Lower ball joints question

Hey guys,

I'm looking to replace the lower ball joints but I'm not sure which ones to buy. I hear I should stay away from MOOG LBJ's.

The problem I'm having with OEM is they're $110/ball joint. Low Range Offroad has another brand for $65/ball joint. http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/1995-5-2004-toyota-tacoma-4x4-lower-ball-joints-made-in-japan.html

Does anyone have experience in this subject? Should I save $100 and go with third party or stick to OEM? Also is it worth replacing the lower ball joints if I don't have to?

Truck has 113k

Thanks

 

Order from Conicelli Toyota. Cheapest OEM LBJs. It was $80ish for one side and $100ish for the other. Shipping was cheap. The low range ones are not as good as OEM

 

Stick with OEM, don't get the cheap joints. The lowrangeoffroad joints are not equivalent.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/check-your-ball-joints.374853/page-2#post-10284167

 

I have replaced mine twice and went aftermarket both times. 240k and no issues. I went aftermarket 555 made in Japan.

 

The low range one are the same as moods

 

Mood 555?
How many miles each time?

 

In order of most quality to least quality:
OEM Toyota brand 555
Non-OEM 555
Moog
Everything else

 

You'll read mixed reviews on here as to whether or not OEM LBJs are necessary or a premium. The majority consensus being OEM is the longest lasting of the lot. Especially for a critical part with potentially serious consequences if failure occurs at highway speeds, one wonders if its really worth the minor savings to go non OEM.

 

Moog has a 555 printed on their ball joints.
I have them installed in my truck. 34k miles w/o problems

 

for a part that should be replaced every 75k-100k, the extra cost is negligible.

 

34k is not really anything for this part. You'll start to notice a difference in quality in another 15-20k

 

Really?!? Do you have some statistics about Moog ball joints to show us? Most of the pics we find online are accidents of failing oem bjs from trucks with200 to 400k miles .
We have many members here with moog in their truks driving for years with no issues.

 

I replaced at 161k and 235k. I don't do much hard off roading. Mostly just back and forth to work and trails during hunting season.
And they are moog 555

 

Did you read the link I posted earlier with the description of each ball joint design? The OEM joints are far superior in design and require no maintenance once installed. Compare that to the metal on metal of all of the cheaper copies that must be lubricated to keep them from wearing out.

 

This! All of the @Dirty Pool posts should be stickies!
Edit: except that post that had a picture of him wearing daisy dukes....

 

This ^^^ worth the peace of mind to go with OEM when OEM doesn't have the kinds of mixed reviews that it's aftermarket counterparts do.

If you lose a ball joint while driving or off-roading, you're going to have a bad time. Possibly a real, real bad time.

 

From personal experience, ONLY use toyota LBJ. They take a whole lot of strain, if one breaks you are 100% SOL and not driving out until its replaced. I broke a "made in japan" one luckily I was in town. The damage didn't stop there, it also broke the upper ball joint holder right off the spindle. Luckily I had a spare in my back yard.

 

I feel like the amount of "LIFT" plays a major role in ball joint failure as well. More lift = more stressful angles.

 

So even the non-oem, but quality 'aftermarket' lbj from 555 fails as well. How many miles were on yours when it failed?

 

I think so too and I've wondered about this. I've set a replacement interval of 75k since I have a lift, just to be extra careful. Considering I put about 10k miles on the truck per year, changing them a little earlier won't hurt cause that's still nearly 8 years before needing to do it again