2.5 inch lift with OEM UCA

Is there anyone that have installed a 2.5inch lift shocks & struts and still using the factory upper control arms?

So I ask my boss today he is a master tech here at Toyota and he told me if you caster & camber is good you don't need UCA, I have always heard that we need aftermarket UCA , but he did mention do a diff drop....

 

I find that one funny. Diff drop but no uca. Once your over 2" camber issues tend to arise. Where as the diff drop has been proven to do very little in terms of cv angle improvement but lowers overall ground clearance.

I personally did uca's at the beginning first spc now dirt king. This started at 3" and has just slowly dropped with time to 2". I wouldn't go over 2 knowing what I know now or even keeping it lower. Lifts are honestly over rated majority of the time. Play with wheel offset and tire size to aquire the best look with minimal lift.

 

Agreed.

Ziggy says 84.279% of lifts are looks related

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihErEq6SRrk&t=5s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huMztKaHsUE&t=3s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InQnp42pfts

 

I was at 2.75" for 7 years on OEM UCA's. No issues with alignment. That being said, every truck is different and just because I was able to get away with it doesn't mean you can. I did wear through my inner CV boots though, even with a diff drop in.

I'm running SPC's now though, mainly to get the wheels as forward as possible to avoid rubbing. Doing that with the LCAs usually throws the camber out and the SPC's can compensate for that.

 

Pretty cool what happens when you understand how things work. Love how he's able to run 37" tires without lifting or hacking.

 

The trades offs just aren't worth it on a daily.

 

Aesthetically/visually a 2” lift is almost imperceptible to me. If I was looking to have visually appealing truck, I would start with a vinyl wrap.

For functional benefit, I also think a lift has less ROI than things like tires, lockers, traction control, articulation, wheelbase, track, and center of gravity.

 

But lifts look cool and clear bigger tires.

 

A 2" lift is perfect on these trucks. You can get away with factory UCAs but the drivability will be somewhat compromised. Get quality UCAs to get dialed in perfectly and you'll be thankful you did.

 

Perfect by what measure?

 

Did you see the new one where he stuffs 37's up under that Tundra with no rub a dub dub?

 

Yes I’ve watched almost all his videos. He’s got an engineering mind that I respect. I have no tundra in my plans, but I do think about skinny 35s on my taco.

 

I got my eyes on Ironman4x4 UCA they have drop the price from $800 to 500$ now set price. Or the Dirt King Tubler UCA... I Kinda like the idea of ironman cause they require no maintenance, one less thing to worry about. On dirt kings you have to oil them about every 30k miles, so like every 4 to 5 years. I got a pavement princess truck....

 

I watch all these videos already....

 

I think how important a suspension lift is depends a lot on where it is you're trying to get to offroad.
Out here on the west coast there's often some rock crawling involved no matter where you go, and so I find the added inches of clearance helps a great deal with that (right up there with tires and lockers). Someone who is just doing the "overlander" thing, or a hunter driving on forest roads, etc. would likely have less need for a lift (if not necessarily less want for a lift). Some people do lift just for looks too. To each their own.

I don't think having to lube something every 30K should be a deal-breaker... However if you're that concerned about maintenance, then I'd probably also suggest you forget that extra half-inch lift and stick with 2" lift (your CV boots will thank you).

 

Same - maybe a little smaller but same.

 

I have Elka 2.5 IFP preset from the factory at 2.5 inch my truck is a pavement prince..... have not installed the elka yet.

 

Pavement queen or not, the CV joints are always rotating. Too much angle (too much lift) damages the boots (the inner boots are usually what fail first). The only ways to surely avoid this are to keep it at 2" lift or under, or to jump up to 4" lift using a kit with corrective drop-down brackets for the lower arms and axle housing.

2.5" is actually right on the line... You may be OK for a little while (for sure longer than someone trying to push 3" or 3.5" lift on it), but what is certain is that they will not last as long as they will at 2" or less lift.

I believe those Elkas are adjustable, no? Worse gets to worse, you can always wind the spring adjusters back about ¼" or so (~2:1 ratio, so ¼" adjustment at the spring = ½" change at the wheel).