Coldwater, MI: BDS Suspension adds to its lineup of heavy duty upper control arms (UCA) with new kits available for the 2004-2018 Ford F150 trucks. These new UCAs are designed for improved strength, great looks, and more wheel travel on leveled and lifted for the Ford F150.
The new performance control arms are built from high strength 1.5" OD x .120-wall tubing, gusseted for strength and durability. They use an indexed ball joint cup to correct the ball joint positioning for use with 2-3" leveling kits and most full IFS lift kits on the market. The frame mounting ends feature durometer-specific rubber bushings. At the other end they use an indexed ball joint cup with and premium Moog-brand ball joints for smooth, quiet operation and superior durability to arms that feature uniballs, poly bushings or heims. These control arms come finished in a durable semi-gloss black powder coat and include a billet aluminum machined BDS ball joint dust cap as well as proper brake line attachment points to ensure a factory-like fit. The arms integrate a mounting tab for the factory brake lines so there's no need to zip tie the lines like with other kits. The control arms come fully assembled for easy install right out of the box.
Take your Ford F150 to the next level of ride quality and performance with suspension upgrades from BDS.
Product Description
BDS Performance Upper Control Arms
Compatible With:
- FOX 2.0 Performance Series Coilovers (0-2")
- FOX 2.5 Factory Series Coilovers (0-2")
- BDS 2-2.5" Leveling Kits (540H/572H)
- BDS 4" IFS Systems (576H/598H/1502H/1507H/1533H)
- BDS 4" C/O Systems (1502F/1507F/1533F)
- BDS 6" IFS Systems (574H/573H/1503H/1506H/1532H)
- BDS 6" C/O Systems (573F/1503F/1506F/1532F)
- Most other lift and leveling kits
Vehicle Fitment
2004-2018 Ford F150 4WD
2009-2018 Ford F150 2WD
Kit Info
#123253 - $735.79 MSRP
BDS Upper Control Arm Features
- High strength tubular construction
- Indexed ball joint cup allows for additional droop travel
- Heavy duty MOOG ball joints
- Clevite rubber frame bushings
- Includes brake line mount
- Full assembled, ready to install
© BDS Suspension, 491 W. Garfield Ave. Coldwater, MI 49036
(517) 279-2135 | bds-suspension.com | sales-bds@ridefox.com
I have a 2015 f150 4wd with a 6in lift kit with rough country coilovers can i use these upper control arms to get improved articulation i currently have stock ones
These UCAs will bolt right into the factory mounts and allow for improved droop travel over the factory arms.
I have a 2007 f150 2wd with 3 1/2 inch lift. will these correct the camber angles right now at -1 maxed stock adjustment
Hi Jacob, unfortunately these UCA won’t work on your ’07 F150 2WD. They only fit the ’09+ F150 2WD models
Will this work with a Rough Country leveling kit?
Hi Davis, these UCAs are an OEM replacement and would be compatible with your RC leveling kit
I have a 14 4×4 f150 with the BDS 2.5” level, will these UCA’s help with the control arm hitting the spring during suspension travel?
Hey Derrick,
Short answer is yes, these UCAs are compatible with the BDS 2.5″ Leveling Kit.
On the topic of your stock control arms contacting the springs the factory suspension clearances are very tight and if too much positive caster angle is added its possible for them too contact the springs at full droop. The BDS UCAs are formed for more clearance and add 1.4 degrees of caster so you won’t have that issue.
I got a 2008 f150 limited awd will these fit my truck???
Hey Eddie,
Your ’08 F150 AWD uses the same suspension as the 4WD model so these UCAs will be a direct bolt on.
I have a 2010 f150 4×4 with 3” level kit installed and my uca hit the springs when going over bigger bumps, will these hit as well or should they clear? Also Are the ball joints in these replaceable?
Hey Colby, the short answer is yes, these UCAs will help with clearances so you shouldn’t have that issue. Ultimately the issue you’re having is due to where the caster is set causing there to not be enough clearance for your stock control arms to clear the springs when installing a leveling kit. The BDS UCAs are formed for more clearance and add 1.4 degrees of caster so you shouldn’t have that issue. The ball joints are replaceable and can be ordered from us or picked up from your local BDS distributor.
Awesome thank you for the prompt reply, I’ll see if I can locate a dealer in Edmonton and order a set. Thanks again for the reply
I have an 12f150 6.2l ifs with 2 inch rough country leveling struts 33×12.5r22 with bad cv angles will this relief some of that stress
Hey Mitchell, These UCAs will work with your current setup and improve the upper ball joint angle to allow for more travel and improved strength. They won’t however have any affect on the CV axle operating angles. Typically CV axles are within acceptable operating angles a 2″ lift. We don’t offer a diff drop at that height, but do include one on taller kits
Will these uca work with factory rims 17×7.5j and 265 70r 17 tires on a 2017 f150 4×4
Hey Tony, our UCAs are compatible with stock and aftermarket wheels and would work just fine with your setup.
What is the widest tire on a stock 17 in wheel that can be run with these.
Hey Keith, we don’t tested every potential tire/wheel combination to know what the maximum tire size that will clear the UCAs with stock 17s. To that point an all terrain tire size that barely clears would have an likely rub in that size of mud terrain due to the aggressiveness of the sidewall lugs. Its difficult to give a definitive answer.
Installing fox 2.5 dsc coilovers with the bds uca on a 05 f150, eventually will get larger tires and wheels but will the stock 17 wheels and tires fit till then?
Hi Ed,
Just to be clear you are installing the coilovers and UCAs on a stock truck to net 2-3″ of lift total rather than a full 4-6″ IFS suspension lift, correct? Assuming that’s the case these UCAs allow the use of all factory wheel/tire options. If installing those parts in combination with a full IFS lift there are clearance limitations with reinstalling stock 17s
BDS VS Icon UCA
I have a 2017 SC F150 STX 4×4 w/ Bilstein 6112 kit set at 2 inch level up front and 5100 in back. I have stock tires 275/55R/20 with stock Rims 20×8.5 +30mm off set. my plan eventially want to go to 285/55R/20 with 20×9 inch rims and what I was told with +18mm offset. Is that correct using +18mm offset on those rims? Cause I don’t want to much of the tires sticking out. Now will your BDS UCA’s will work fine with current set up and future setup? What kind of longevity can I expect with the BDS UCA’s? It indicates you can grease up the ball joint. But, what about the UCA’s bushing at the Frame connections. How would they be lubed, if any? one last important thing, are the frame bushings and ball joints replaceable. As I tend to keep my trucks for a long time. My usage is daily driver and occasional serious off roading. Not so much rock climbing. But, want some articulation and traction to get me out of situations. So I am so tossed between your UCA and Icon Delta Joint. Convince me as to why I should lean towards your UCA? What are the Pro/Cons. I am looking forward to your response and Thank You So Much.
Hi Clyde,
A lot of questions packed into your comment so I’ll try to answer them all.
Wheel/Tire Compatibility: Our UCAs are compatible with both stock and aftermarket wheels, you’ll gain about a .25″ of clearance on the backside of the wheel going from those stock 20s (5.93″ BS) to aftermarket 20s (5.71″ BS) and overall will be sticking out about an additional 1-1.25″ from where you are now with the width of the tire/wheel. Our UCAs are compatible with both stock and aftermarekt wheel setups so in either case these will work great for you.
Longevity/Maintenance: Our UCAs are build strong our of DOM tubing, fully welded and finished in a durable powdercoat finished. The frame mount ends use OE style Clevite rubber bushings for maintenance free operation and long lifespan just as you’d expect from the factory arms. On the other end we use a high quality Moog ball joint that can be easily serviced by removing the ball joint cap and provide a long service life. The ball joint cup is indexed from the position of the stock UCA to provide better positioning of the ball joint when used with a level kit allowing for additional droop travel. If you ever need to replace a ball joint they can be purchased directly from us or are readily available through your local auto store.
IVD Comparison – we make a point to not bash other brands, but rather talk about our products features. Between the high strength construction right here in the USA, the no fine print warranty protecting these arms, the various wheel/tire compatibility and everything mentioned above in my comments and in the product announcement these arms a great value and quality upgrade for your F150.
Thanks Carter, for your reply. Your UCA is my next upgrade. I stopped by a distributor and he also touted that your UCA is very good. For the fact of longevity and easy to get replacement parts.
Can I run 17 inch method wheels with 4.75 backspace with 295/70/17 with BDS upper control arms I have 2015 f150 4×4.
Hey Robert, is your F150 leveled or lifted? While you wouldn’t have enough clearance for that tire stock, if its at least leveled out and fitted with these UCAs that tire/wheel combo can be used.
I just stocked a leveling kit on top of a lift kit and was told to get extended bds control arms. Are these it?
Hey DJ,
A few clarifying questions before giving a response. What year/make/model vehicle do you have, what lift kit (size/brand) are installed and how tall is the leveling kit stacked on top? In general we don’t recommend stacking lift kits as it can cause handling issues, affect vehicle performance and lead to premature wear of components. That said if the concern you are trying to address is that the factory upper ball joints angle is maxed out our UCA kits uses an indexed mount to improve operation angle and allow more droop travel. We offer UCA kits for a variety of applications.
I want to buy a set of these, but they seem to be out of stock everywhere that I check. Are they being manufactured soon?
Thank you, Russ
Hey Russell,
We try to keep all components in stock, but at times the demand is greater than the supply. These UCA kits should be back in stock soon, feel free to contact our sales team for more (517) 279-2135 or sales-bds@ridefox.com
Hi will these work on a 2003 Ford Expedition?
Hey Evan, while there are several similarities between that generation F150 and Expedition, unfortunately we haven’t test fit the UCAs to be able to say whether or not they would fit on a ’03 Expedition.
Hello, will these work on a 2017 Ford Expedition with a 3” front leveling kit?
Hey Sean,
While we don’t expect any fitment differences between F150 and Expedition, at this time these have not been tested these UCAs on the Expedition so are not able to officially list fitment compatibility
Do these UCAs add any caster compared to OEM?
Hey Sam, while these do improve the ball joint positioning for leveled/lifted applications, they will not add additional caster on the F150 models
I have a 2014 4×4 f-150 with the 6 inch BDS coil over lift. The front is sitting at about 7.25 inches and my upper control arm angle is awful and making my ball joints go out. Would these help correct the angle and strengthen my ball joint?
Hey Jacob, short answer is yes, these UCAs will help in your situation as they use an indexed ball joint cup to allow more suspension droop before maxing out the ball joint angle. That said officially we don’t recommend setting ride height over the 6″ right height on our F150 kits as there is the potential to cause premature wear of factory front end components and difficulty aligning as all components in the kit are designed for 4-6″ of lift.
I have a 2006 F150 4×4 with a 6″ RC suspension lift. I went with the lifted strut instead of the strut spacer. I have put a leveling kit on top of my lifted strut and am having issues with my UCA’s contacting my springs when I weight the bed down. Will this help the clearance between the springs and the UCA’s. Also just added a 3″ body lift today. GOT-ER STACKED UP NOW!!!
Hey Jake, ultimately that’s a scenario we hadn’t tested to confirm UCA compatibility. These will allow additional clearance over the factory UCAs and help improve the ball joint operating angle, but can’t say if this would completely resolve the interference issue you are having now as you are using the RC product outside of how they designed them to be used.
if i have a 10” lift on my f150 will this work for it. ? or is there one that will. i can’t find one any where and my baby is just sitting 🙁
Hey Zack,
that’s a bit of a loaded question and difficult to answer without full context on your current setup. What year is your F150? Who’s 10″ kit are you running? Is it a true 10″ kit or is if a smaller kit stretched to 10″ causing the UCAs to be at a more extreme operating angle?
Ultimately our UCAs are designed as an OEM replacement while integrating an indexed ball joint cup to improve joint operating angle when the arms are positioned at a bit more angle than stock (similar to the angle a stock truck with a 2-3″ leveling kit would be).
Hello, I am running a Fabtech 4” lift with Fox 2.5 remote resolver shocks set to 1” for a net 5” of lift, would your UCA’s be a good fit for this set up? 2016 F150, thx!
Hey Dave, why we haven’t tested the combination with a Fabtech lift kit with our UCAs, these arms are designed as a direct replacement for the factory UCAs. They use an indexed ball joint cup to work with trucks that use operate with a bit more ball joint angle (similar to a stock truck with a leveling kit). Assuming your factory UCAs are being used at a more angle than stock these BDS arms will be a great option to add strength, improve ball joint angle and allow some additional droop travel.
I am planning to install 2 inch coilovers and BDS arms on a 2018 f-150 with oem wheels, which have 6″ of backspacing. Stage 3’s website states a max of 5.5″ of backspacing to fit a 12.5″ wide tire. Since the OEM wheels have 6″ of backspacing, would I be able to fit up to an 11.5″ wide tire without rubbing the control arms?
Hey Austin,
Ultimately we haven’t tested that particular wheel/tire combination and our recommendations are just that recommendations. Clearance will be tight using stock wheels with an wider tire, but you can try it. Adding a 1/4″ wheel spacer between the rotor and wheel may allow sufficient clearance as well.
Do you make UCA for my 2017 Ford Raptor?
Unfortunately not Ben, we don’t offer replacement UCAs options for the Ford Raptor
I have a 2017 f150. I’m going to be installing 2.5” BDS Leveling kit in the front with 35×12.50xR22 Toyo open country tires. I have a 1.25” wheel spacers as well. Will this affect tire clearances? Thanks.
Hey Alex, are you’re planning to mount the tires on factory 22″ wheels or are they aftermarket? Ultimately the 1.25″ wheel spacer will affect the backspacing to push the tire/wheel out of the wheelwell which will help with clearance to the suspension parts, but as you push them out it will also increase the range of motion that arc in the wheelwell when turning left to right. Assuming its factory 22s they should be 22×9 wheels w/ +44 offset aka 6.75″ backspacing). Adding the 1.25″ will achieve around. 5.5″ backspacing which is within our recommended wheel/tire specs so you should be good to go. Aftermarket wheels may have an clearance issue as they will likely already have a smaller backspacing to start with.
Yes factory 22s. I’m getting an alignment after mounting the tires. Also I’m ordering BDS UPPER CONTROL ARM as well for later on. Will the control arm effect the outward distance of the tire? Meaning a slant of the tire. Or will the tire be same dimensions of a factory Ford upper arm already there?
You should be good to go with this setup on factory 22″ wheels, Alex. Backspacing will be within our recommended specs. The BDS UCAs are designed as a direct replacement for the stock UCAs, not increase in width, just the indexed ball joint cup better suited for leveled/lifted ride heights.
Would these work well with my 2014 F-150 with a 2.5 leaving kit. Right now I have some Motorcraft factory spec upper arm and the pulled down with very little space between the arms and the spring. I have bilstein 5100 adjustable struts.
Would these work and make the ride smoother?
can i fit the original 20 rims on a 2007 king ranch 4wd with a 2.75 inch leveling kit.
Hi Alex, you will be able to reinstall the factory 20″ wheels, however you’ll likely need a small wheel spacer to allow sufficient clearance (5.5″ BS recommended)
Hi Carter do you guys deliver to Canada?
I have an 06 ford f150 fx4 with a 6 inch RCX kit would your arms be ok to use?
We don’t offer manufacturer direct retail shipping outside the US, but you can buy our products through one of our many Canadian dealers. Find ones near you at https://bds-suspension.com/distributor-lookup
Will these fit a 2005 F-150 with the Bilsteans 5100’s adjusted to 2 inches?
Hey Kevin, these will work on your Bilstein-leveled ’05 F150
Good evening,
To keep it short and sweet, I am writing to present an opportunity for your brand to expand to a larger audience. I own multiple YouTube channels totaling over 2 million views with a wide range of viewers from truck enthusiasts to video game enthusiasts. In addition, I am also a member in numerous truck related Facebook groups that I believe would love your product. I would love to showcase your extended F150 Upper Control Arms to my Ford enthusiasts. If it would be of benefit to you I would have no problem snapping a couple photos of your product on my lifted 2005 F150 XLT that you could use as a promotional resource as well.
Thanks for your time,
Aaron Y. (aka Vycious)
Hey Aaron,
opportunities are limited right now, but you will need to email our marketing department to pitch the opportunity and discuss it with them. You can email marketing-bds@ridefox.com