Freedom Offroad UCA

I have put 50k miles on these same tires with no issues scrubbing steel until I installed the uca's. I'll downsize my tires before I start cutting the steel frame. I starting think I should have went back with oem uca's

 

What size tire are you running, and did you get an alignment after installing the UCAs?

 

BF 285 75 16's. Yes I got an alignment at the Toyota dealership. I wonder if they did something wrong? They didn't give me the print out, so I don't know what the caster was set to

 

Yep.

Extra caster from LCA cam bolts adds tire clearance. Extra caster from UCA reduces tire clearance. Either do a cab mount chop, raise your lift more, or go for smaller tires.

One option is narrower 255/85-16 tires with high offset (similar to OEM +30mm). This lets you keep the 33" diameter but not rub the cab mount.

 

I had the exact same set up as you and had to chop. Beats having a crap alignment and chopping isn't a terribly difficult task.

 

Toyota probably set it to factory spec , take it to a offroad shop for an alignment so they can set the caster forward .

 

Interesting! I also installed new

Interesting! I also installed OEM LCA's from NAPA but just figured that wouldn't cause any tire clearance differences. Thanks for the suggestions!

 

Oh ok. Good to know I'm not the only one! Being an engineer, chopping a portion of the frame will cause me to lose sleep even if I know it won't cause any issues

 

Yes that is what I'm guessing too! Wouldn't the extra caster from a off-road shop cause the tires to scrub more?

 

Well, you wouldn't be just chopping. The process involves welding a steel sheet to close out the box structure:



As long as the surfaces are clean and the welder is competent, and you use similar gauge of steel, the end result is safe. (Typically the welds will look better than the factory robotic welds.)

Caster adjustment is made through the LCA cam bolts. Increasing caster there will improve tire clearance. However, the shop will be limited in what they can do, since the same cam bolts are used to set camber.

 

Ok thanks for the info! I think I understand now. I'll try to get the print out on my alignment and see if can get a shop to increase my caster. Maybe shoot for +3.5. Weld job looks great but a little more than I'm willing to do at this point

 

Dust off those statics and dynamics/mech mat books and do some math!

Nah but really, I would bet half the guys that chop don't even bother welding it back. I welded mine, but it's to keep the dirt out mostly. Just don't melt the bushing if you decide to chop.

 

Haha! Thanks!

 

When the vent line on the xfer case actuator is cracked and loose ,and its been full of water for weeks. I should have taken a pic of what it looked like before I wiped out the muck.

 

Thank you for all of the info in this thread.

I am going to try a set on my 2nd Gen Canyon because no one else has or at least they aren't sharing any information. I can't stomach spending $750+ for the next cheapest UCA so figured I'd give Freedom UCAs a shot.

 

Canyon on a Tacoma site? interesting lol

 

I wheel with a lot of Toyota folks and am not brand biased so I try and learn from everyone. A lot of knowledge transfers over to different platforms quite readily.

 

im just giving you a hard time lol we can play nice

 

I know. That was meant for those who don't wheel and have never been rescued by other brands so may still be biased. Haha

Getting stuck in a snow storm for 8hrs with a bunch of Toyotas makes for a good bonding experience. lol
https://youtu.be/aFRf9QjBcdg

Back on topic.... Ordering a set of the UCAs today.

 

I Considered buying these until I found SPC’s on Rockauto for $413 delivered. I believe the SPC are better quality and they’re adjustable and re-buildable.
These are SPC rebranded as Mevotech .