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SPC Ball Joint Failure

Sparkle_Tooth said:
So now this has piqued my interest. I would have gone with a different UPC but I too have heard that there are fitment issues with Icon and certain setups.

So since you recommend them and I have used the in the past with success. I would be interested in potentially swapping out my SPCs for Icons. My current setup is the Halo Stage 1 kit which is the 2.0 Coilovers. I run Falken Wilpeak RTs 295/70/18 on the stock wheels.
Which Icon UPC would work with that setup to avoid any rubbing. Thanks
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Ditto, although I'm running a Stage 2 kit with stock tires and wheels.
 
So for a Halo Stage 1 kit, is OEM UCA the better choice? Do the Icon Tubulars fit with OE Tremor wheels and the 285 or 295 tires?
 
SpaceWhiteF150 said:
With the wider radius of the arm I would say no. The most positive offset we have run them on is +12 offset wheels and oversized tires.

I can get back to you Monday after I talk with our ICON rep.
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That would be great if you could confirm for me. If they work, or possibly with a manageable spacer, that's my most probable route at this point. Also, the tubular uca's have the tab to move over the attachment ball for the dynamic headlights right?

I know @Cblaxx19 has the billet arms on raptor wheels and 35/11.5s. I don’t remember if he has spacers or not.
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This would be another green flag for me. I'm just about ready for new tires and was wanting to run the Wild peak A/T4W in the same size.
 
Sooo, I have the SPC UCAs as well. Thus far no problems, though probably should grease them more often than I do...
Very interested to know the outcome of this because I don't want this happening to mine when I'm deployed to a disaster...
 
Stock wheel and tire fit with the billet UCA, I ran that for a week or so before I installed TE37XT reps (18x9 +6) with AT4W 295/75. Cblax attempted to run bigger tires on stock wheels with the same arms and had interference issues before going with a different wheel setup.
 
TremorKaos said:
That would be great if you could confirm for me. If they work, or possibly with a manageable spacer, that's my most probable route at this point. Also, the tubular uca's have the tab to move over the attachment ball for the dynamic headlights right?


This would be another green flag for me. I'm just about ready for new tires and was wanting to run the Wild peak A/T4W in the same size.
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The tubular arms come with the sensor mount and the billet ones make you purchase it separately.
 
I have 25,000 miles on my SPC's. I don't think I've even greased them after install. Now I'm worried.

How do I check for ball joint play? Jack up the wheel and give it a shake?

Did you reach out to SPC to see what they say?

Now I'm tempted to put the OEM arms back in but that's going to require another alignment.....
 
SpaceWhiteF150 said:
The billet arms are slightly wider than the tubular arms but they have essentially the same ball joint location. The main difference is the adjustability at the coil bucket for alignment. We have run both with success. I personally have the tubular arms on mine, they have been great.

I know @Cblaxx19 has the billet arms on raptor wheels and 35/11.5s. I don’t remember if he has spacers or not.
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I do have spacers. I needed them to not rub the UCA with the tires. I’m running 1/2” spacers I think. Might be 10mm so a little under 1/2”.
 
:stares at NIB SPC UCAs that have been sitting for 8 months:

Has there been any confirmation that the sealed ball joints are more reliable?
 
zimm said:
Now I'm wondering if I should preemptively upgrade the ball joints to the new style: https://halolifts.com/products/spc-replacement-ball-joint-kit-for-f-150s-with-the-spc-ucas

Product Detail | Specialty Products Company | SPC Alignment | The Automotive Alignment Leaders

Specialty Products Company | SPC Alignment | The Automotive Alignment Leaders
www.spcalignment.com www.spcalignment.com
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Looks like under $200 at most stores. I'm going to grab these for my initial install for some peace of mind.
 
I emailed Kevin @halolifts for his input. I asked if we should do the upgraded ball joints or go back to stock arms.
 
Stock uca’s are limited in articulation and don’t have caster correction that is pretty important in an ifs truck (there’s a valid reason to upgrade when you lift the truck).

Sealed vs non sealed doesn’t seem to make a difference in other applications when it comes to spc balljoints. Some have good luck and some don’t.

I’d say just switch to a known quality reputable brand. Grab some icon (or other) tubular delta joint uca’s and be done with it.
 
SpaceWhiteF150 said:
I’ll talk to our ICON rep tomorrow to confirm the UCA situation.
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I'd also switch to tubular icon uca, only went spc due to icon's tech info specs suggesting they wouldn't fit with my wheel (don't want spacers). I was hesitant to go spc after reading what seemed like older QC issues in online forums but I figured there had been like 2 revisions since on their joints so should have resolved. This type of failure just rekindles that nagging feeling. Please keep us posted what they confirm on fitment and I'll look through posts to see if anyone running 17" with 5.7 backspace and 35x11.5.
 
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it sounds like Icon is not an option for those of us who want to run OEM wheels without a spacer. just like Mr. @Moe7 my Halo Stage 1 Kit with SPCs has been sitting in a box for a while until I have the free time to install it. NOW considering keeping the OE UCA. As for Caster, the OEM Tremor spec is 4.5 deg (L) 4.7 deg (R), both are +/- 1.0 deg. Does anyone have OEM UCA with Halo Stage 1 and an alignment report to confirm what kind of caster can be achieved with the OEM arms? It will depend on how much lift you have too, so that’s an important parameter to include.
 
Tremgineer said:
it sounds like Icon is not an option for those of us who want to run OEM wheels without a spacer.
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Not sure that's the case actually. I remember now the discussions in Icon thread about fitment concerns and it seemed Icon tubular arm fit with OEM wheel/tire but wasn't clear at the time what may fit with aftermarket wheel/tire combos.
 
I'd also like to know if the Icon tubular will clear OEM wheels. The Tremor wheels have less offset than normal OEM wheels, so maybe they'll clear?
 
zimm said:
Did you reach out to SPC to see what they say?
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I did not reach out to them directly; although going through their website and warranty info, it looks like it would be a hassle to try to get them to warranty the ball joint. I’m likely switching UCA regardless for peace of mind.
 
Tremgineer said:
it sounds like Icon is not an option for those of us who want to run OEM wheels without a spacer. just like Mr. @Moe7 my Halo Stage 1 Kit with SPCs has been sitting in a box for a while until I have the free time to install it. NOW considering keeping the OE UCA. As for Caster, the OEM Tremor spec is 4.5 deg (L) 4.7 deg (R), both are +/- 1.0 deg. Does anyone have OEM UCA with Halo Stage 1 and an alignment report to confirm what kind of caster can be achieved with the OEM arms? It will depend on how much lift you have too, so that’s an important parameter to include.
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It’s not a direct comparison but I’m running fox 2.5’s on my non tremor f150 with the stock upc that provided 2.25” lift and was able to squeeze 4.6* caster L and 4.9* on the right side. I believe with the taller tremor knuckles that those numbers should be even higher depending on height but will add my front fender sits at 41 1/8” from the ground with 315/70/17’s and my upc doesn’t come into contact with the spring at full droop.
 
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