Who is using NOT OEM LBJs

As title states

I've been sitting on Mevotech Supreme for over a year now, and they look and feel brand new.
I like the blue balls.

Grease 'til they splooge and wipe excess.
Timken Racing grease.

Mevotech says they are willing to update their design for any component that shows premature failure - but that they do not have warranty claims around said product, and deem it satisfactory.
TTX line hasn't ever been required.

Lets see aftermarket replacements that proceeded to fail.
(not bottom of the barrel china junk)
Because I've never seen an honest replacement job fail.

Never bought into the Toyota OEM cult mentality. They can't be the only ones who contract a suitable LBJ, nor are all these companies going to be selling shit and standing behind a product that doesn't work. Niche products like seals and gaskets, are sadly OEM only, and totally different topic.

The majority of OEM LBJ hype is around a form of self (expenditure)-validation and lacks ANY concrete evidence. And yes, I've sifted through the 50+ pages of bullshit threads discussing the merits. That's NOT what this thread is about.

Show me your aftermarket LBJ and how long they've been on.

 

This is why I won't touch cheaper aftermarket parts. Toyota uses good quality materials. You're supposed to swap them every 100k miles, but there are a lot of people out there in the 300k mile range on their stocks ones. There are no aftermarket LBJ junk out there with that kind of mileage. I'd only use OEM or the Total Chaos uniball conversion.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CyY45NAPqJT/?igsh=MzY1NDJmNzMyNQ==

 

Lots of people know Moog has been coasting on their 90s reputation and has went to shit since 2010+ ish.

He cut it apart with an angle grinder.
No catastrophic failure.

Was it Tq to Spec and lubed? Or slamming around.
Lifted IFS will put them outside working angle.
Angry 5 year old factory worker might not have put the specified grease in, out of protest.
Get one with a zerk, and put a dirt cap on it.

You are chanting the same fanboy speculation as before, its really besides the point.
I know you like your OEMs and they are the best.

They are outside this conversation's scope.
There is little genuine information on aftermarket parts as a result of repetition of speculation and OEM validation.
Let's leave discussion of OEM units out for now.


Thanks.

 

If being a fanboy is speaking the truth and telling you that there are people with over 300k miles on their originals, that there are no aftermarket with that many miles, then that makes you an OEM hater just because you don't want to use them.

There's really no need for anyone to comment on this thread if you're just going to keep saying "no, that's not good enough".

There's no talking sense to a hater afterall.

 

At 183,000 miles, I just replaced LBJ's & outer Tie Rod ends with 555's, so we will see. I'm confident though, as I have used their parts before with no quality problems.

 

*facepalm*

I'm not "hating" anything.
If anything, you're "hating" anything other an OEM.
You must see the irony here..


How can I re-phrase this. ..

If One cant afford the OEM LBJ, or the OEM is not available at the time,
what do you believe is the next best option.

What brand, and how long?
I would be shocked if Anyone has put 100k on ANY aftermarket ball-joint, due to the originals lasting 2-300k, which is usually more than the entire truck.

I'd speculate less than 2% of trucks are 400k miles.
And if you replace your OEMs, its because the truck has a hard life and its pushed, and so the aftermarkets will also be under the same conditions.

Survivor Bias.

 

Well you're throwing around the "fanboy" word so it's only proper to call you a hater.

If it were me? That's simple. I'm a firm believer in NOT cheaping out on important parts. So I would never recommend someone get a cheap aftermarket part on something very important like an LBJ, which a failure can potentially lead to a serious accident. Like I said, OEM or Total Chaos uniball conversion.

You know what else usually gets damaged when a LBJ fails? Axle (if 4wd), fender, hood, bumper, tie rod, etc. Now you have to replace all of those just because you wanted to save ~$50.

Join any 1st gen Tacoma/Tundra/Sequioa and 3rd gen 4runner groups on Facebook, you'll see a lot of LBJ failures from aftermarket LBJ users.

 

I am strapped for cash and desperately need new LBJ's. So, I just ordered the Mevotech Supremes. I have no intention of off-roading my truck and will average about 5,000 miles per year, if that. I do like the idea of a greasable joint. And I bought 2 with hardware at half the cost of ONE OEM without hardware. I am an OEM fan and believer. But, for my application and situation I just couldn't justify the additional costs. YMMV

 

Mevotech Supreme is not the Cheapest,
It is one of the more expensive options, Greasable too.
Lifetime Warranty

And unlike any other brand,
you can talk to someone who actually comprehends the message and thinks about what you are saying.
Its not an overseas consulting firm, or bot response.
It's a Canadian brand.
Willing to develop new products based on customer feedback - of which they said they receive very little

I've had good luck with Delphi, as well.
No CS there.

If you have a failure, its a good idea to share the failure with the company.. They might improve the product.
Do your part to help make the world a better place!

 

There was a thread recently that cut a few different LBJs in half to compare the designs, and the OEM definitely looked the most robust.
I have always been skeptical of being attached to OEM LBJs because its only such a big problem Because the OEM ones fail so often...
Its not even an argument that the OEM ones are an amazing product, they just seem to be the least terrible option for these trucks.
There is no definitive data or study (that I've ever seen) to show failure rates across manufacturers, its all just anecdotal. However, from the cross-section of the LBJs the OEM offering definitely looked the most reliable and that has been the only non-biased information I've seen on the matter.

I tried to find that thread to link it here but I couldn't find it, maybe someone else could add it here.

Found it: https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...ts-on-1st-gen-prerunner.587513/#post-19611951

Looks like its only comparison between 555 and OEM, still the most solid information we seem to have besides anecdotes.

 

I believe they (DK) use MOOG. More than a year. LT 5,000 miles.

 

Thanks for the contribution!
How many of those can you buy for the price of OEM?


Strong suspicion people arent TQ'ing replacements tight enough, (possible dirty taper)
Or using them at max droop 3" lift y0, running on the corner of the joint.

Tacoma world needs to advocate the Body Lift.
Better CoG, suspension health, and tire clearance!

 

giggity

I run the mevotech supremes also, but the boot tore like immediately after install. Pretty sure it was my fault for over-greasing though

 

Tell them.

I'll quote your post and send them a link. LOL

Been talking to them about updating the design.
Sounds like nobody is (too) happy with the current options.

 

Tell them to make these at 1/5 the price and people will be hard pressed to not consider them over OEM
https://www.chaosfab.com/product/1996-2004-Toyota-Tacoma-Lower-Uniball-Conversion-OE-Tie-Rod

 

You're the kinda person who would still touch something after a group of people told you it was poisonous, aren't you?

 

The part itself is actually pretty durable to be lasting up to 300k miles in some cases. However, its tension-loaded design means when it does fail, the wheel falls off instead of just causing sloppy steering in a conventional compression-loaded design. I think it was an engineering shortcut by Toyota to save on R&D when switching from torsion bars to coil springs in 1995.

 

Ya dude.

How else you gonna make medicine, or get high?

Lotta foods are poisonous if not prepared correctly.
Green potatoes
apple and cherry seeds
rhubarb leaves
almonds, cashews


Better to be educated, ya know.

Some people like sucking on salty nuts.