Upper control arms mod... Anyone?

[IoN6]

I just had some uniball UCA's made but using bushings instead of the heim mounts. What advantages are there to using the heims? I definitely like the way yours look!

Also, you mentioned these are must for guys with the perch adjustment. Are there any differences in your UCA design that works better on the top perch compared to the other shops?

Coming from the Jeep crowd I would be very hesitant to run HEIM's on a daily/road driven truck. Or even a weekend warrior for that matter. That isn't to say you cannot do it, but they need to be inspected far more often than a poly bushing.

They do offer superior range of motion, but with that comes a highly likely loss of longevity due to the fact that they are not greasable and the ball is exposed to the elements.

I am not even going to touch HEIM's in single sheer for use on steering components. If that one needs explaining then there is no point in even trying.

Just my take...

 

[treypal]

I've got the Total Chaos Uniball UCAs. They are bushings not heims. They have taken tons of abuse. I realize that the stock UCAs probably wont fail. But its nice having a part in there that I know wont fail.

 

[treypal]

Pic of the UCAs

 

[crashmc302]

I've got the Total Chaos Uniball UCAs. They are bushings not heims. They have taken tons of abuse. I realize that the stock UCAs probably wont fail. But its nice having a part in there that I know wont fail.

I had been wondering about those too. I noticed through some research they didn't have heims. I just wasn't sure of the durability. But lookin at it, it's probably the mix I'm lookin for: Bushings that'll b more forgiving on road and last but still give me a lil more articulation up front when I raise up the front end to the top perch. So I take it they're worth it?

 

[treypal]

They have Urethane bushings, but they sell a delrin bushing thats supposed to be stronger. I have had the UCAs for 25k with zero problems. TC claims a little more travel, but I am not sure. I am on the middle perch, and I did the perch when I did the UCA, so I don't know which improvements came from which. I do know that its nice to have one less part that I need to worry about. I think they are working on some more Raptor parts as well.

 

[A.I.I.Raciing]

Coming from the Jeep crowd I would be very hesitant to run HEIM's on a daily/road driven truck. Or even a weekend warrior for that matter. That isn't to say you cannot do it, but they need to be inspected far more often than a poly bushing.

They do offer superior range of motion, but with that comes a highly likely loss of longevity due to the fact that they are not greasable and the ball is exposed to the elements.

I am not even going to touch HEIM's in single sheer for use on steering components. If that one needs explaining then there is no point in even trying.
Just my take...

My Ranger has heims on the upper arms since 04, over 40K miles of both dirt and street. The truck was my daily driver until 2 years ago when it got parked and I stared a new build, there was ABSOLUTELY NO problems with my FK heim's, zero slop and no teflon being pushed out.
My guess is the Jeep guys were running cheap China made Heim's and this is the problem.
I've seen China made heim's destroy themselves within a few race miles, where I've seen a good FK or Aurora heim's last thousands off race miles on the same truck.

But its nice having a part in there that I know wont fail.

Just knowing that your TC arms are stronger than stock is a huge load off your mind when your in the middle of no where

 

[Outlaw Offroad]

Coming from the Jeep crowd I would be very hesitant to run HEIM's on a daily/road driven truck. Or even a weekend warrior for that matter. That isn't to say you cannot do it, but they need to be inspected far more often than a poly bushing.

They do offer superior range of motion, but with that comes a highly likely loss of longevity due to the fact that they are not greasable and the ball is exposed to the elements.

I am not even going to touch HEIM's in single sheer for use on steering components. If that one needs explaining then there is no point in even trying.

Just my take...

Very true if you run cheep heim's. We see this all the time on trucks that come through the shop. If you run a quality heim like the FK teflon heim you won't have a problem but they do cost more. The bushings on the upper arm do have a lot of play in the pivot point when under load. This will cause them to wear a lot faster them heim's will as well as weaken the upper arm mounts to. The heim will also out last the bushing as long as the arm is engineered correctly.

The most important thing on any arm is to make sure the uni ball or ball jt is at correct working angle on the truck. NO binding at full bump or a full droop. The raptors that are adjusted to the top perch should IMO run an arm with adequate clearance around the Uni ball or ball Jt.

 

[crashmc302]

Very true if you run cheep heim's. We see this all the time on trucks that come through the shop. If you run a quality heim like the FK teflon heim you won't have a problem but they do cost more. The bushings on the upper arm do have a lot of play in the pivot point when under load. This will cause them to wear a lot faster them heim's will as well as weaken the upper arm mounts to. The heim will also out last the bushing as long as the arm is engineered correctly.

The most important thing on any arm is to make sure the uni ball or ball jt is at correct working angle on the truck. NO binding at full bump or a full droop. The raptors that are adjusted to the top perch should IMO run an arm with adequate clearance around the Uni ball or ball Jt.

So, the arms y'all are putting onto trucks are engineered in that manner?

I realize tho that the bushings can wear faster when the UCA isnt designed properly, but are they noticeably more comfortable on road or is it just a firmer feel w the heims? I've read on some places that a heim will not only wear faster, but aren't as forgiving on road. (not sure why, I'd think that's what the shocks would handle) I'd be looking for somethin that won't just wear out w little off road use (slim pickins out east).

 

[IoN6]

My Ranger has heims on the upper arms since 04, over 40K miles of both dirt and street. The truck was my daily driver until 2 years ago when it got parked and I stared a new build, there was ABSOLUTELY NO problems with my FK heim's, zero slop and no teflon being pushed out.
My guess is the Jeep guys were running cheap China made Heim's and this is the problem.
I've seen China made heim's destroy themselves within a few race miles, where I've seen a good FK or Aurora heim's last thousands off race miles on the same truck.


Just knowing that your TC arms are stronger than stock is a huge load off your mind when your in the middle of no where

No offense, but 40k miles in 7 years is less than a grandma puts on her crown vic in the same amount of time. In regards to us Jeep guys running cheap kit, it is something that happens in every crowd. But that doesn't mean we all do. Generalizing it in a negative light isn't taken well most of the time either.

With that out of the way. If you want to run HEIM's, by all means do so. For those on the forum who just dabble in automotives I would personally suggest against it. Thus the reason for my original post.

I am also willing to bet that even an average Raptor owner is going to put far more stress on his suspension than any Ranger that still has IFS in the front (and hasn't been kitted out to be a runner).

 

[Hockster]

Any idea how do the heim joints hold up in a salt environment?