have the SPC arms, the one thing I don't like is that replacing my upper ball joints means an alignment unless I am super careful to match the position (Assuming my last alignment was with the new arms)

I’ve always slid my ball joints all the way outboard when alignment is done so it’s easy to match them back up. This may or may not be best practice but it works well for me.

 

[ga12r1]

What I have been told by a few people running non-spc arms is that their fixed arms don't give them enough caster correction as they would like.

This. While most seem to run SPCs in position “D” I run mine I position “C” for another +1* of positive caster. I have been meaning to try position “B” for even more but keep forgetting when I’m under there. That flexibility does not exist with a fixed arm.

Another thing is it’s easy to change the position. You don’t have to break the taper to do that either. Just loosen the top nut.

 

[SgtZen]

Alright, I am going to call Slee off road tomorrow to order up a set of the SPC control arms.

I want to say thank you to everybody for the quick replies.