Any recommendations on upper and lowe ball joints ?

jbrandt · Nov 8, 2017

JayRolla said: ↑

Its simple. We buy Toyota for reliability. Once you start replacing parts with aftermarket you are losing that reliability. That's with replacement parts and performance.

Now when it comes to performance parts reliability is lost but that's the game we play to her fun and wheel hard. I've had spc, ome, ect.. parts fail prematurely but I expect that. I don't need replacement non oem parts failing along side my lift parts. At that point toy never catch up.
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Honestly, you shouldn't expect any part to fail "prematurely". That just means you installed it wrong, aren't using it for its intended purpose, aren't following maintenance procedures, or bought cheap parts.

Roadeater · Nov 17, 2017

I have Moog 555 in my truck... I prefer Moog 555.
OEMs are the ones causing accidents out there.

70k miles and working like the first day.

Just saying

tony2018 · Nov 18, 2017

i no longer debate, get whatever fits your budget.

rybern · Nov 18, 2017

I replaced my original(OEM) LBJ at 292K miles. My original LBJ's with that many miles on them actually seemed fine. But I went ahead and replaced them with OEM. OEM LBJ's can be found for $200 including shipping.

Brice · Nov 18, 2017

Miguel_prerunner7[OP] initial post: ↑

any recommendations on upper and lower ball joints ?
Mine just broke off this morning while driving !

Thanks !

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I just replaced mine with OEM lower toyotas and used AC delco uppers that are the same design and construction as OEM but only cost $30.
https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=440150&cc=1357589&jsn=671 Uppers
https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/oem...ation=front-axle-arm-steering-knuckle,,43340A Lower Left
https://www.toyotapartsdeal.com/Pag...0=VZN170L-CRPGKAB)&Keywords=Lower+ball+jhoint Lower right

TacoS805 · Feb 7, 2018

Anyone have any experience w/ 555 LBJs from Low Range Off-Road?

2002Tacoma4x4 · Feb 7, 2018

Slickster said: ↑

i took mine to the dealer because there is a recall on lower ball joints and they replaced them for free and free alignment as well.

https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2001/TOYOTA/TACOMA/2%2520DR#recalls

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/lower-ball-joint-recall.97304/
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This is the answer !!!! I also got mine replaced free on a 2002 on 08-2016, you should be covered by this recall too.

ghs57 · Feb 7, 2018

tony2018 said: ↑

i no longer debate, get whatever fits your budget.
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I have to agree. This debate has been raging since time began. Do whatever makes you happy.

ThunderOne · Feb 7, 2018

Miguel_prerunner7[OP] said: ↑

Current mileage 230xxx
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There you have it folks, 230 THOUSAND miles on OEM ball joints. OEM.

tony2018 · Feb 7, 2018

ThunderOne said: ↑

There you have it folks, 230 THOUSAND miles on OEM ball joints. OEM.
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and why would you trust anything else

Brice · Feb 7, 2018

To be clear there is a recalled OEM lower ball joint. My truck had the non recall version, they seemed to have a smaller ball.

ThunderOne · Feb 7, 2018

Every time I see threads like this I have yet to find any reports of an OEM ball joint failing before 200k Miles, many of which are lasting 300k miles or more. That's a HELLUVA lot of a miles, guys. These should be changed out every 100k, but you could very easily stretch it to 200k it seems. Just know how to check it for play!

This is a 2001 Tacoma. That means these ball joints lasted 17 YEARS. Cost of OEM replacement - $200.

Conservatively speaking, let's say they last just 12 years before being replaced again.
That makes the total cost $16 per year, or a whopping $1.38 per month.

Perhaps I should start financing OEM ball joints on a low low monthly payment of $5 for 5 years!!

Brice · Feb 7, 2018

Mine were sorta loose at 180k They were probably fine to leave on, but hey insurance right?

Gunrunner269 · Feb 7, 2018

jbrandt said: ↑

There's always going to be a debate among the OEM nazis/aftermarket crowd. Some even say that you're endangering people's live by going after market...

OEM is very much the "best", perhaps even the most reliable. The question is if it's worth the added cost given your needs, budget, etc...

For me personally, I'm going to be replacing the lower ball joints about every 3 or 4 years anyway (uppers, I have uniballs now). The Moogs I pulled off a few months ago were showing signs of wear, but still not sloppy after 6 years and maybe 50k miles (I procrastinated replacing them, lol). So, if I'm going to be replacing them fairly regularly *anyway*, might as well spend half the cost for something that is just as reliable in that span of time.

My taco is not my daily driver anymore, so it won't see as many miles as it did in those 6 years, but those miles will be harder off-road miles, so I'll have to just keep an eye on them and reassess as appropriate. Will the 555's last as long as the Moogs - given fewer, but harder miles? Probably - I'm not racing the Baja or anything, lol...

Remember, OEM lower BJs were recalled (on some trucks). The main issue was more or less addressed, but they're still essentially the same design (hence the major resign for 2005+). That's really why I'll be replacing them far sooner than they probably "need" to be.
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Moog = Sankei

97standardcab · Mar 25, 2018

303000miles on oem ball joints.After seeing ball joint failure on thred,i parked truck and im ordering oem ball joints tomorro.

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