To UCA or not to UCA?

about to pull a trigger on a lift kit from headstrong off-road for my 07 dclb 4x4, 5100+885's with deaver single aal and Duratrac 265/70/17's. Can I get away with keeping my stock uca's with this setup?it would save me about $400 plus install. Would it be pushing my luck? Anybody running the same setup? All opinions welcome!

 

Anything at or over 2.5" of lift you need UCAs. For your lift setup, you will need to get them..

 

You can make due with the OEM UCA's. That said if you do choose to upgrade the UCA's down the road you will have to eat the cost of another alignment and the time to rear it apart and do the install when you will already be there. Most people running the lift you are doing are on stock UCA's though.

 

Recent thread, similar setup:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/truck-wont-track-straight-after-lift.510121/

 

I ran this exact set up with no UCAs on my last truck. Aligned and drive fine. On my current (different) truck, I'm ALSO running the same set up, with stock UCAs. Also aligns and drives fine. You'll be alright.

 

After seeing a truck in front of me experience a failed UCA out in the middle of nowhere I'd have a real hard time running them on a lifted taco. Unless it was street only I guess.

 

To this point remember each truck is different. I have always opted to upgrade the UCA's when installing a lift on a Tacoma so my advise is to go ahead and upgrade. That said I think you would be okay with the stock ones but the purpose is to upgrade the suspension so why leave a weak link.

 

If your asking us whether you should spend more money.....





















Doooooo ittttttttt

 

As others said, you'll be fine but you'll be at the limit of your alignment specs - if you want to add more caster for bigger tires down the road get UCAs. You'll get improved suspension articulation as well.

 

From what I read the 885's should give me about 2.5in lift, so I might as well do it right, right? Adding UCA's to the shopping cart. Also thinking about doing the ECGS bushing(this is getting f#%*^ing expensive!) I have a slight vibration with my stock suspension at higher speed, assuming the lift ain't gonna help with that. Thanks everybody for your valuable opinions!!

 

Good deal. Get the drive line carrier drop kit. That should help with the vibs. If you still have them get 3% axle shims.

 

Buy once, cry once..

 

Here's 5100s/885 and some 285 tires for your viewing pleasure.

 

running all of 1.75in of lift on my truck in the front.... while stock UCA's were OK, i lived with ignorance is bliss for a year. SPC arms on now, and 3* of caster makes driving it SOOO much better.... also have no more UCA hitting coil at droop etc.

Buy once, cry once, get some UCA's

 

Good that you're getting the UCAs. When you change the geometry of the suspension with a lift, it wouldn't make sense not to run them. Yes, you can get by with stock, but stock is ultimately supposed to perform with stock components, obviously. Even if you get your alignment within spec, it is usually barely within the threshhold.

 

EatSleepTaco great looking truck. Did you have to do any trimming to stuff those 285's in the hole?

 

Hook up with a mod day and install the lift with some TW folks. Pays for UCAs. Profit.

 

Shit yeah I did. I did a CMC, hammered the pinch weld, cut plastic out of the way, and still rubbed.

On my current truck, I'm running 255s, and prefer them so much more than the 285s. No trimming except a tiny bit of plastic with a razor, and that's it.

 

I've got 285/75/16s and there's a significant difference between stock UCAs and the addition of new UCAs.I have Light Racing and they work miracles. Love 'em.

 

So you think it's the driveline and not the needle bearing? It only vibrates at 65+mph so I'm scared to engage 4x4 at this speed to see if it goes away