Should you get aftermarket upper control arms?

For those of us (myself definitely included) that are looking for more ground clearance, articulation, and to fit larger tires, one of the first things we usually do on modern Toyota independent front suspension trucks is lift the suspension.

I’m not going to go into all of the manufacturers, configurations, philosophies, and voodoo that come up in a “what lift should I get conversation”, but will instead focus on a component upgrade that seemed optional to me when I first contemplated lifting my 4Runner, but now is something that I consider a  mandatory for IFS lifts.  We’re talking about upper control arms.

 

Toyota Truck IFS (credit: www.automotive-illustrations.com)

Keep in mind I am not an automotive engineer by trade, but am a bit of suspension nerd by choice – so consider this my opinion – take it or leave it:)  If you are going to lift your  IFS Toyota more than 1”, don’t cheap out – get aftermarket upper controls arms.  Here’s why:

When you lift your truck, you are changing the geometry of the entire front-end suspension assembly, changing the angle of the factory upper (and lower) ball joint and also altering your front-end alignment specs (camber and caster).

Photo Credit: (www.speedwaymotors.com)

There is a finite amount of adjustability in the OEM Toyota suspension.  For lifts over 2”, the alignment tabs run out of adjustability before caster gets back into spec, resulting in “neutral” or “negative” caster.  See the diagram below.

Photo Credit: (www.speeddirect.com)

So why does negative caster suck?  It makes your truck drive like shit, that’s why.  Neutral/negative caster is going to make the steering feel nervous and “darty” on the road.  Think about negative-caster wheels on a shopping cart (extreme example) and the way they dart around.

Lucky for us Toyota guys, there are no shortage of aftermarket UCAs out there that either have corrective positive caster built into their geometry or are adjustable.  There are two primary types – uni-ball UCAs and ball-joint UCAs.

I personally have chosen to run uni-ball UCAs that replace the OEM balljoint setup with a stronger teflon-lined stainless steel joint.  Mine are made by Total Chaos (and are great), but there are other options – Camburg, Icon Vehicle Dynamics, etc.  They are all generally in the $600-800 range and have the positive caster built in.  The uni-balls and poly bushings on these arms do require maintenance and can make noise, but are as stout as you’ll ever need on your Yota.

Total Chaos Uni-Ball Upper Control Arm

The second (cheaper) option is to use a ball-joint aftermarket UCA, and in that realm there are 2 options ranging from ~$375-500.  The first is Camburg’s ball-joint arm, which I don’t have personal experience with, and the second is the Light Racing offering.  The Light Racing arm offers adjustable caster, but they also have a history of breaking and shredding bushings.  I personally witnessed one break whilst out on the White Rim trail a few years back, and there are similar stories all over the internet.  I would NEVER run these on my truck, although I know there’s a bunch of people who have never had a problem with them.  Here’s some photos I grabbed really quick off of Toyota-4Runner.org showing examples of the failures:

Hopefully this serves as a helpful opinion/context piece for those of you planning to lift your Toyotas.  Don’t cheap out, get some UCAs, and maintain the OEM ride quality and steering stability!