Light Racing (SPC) UCA Announcement

Hi Everyone,

This has been posted under the ToyTec forum but I thought it should be posted here as well. I know there has been a lot of conservation regarding the quality of Light Racing UCAs and hopefully this will address some of the concerns mentioned. Please see below for details.

Message from Light Racing on Upper Control Arms

Hi All,

Specialty Product Company (SPC) and Light Racing felt that it would be appropriate to chime in regarding our control arms and some of your discussion.

Objective: The objective for the Light Racing / SPC front upper control arms for the 4Runner, FJ, and Tacoma was to provide you with an option that delivered:
• Significant Camber and Caster change that would correct ride quality and tire wear issues for a wide range of lifts and uses
• More articulation than the OE ball joint
• More clearance for the spring and tire than the OE arm
• OE quality ride with rubber bushings and OE style ball-joint assembly that would never require service
• Higher strength than the OE arm for extreme off-road use
• All the above for a very reasonable price

Issues: As you have been discussing, we have had a couple of hiccups that did not get caught during our quality reviews and product testing.
1. Our 1st batch of ball joints did not perform as designed. Though the ball joints assembled fine and appeared fine from the outside, under full articulation they were binding internally.
2. Our 1st batch of bushings did not permit enough compliance for the articulation that these arms can see in the field. Therefore, there is a possibility that these bushings could fail prematurely.

Fixes: There are two types of fixes that we need to address;
1. First, and most importantly, we want to stand behind the product that is on the street. If you believe that you have arms that have bushing or ball joint problems, we want to hear from you. Please call us at 800-525-6505 to determine next steps.
2. Second, product shipping now has been corrected.
• The root cause has been determined and corrective actions taken make sure that the ball joint perform as designed. Additionally, quality control is testing ball joint articulation on every batch.
• We have completely redesigned our bushings to improve the compliance issues that our 1st batch experienced. We have both decreased the durometer of the rubber and increased the compliance in the bushing design itself. (see photos)

We at SPC and Light Racing are disappointed ‘not to design intent’ product that we unfortunately allowed to get into the field. Please be assured that these issues have been resolved and that we will always stand behind our product.

As for which arms to buy, obviously we hope that you will strongly consider our arms, they do achieve our original objectives. Yes, Total Chaos and Icon are both quality companies and our friends. Each of our companies offers different features and benefits for you to choose from at different price points. Your patronage for any of the three of us is appreciated.

 

Thanks for posting neubs good info and glad to hear they are standing by thier product.

 

Good for them!

 

thats SWEET,i just got mine(didnt install yet) and they look like your pics.sure glad to here that.awsome

 

Good info...

 

Thanks for the info. Having mine installed Monday. I'll check it out. Rob......

 

cool,they r a great uca for the money.dont forget to post pics.

 

You should try installing them yourself. It is pretty easy and very rewarding

 

i am thinking about buying a set actually how much of a difference will i feel with my 2.5 switch to these LR compared to my stock UCA

 

I will be honest. I dont notice any difference except that my alignment is perfect.

 

really..... i have a lifetime alignment so i figure with every service i would go take it and get it aligned .....so i dont know worth it it is for me to buy these than

 

Well, if you get to fiddling with your suspension and your alignment gets out of whack...you'll appreciate them. I have a 3" lift and mine was way off. Now it is perfect. They give you a little more articulation too when off roading. Not like what you get with the uni-ball but still pretty good for the price.

 

well i have the 2.5 and where i got it aligned they said that its aligned pretty damn close to spec even with the lift so i figure for now since i dont offroad alot....my setup is fine

 

What is the web site to check these out

 

Does your tire sit way back in the wheel well now. When I had my TC UCAs it pushed the tire way back and I had sever rubbing on the rear of fender, not to mention it looked weird from the side because the tire was not centered in the wheel well. Just curious because I may get these in the next couple months if they don't shove the wheel way far back. I know you need to increase caster by doing this, but I would rather just decrease the camber and call it a day.

 

I havent had any rubbing issues. It all seems to be ok.

 

Can you take a pic from the side with your wheels straight. I really wanna see how it looks.

 

installing mine tomorrow...

 

Check my build page.

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/builds/70278-badguys-build-work-progress.html