Inner/ outer tie rod assembly best brands?

howdy TW

I want to replace all my truck’s steering components. Inner and outer tie rods, lower ball joint, etc..
I’ve already got Camburg uca’s and King Coilovers.

I found several 10-12 piece kits online with seemingly everything needed to do so for around 130$

I’m currently running 33” tires, however someday I’ll be running 35’s once this rig is dedicated as a “fun truck”

1st- Are these inexpensive parts kits top quality? I prefer Original oem but don’t want to spend $$$ on all new oem stuff! That said, I want the best quality possible without spending too much $$$.
• Is there a “best brand name”
• Is there a “brand to be avoided”

2nd- will stock parts be adequate when I step up to 35’s? Or do I need special parts for that?

It’s going to be at least a few years before I step up to 35’s, so it’s not critical that I get upgraded parts (if necessary) but if I’m replacing them I might as well replace them with what I’ll need in the future, as long as they’re not prohibitively expensive..

Thanks TW friends!

 

OEM or 555 stamped Lower ball joints.
A must.

 

All thise parts, at that price, I can assure you they are not "top quality."

Top quality is OEM parts. The lower ball joints, and tie rods are very important componants and can lead to a loss of the wheel if they fail.

I am an advocate of replace with the best you can possibly afford on these componants. Being that you have already invested in King and Camburg, I would say you definately should not get the parts linked above.

At a very minimum, on the lower ball joints, you should be looking for Sakae "555"... but preferably OEM.

The parts linked also show upper ball joints. Those will be unneccesary if you're doing Camburg UCAs.

And the kit also shows sway bar end links... you wont need those if you do the proper repairs on your sway bar... which is throw it in the garbage

 

Lower ball joints should go with OEM.

I went OEM lower ball joints, OEM outer tie rods and 555 inner tie rods.

The LBJs are a well known point of failure on these trucks due to the design...at least with the OEM ones you know you're getting the best quality parts for it.

 

Better start saving for a SAS if you want 35s or larger. Your ifs will not handle them for long.

 

I went with Toyota lower bj, and 555 inner and outer tie rods, changing these parts made a world of difference in how the truck drives now. Those parts on ebay are most likely "Chinese" junk, wouldn't waste my time or money on them.

 

from recent ponderings, i would say not so much due to the design but to the user using them as was not necessarily engineered to do
some are getting mega miles on them with not much issues

 

I would go Toyota OEM on everything but the one really crazy expensive part is the inner tie rods. I think they are around $300 for a set and it's almost better to just go ahead and buy a whole new OEM steering rack at that point for around $500, because an OEM steering rack comes with new inner tie rods. Like somebody already mentioned, you no longer have an OEM upper balljoint with Camburg UCAs. But, I have a feeling you're possibly just throwing money away. Why replace your inner and outer tie rods if they're fine with no detectable play? Replacing the lower balljoints is a no-brainer since they have been known to fail.

Here's some videos that will help you out.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/bfLvtEnX9qk

https://www.youtube.com/embed/--HcOQlv03U

 

Ok! Thanks for the tip

 

Great information!
Thanks

 

So, you've spent probably 2 grand+ on shocks and UCAs, but cheap out on the stuff that actually holds your suspension and steering together?

As others have said, just get 555 or OEM for your balljoints and other components. I've run Moog lower balljoints before, and they were fine (didn't make my truck explode), but honestly won't be running them again. Pretty sure 555 even makes the OEM BJs anyway.

I've got a little rant on BJs on my build thread (link in my sig) if you care to read it.

I went to Lowrangeoffroad.com to get all my tie rods and ball joints.

Please don't buy your auto parts from non-automotive retailers.

 

Those parts are fantastic if you aren’t afraid of dying in a fiery wreck. I like my Moogs, they are stamped 555 and are greasable (not the inners of course) . Don’t buy cheap front end parts

 

As a general rule, buying a pre-packaged assortment of critical suspension parts for less than what one of those parts goes for from a reputable dealer is...probably not a good idea

 

Reminds me of some very low cost (read dirt cheap) suspension parts that I bought for my F150 from Advance when they started selling a value line product. They lasted roughly 10,000 miles. Yes they had a lifetime warranty. So when I returned them, I asked the guys at the store if I could trade up for some MOOGs. They agreed to let me upgrade for the difference in price. Then they chuckled and said: "We work here and we won't event buy that stuff."

I would follow the recommendations from our members listed above.