Gaudet94

I need some help fellas!
I have a 1994 Toyota Pickup 4x4 3.0. Im looking to upgrade the shocks and ball joints. What are you guys running on your yotas and what you prefer. I live in South Louisiana and the roads aren't all that great.
Thanks,

Paul22RE

After thorough research, I went with Billstein 4600s front & back on my non-lifted 92 4WD 22RE. Truck is not an off-roader.

Gaudet94

Paull22Re I was looking at those also. Thanks for the info!!

arlindsay1992

iTrader: (8)

There's no upgrade for ball joints. Buy OEM only, nothing else is as good. OEM joints cost hardly more than a "reputable" aftermarket option. If you buy an aftermarket option you'll be very upset in a year or two when it's already worn out and you need to spring for OEM. OEM lasted 100,000, 200,000, or 300,000 miles. That's as time proven as it gets.

Gaudet94

What are you meaning by "you need to spring for OEM"?

akwheeler

"Spring for" = buy
Also "pony up", "cough up", "shell out for", "pay through the nose" mean about the same thing

keycw

you can verify this in a few posts on here, I purchased genuine 555 balljoints on rockauto under the Beck Arnley title for less than the dealer.

snippits

Hopefully he gets lucky, and gets those parts. Beck Arnley is known to re-box standard parts now, and then charge a premium. I did get lucky though last year when I bought a Beck Arnley cold start injector thermo time switch, and it was a re-boxed Toyota original part.

arlindsay1992

iTrader: (8)

Beck Arnley is a supplier, not a manufacturer. Typically, they're parts are high quality, sometimes they are OEM. But this is not always the case. The 555 brand is not OEM. Don't let anyone tell you it is. It's aftermarket just like Moog or anything else that's not Toyota. Only difference is they are a Japanese company and regarded to be of high quality.

RAD4Runner

Save time and labor and get OEM ball-joints. Try toyotapartsdeal.com.

old87yota

^^ I agree!

Do you happen to know what company manufactures the Genuine Toyota ball joints?

arlindsay1992

iTrader: (8)

Toyota.

Not being a smart ass, but Toyota ball joints have the Toyota "T" cast into them. Only place you can get those is through the dealership. Seriously, they are like $70 each new online. That's not going to break the bank. Better than buying some $50 ball joints and having to do it all over again in a couple years. The originals last over 300,000 miles for many people. How is that not good enough reason to buy the same ones again?

snippits

Moog problem solver are 555 for my 2wd.

I installed 555 uppers on my 92 2wd pickup two years ago, and they are still doing fine. I grease them every oil change. They have the nipple on the rubber part, so old grease can be expelled. They cost $22.99 right now from RockAuto. $48.92 is the cheapest I can find the Toyota part from McGeorge Toyota online parts.

Factory Toyota costs twice as much as the 555 for my application. Are the factory ball joints twice better than 555?

And to answer who makes Toyota ball joints. Never have found a rock solid answer to this question, but I did read one time that the castings were made by 555, but they were not sure that the complete ball joint was made by 555.

old87yota

Thanks!

I know some Genuine Toyota parts are made "in-house", but I did not know about the ball joints.

I am definitely not questioning the quality of Genuine Toyota ball joints.

I usually like to find out the manufacturer of parts in case Toyota discontinues the part from their catalog but the manufacturer who made the parts for Toyota still offers the part in their own part catalog (like Aisin with my 2WD brake master cylinder).