i prefer to use as much OEM parts as i can when i can. are aftermarket ones better or should i stick with oem? i have bj spacers and not sure if there are aftermarket ones that would work better with them as far as lasting longer

 

downey megatravel bvalljoints will help asnd give you more droop
you can probably get a set from the tojoman on ebay

 

I think he was referring to the BJ's themselves....I went with OEMs for mine. I work at a Toyota dealer and got them relatively cheap. I'm the same way when it comes to OEM stuff. I prefer to use Toyota parts, but sometimes they are cost prohibitive. Let me find my receipt, I can let you know what I got them for. Our policy is 10% over cost so it could give you a good idea of what they are costing the dealers.

EDIT: Snapped a pic of my receipt...go figure, it was where I though I put it. It usually doesn't happen that way around here...lol



Ruskymx

 

yea i mean BJ themselves. its funny you bring that up because im a toyota tech and get them at a discount but since im new to the 4x4 world, i wasnt sure if there was a better built bj for lifts

 

I've read and searched and OEM's had the most recommendations that I could find. Moog's had mixed reviews, but a lot of positives. I was thinking about going with the cheapo kits from eBay with BJ, tie rods, idler, pitman for like $220 or something like that, but I didn't want to have to replace them after a wheeling trip or every couple thousand miles.

My OEM's lasted 17 years and 167k miles and were still in decent shape with no play. I just wanted to freshen up the front end. My idler and tie rods on the other hand, didn't fare so well. They needed to be replaced.

Ruskymx

 

The better ball joints for the spacers would have been the mega travel joints from Downey, but since they are out of business they aren't available anymore and to my knowledge no one else makes them. If you can afford it, go with the OEM. If you get anything aftermarket, make sure they have a lifetime warranty.

 

I picked up a set of ball joints and tie rod ends from my brother, whose store carries Beck Arnley stuff. They are a reboxer of OEM supplied parts, for the most part. Everything I got is stamped 555, which apparently is the OEM supplier for Toyota. Everything is made in Japan, too, except for one ball joint that was Korean and didn't look to be as well made as the Japanese parts, so I hunted down another Japanese one.

I have yet to put them in, though.

 

thanks. guess my dealership discount comes out to be about $50 a ball joint. might look into Bech Arnley 555