Upper Control Arm Comparison -  

appreciated, glad we can help!

That is great to hear! If you need anything at all, please let us know.

We are glad to be of assistance!

What did you end up going with ? I’m on the same boat. Between both brands

Glad you enjoyed it!

For LCA, we would run OEM ones unless you're doing a mid to long travel kit then you would run the LCA provided on those kits.

mileage may vary, pure street vehicles wont need new upper ball joints for a while. but when the ball joints go, its typically cheaper to buy a new arm with the ball joint already pressed in. upper ball joints can easily last 150k miles on a vehicle doesn't see a lot of dirt. feel free to email support@shocksurplus.com for other questions

I would love to hear his input on this!

We have a Blog post about the the UCA which include Bilstein B8 UCA. www.shocksurplus.com/pages/definitive-upper-control-arm-comparison-guide

We suggest that you change the UCA anytime you lift up any vehicle.

If you're keep it stock height, then no. But if you're lifting it, it's good practice to always change it out.

You should always upgrade your UCA when lifting your vehicle as good practice.

Well the Icon tubular arms use urethane bushings and the Billets use FK brand heims on the frame pivot side. If you want the strength of a uniball but the sealed design and the greasibility of an HD ball joint then the Icon Delta Joints are the way to go. The JBAs use stock-style ball joints and synthetic rubber bushings so if you wanted to add strength and minimize deflection, those will not do much for the cause. They do however have more caster built into them than the Tubular arms which can help tire clearance to a degree, however, if you are looking to get an arm for more caster/front wheel push we do think the SPC or Icon Billets are better. The fault of running an arm with a bunch of caster built in that is not adjustable is oftentimes you either have to make some sacrifices in your ideal camber specs to achieve a higher caster value or simply back off the caster on the stock cams. The SPC and Icon billet arms are capable of just as much caster, but since they have camber adjustment, you make fewer sacrifices elsewhere in your alignment. The Icon, or any heim jointed arm, also allows you to make equal adjustments at the upper and the stock lower cams so that you can get more forward wheel push for more tire clearance without running as much caster. So where you might need to run so much caster it makes it a chore to steer with something like the SPC or JBA, you could take a heim jointed arm like the Icon, put the front wheel where you want it, and run closer to the factory caster specs which will make turning bigger tires a lot easier on you and your power steering.

@@ShockSurplus I'm new to all this, so I don't really understand much.. but, I don't believe I actually want Heim mounts as I'm hearing that although great for adjustability, they wear out quick. And maybe not optional for winters

Then if winter wear and running a lot of caster are concerns then you probably want the Dobinsons Billets which offer similar adjustability to the Icon or any other Billet, but use sealed bushings on the frame pivot side.

There are few reasons to why one would upgrade the UCA. More articulate is provided on aftermarket options, some require extra clearance, some provide adjustment to dial in camber and/or caster, and just having more beefy and rigid UCA.

@@ShockSurplus Thanks for the reply 🙏🏼

Varies on the vehicle but 1 degree of positive caster is usually not enough.

pros and cons to each, SPC seems less durable, Icon is rebuildable but you have to go billet to get adjustment. If you're not trying to make caster adjustments to fit larger tires in the wheel well, that's one of SPC's strengths. Most guys here run Icon DJ www.shocksurplus.com/search?query=icon-delta-joint

Yes you can but there isn't much benefit in doing so unless you wanted something stronger.

@@ShockSurplus stronger as In adding suspension?

Strong is terms of quality. They are offered in Forged Steel, Tubular Steel, and Billet Aluminum

@@ShockSurplus I went with dirt king uca

Ball joint

Guiillltttyyyy

These specifically? probably 460, but these aren't all for the same app

25460 - 1st Gen Tacoma, 25470 - 2nd and 3rd gen Tacoma, 25480 - 4th and 5th Gen 4Runner, GX470 and 470 and FJ Cruiser, 25490 - 2nd Gen Tundra.

@@ShockSurplus thank you for the response. I bought the SPC’s for my 3rd gen Tacoma. Some people say that the SPC’s UCA fail after 10,000 miles, is that true?

Not from our experience with our own vehicles or with customers. The only two ways I can see the UCA failing is 1. end user forgets to grease it and maintain the grease. 2. they hit something very hard

All we can say is sorry! Last week was intense for us, 2 people out, training 2 new people, on top of big demand - all a tough combo! We're actively addressing phone volume and bringing down response times. If you want to give us another chance, email the owner sean@shocksurplus.com - he's been made aware of your complaint.