New Product: ARB Old Man Emu Upper Control Arms (1 Viewer)

[bloc]

That would be a question for ARB. I don’t know what their replacement parts plan is.

But at the end of the day, that ball joint is pressed in. So it can be pressed out and a new could be pressed in again. Just like factory or pressing in and out uniballs on Total Chaos arms.

But if ARB never releases replacement parts, then I guess not.

But it we look at factory arms, by the time the ball joint is shot, so are the bushes. And when I look up all the stuff needed to rebuild an arm, that is probably also a little rusty. It’s like, just buy a new one.

Greased ball joints last pretty long if they are made right from the get go.

But like in my “review” above. If you are running the Baja, then stay with a uni ball. If you low maintenance, these are looking like a good option.

Thanks for the feedback. I was hoping to stay with factory arms to totally avoid squeaks but will be keeping an eye on this for sure.

 

[timjax]

OLD MAN EMU 4X4 SUSPENSION

arbusa.com

Here's the product page for those looking for more details.


Does anyone know the intervals of when to grease the ball joints in the OME UCA?


For those in the thread talking about not wanting to grease anything, and how adjustability ends up being too much of a good thing (one more point for failure) - I would suggest also considering Dobinsons UCA's and Blackhawk UCA's. They are both 3 degrees fixed caster for accommodating lifts and have OEM-style bushings that don't require greasing either. The Blackhawk unit has a greasable HD balljoint like the ARB OME one, and the Dobinsons one uses OEM-style Sankei 555 balljoints that don't require greasing at all. Both are more robust, with thicker metal components than OEM.

For most applications, the low maintenance (apparently no-maintenance in the case of the Dobinsons UCA) style of the ARB OME, Blackhawk, and Dobinsons UCA's are probably all that's really needed and desired.

 

[LandyTheCruiser]

Got the UCA's installed and so far so good! They are supposedly low maintenance to no maintenance which is prefect for what I'm doing. With the alignment after the install it appears they moved the front wheels forward so with 285/75/17 on +18 offset wheels I don't rub at all behind the front wheels and I had to do some fender trimming up front on the liners. Also I touch the KDSS at full lock in reverse.

 

[crikeymike]

Very curious if these are rebadged units from another company, and if so...which.

I "think" Whiteline is the manufacturer, as they visually look identical. I saw them on their site not too long ago when looking at extended sway bar link options. Tough Dog also recently introduced their new arms, which also look the same.

They definitely have a good price here in the states, considering they're assembled already. They just don't reference a brand on the ball joint. Does anyone have them to check the top of the ball joint cap?

Whiteline KTA246

KTA246 - A short fall of the modern day IFS 4wd is the adjustment range provided for successful wheel alignments, this becomes even more of an issue when the vehicle is lifted by more than 1 inch. Not only does the vehicle run into camber and caster issues, but ball joint articulation and...

www.whiteline.com.au

Tough Dog Products | Tough Dog 4WD Suspension

New release Upper Control Arms from Tough Dog are designed to return a vehicle’s suspension and steering geometry to standard after it has been lifted.

www.toughdog.com.au

 

[GJamisonUT]

Just because there hasn't been one doesn't mean there won't. Whatever their design philosophy it didn't stand up to the test on other platforms, and it's reasonable to assume the same philosophy was applied to the 200 parts.

Also all the talk of UCAs not being a magic part ignores an important point.. caster changes through suspension travel, and different people often go for different ride heights. That means a fixed UCA may or may not have the caster in spec when the rest of the suspension is set up. Adjustable upper ball joint position helps with this, but from what I've seen introduces it's own problems.

Not to mention aggressive caster changes or lack thereof can lead to other issues with KDSS or fender rub.

Personally I'd like some details on these ARB units, even if my suspension plans are to keep it low enough that stock UCAs remain the best option. Needless to say their track record is pretty good.

Agreed. TC and Icon UCAs are great...they perform well. However...if you live in an area where they salt the roads in the winter, those uniballs will not last and they will be noisy pretty quick. I opted for SPC because they hold up to our winters better and have the ability to adjust caster, plus there is a local shop that knows SPC well and they actually do all of the alignments for a Land Cruiser shop in my area.

 

[bloc]

Just got a set of these and put them on. Haven’t aligned it yet as the shop found I had one side an inch higher than the other, so I had to go home and mess with the coil overs.

Main reason was the minimum lift from my kings with 600# springs was pushing the stock UCAs far enough that hitting good alignment numbers was difficult. These should put me back near the middle of the adjusters.

I agree with taco.. they seem well made and the bushings are almost too good to be true. Time will tell if they stay truly squeak free. I did have to use a breaker bar to pry them open a small amount during install.. as constructed they were maybe 1/16” too tight to fit around the main UCA bolt sleeve through the shock tower with both of the supplied washers in place. Not a big deal, but a minor inconvenience. The fit was the exact same on both sides, so I don’t think this was a production inaccuracy issue.

So far no squeaks or clunks with a couple hundred miles on them. If I have issues I’ll update.

 

[Tommy Dwyer]

Any updates now that these have been out awhile? And anyone know who might have these in stock? I’ve struck out so far with the usual suppliers...@taco2cruiser?

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

Give cruiser outfitters a call. I got 3 pairs from them last week and I think they said they had a couple more.

As far as reliability, so far, no squeaks from any one I’ve installed them on. I think I may be pulling my Total Chaos out soon and selling them so that way I can put these arm through their paces. It helps me form my opinion better once I’ve lived with parts instead of just installed them.

 

[Tommy Dwyer]

Give cruiser outfitters a call. I got 3 pairs from them last week and I think they said they had a couple more.

As far as reliability, so far, no squeaks from any one I’ve installed them on. I think I may be pulling my Total Chaos out soon and selling them so that way I can put these arm through their paces. It helps me form my opinion better once I’ve lived with parts instead of just installed them.

Thanks. I called Cruiser Outfitters last Friday, and they only had three sets...already sold. I’ll bet they were yours. Will stay on the hunt, I have restock notification in with @sleeoffroad as well.

 

[Taco2Cruiser]

Thanks. I called Cruiser Outfitters last Friday, and they only had three sets...already sold. I’ll bet they were yours. Will stay on the hunt, I have restock notification in with @sleeoffroad as well.

Dang, sorry brother. If I get wind of anything I’ll let yeah know. But Slee might be the next ones to get restocked so that’s good also.

 

[Tommy Dwyer]

Dang, sorry brother. If I get wind of anything I’ll let yeah know. But Slee might be the next ones to get restocked so that’s good also.

Thanks, I appreciate it. I’ve been on Slee’s list for seems like weeks now, so hopefully soon. And glad to hear that there’s no drama with these UCA’s so far, sounds like what I’m after.

 

[TheGrrrrr]

I'm going to answer my own question and then ask it anyway: I have had no issues with my SPC UCAs after about 10k miles now, but am intrigued by the OME (probably because they are better looking if I am being honest) and am wondering if I should give them a shot? Any potential benefit over the SPC?

 

[afgman786]

I'm going to answer my own question and then ask it anyway: I have had no issues with my SPC UCAs after about 10k miles now, but am intrigued by the OME (probably because they are better looking if I am being honest) and am wondering if I should give them a shot? Any potential benefit over the SPC?

I'm with you on this one. Since this thread started I've been very interested and they look good. Wouldn't the fact they aren't adjustable be a benefit for us?

 

[Tommy Dwyer]

So these arrived yesterday, they look the business. As the temps in my garage will be in the teens for the next few weeks I'll be farming out the install. Will post pics next week once they're in.

 

[reddog90]

This is the first thread I've come across with talk of SPC failures. I did not want to go TC because I didn't want to deal with the noise and maintenance, and I thought the SPC arms would aid in locating the tire in the wheel wells. I've only got about 2k miles on my SPCs but I have no complaints. I do have an alignment shop nearby that is familiar with them, and a LC specific shop across town if I really need the alignment adjusted in a particular way that the local shop can't handle. Interested to read @Taco2Cruiser updates after he runs these OMEs though.

 

[iqbal624]

I'm planning on installing my new suspension in the next week or two and given the back and forth on UCA's and the necessity of them, i've been torn. After much consideration i decided to pull the trigger on these but then couldn't find them in stock anywhere.
Last night i found them here: Old Man Emu Upper Control Arms For 2008-2020 Toyota Land Cruiser 200 Series - https://www.bilsteinlifts.com/shop/toyota-land-cruiser/200-series-toyota-land-cruiser/200-series-front-lifts/old-man-emu-upper-control-arms-for-2008-2020-toyota-land-cruiser-200-series/
They seem to have 7 left in stock. I ordered a set last night and got a shipping confirmation this morning. Just figured i'd share. I know that they can be had for slightly cheaper elsewhere but no stock. Also got free shipping and no tax so ended up being a great deal

 

[Tommy Dwyer]

Good find. I found a set through TrendsAuto on eBay. Same price. At the time (two weeks ago) they showed 8 sets available. Fast shipping, install tomorrow

 

[21200]

I picked up a set on Bilsteinlifts.com as well. Not installed yet, but look to be quality as any ARB/OME product.

Will report pack once installed.

 

[Wicked0ne18]

Thx y'all. Was looking for a set and wasnt able to find one but just purchased it via the link above.

Now I need to find suspension. My OME set is in backorder. Don't know when it'll be available.

 

[iqbal624]

Thx y'all. Was looking for a set and wasnt able to find one but just purchased it via the link above.

Now I need to find suspension. My OME set is in backorder. Don't know when it'll be available.

Which OME suspension were you going to go with?