who are the go to steering/suspension parts now?

[Supercharged111]

When i bought my truck the idler arm had been replaced with 2000 to 3000 miles on it at the time of sale. I've put about 6000 miles on since I've bought it. The idler are is shot. It moves up and down about 3/16"! I was wondering why the truck wandered so much and that is why.

A new Moog is $130. A Drive works with limited lifetime is $60. I'm going with the drive works and see what happens....

Ken

**** that. I did a cheap idler arm back in 2009 when stuff didn't suck as bad as it does now and even that POS was wallered out after 2 years. I open my wallet as wide as I need to when it comes to front end parts. Do it right or do it again.

 

[Turbo86GN]

My 2 cents: I thought TRW ball joints would be good parts but not so. Upper and lower ball joint boots cracked and leaking grease after a few years of only weekend driving. I bought NOS GM joints on Ebay to replace them all. Moog problem solver control arm bushings are cracked on the exposed surface...so far not worn. I'm going GM (ACDelco) or NOS GM when I can.

 

[eran tomer]

I've got Moog upper and lower ball joints, with some engineering to my suspension for over 10 years and no issues. Boots are all good and tight. My steering parts are ACDelco pro, only a year old and failing. The pro stuff seemed beefy out of the box but has not lasted. I have Moog to replace my pitman and idler parts. I will say to replace everything at once. If you piece meal repairs you can ruin new parts. I just helped my brother in law install the full Detroit axle front end kit. It seemed heavy duty, but I wouldn't use it. Hope this helps

what's wrong with the detroit stuff?

 

[offroadtahoe]

so mevotech eco idler is the best to use? I can't decide between a rare parts idler or mevotech does anyone know if they use the upgraded bearing design? im running on 38.5s and id like to run something that will last,i know you can run a kryptonite pitman, already using there upper ball joints,and a ss170 (3bolt) supersteer bracket,flaming river u-joint,and even a u-joint underdash from a gmc to replace the blob joint on a 96+ chevy.just can't seem to find a upgraded idler arm

 

[Bondovw]

good to see it’s still holding up well. What line of mevotech was it. The standard lines or the HD TTX?

I used standard because I thought I was going to sell the truck. I recently bought all the heavy duty stuff for it.

 

[94K3500PROJECT]

Super Steer has an idler arm and idler bracket that I think is actually a Cognito part and fits these trucks

 

[offroadtahoe]

i emailed rare parts,and it turns out the idler they offer isnt an upgrade its just an aftermarket made by McQuay,so shootout between mevotech supreme and moog

 

[ItsMarty]

How far do you want to go with it? I did Mevotech TTX tie rods/ball joints, Cunningham machine tie rod adjustment sleeves, AC Delco pitman/idler arms, AC Delco idler arm bracket and Cognito pitman and idler arm braces.
The Cognito braces make a huge difference and I can’t see the arms wearing out ever again but are a bit of a pain to install.

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[offroadtahoe]

How far do you want to go with it? I did Mevotech TTX tie rods/ball joints, Cunningham machine tie rod adjustment sleeves, AC Delco pitman/idler arms, AC Delco idler arm bracket and Cognito pitman and idler arm braces.
The Cognito braces make a huge difference and I can’t see the arms wearing out ever again but are a bit of a pain to install.

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i have those sleeves too,they helped a little on slow speed turns it seems,with the cognito braces,do you lose any steering,lock to lock? i have read that they do hit the frame but can't remember where,kept them out of mind because of that,but now im thinking this is the only way the idler and pitman will last more ten 10k miles

 

[ItsMarty]

i have those sleeves too,they helped a little on slow speed turns it seems,with the cognito braces,do you lose any steering,lock to lock? i have read that they do hit the frame but can't remember where,kept them out of mind because of that,but now im thinking this is the only way the idler and pitman will last more ten 10k miles

Just saw your reply, I haven’t noticed any steering loss on mine, nor anywhere they hit the frame. To install them it’s a huge pain as there isn’t much room before the braces are added, but definitely make a huge difference. I had them on my 03 Yukon as well and both times I noticed the steering felt much tighter.
I added the Cunningham steering shaft also which took the remaining slop out of my steering but the braces make a huge difference in how precise the steering is.