Truck seems a little squirrely at highway speeds

So heres the info.

I have a 2008 access cab 4x4. It does have a 3 inch spacer lift with rear aal. Tire size is 285-70-17 bfg all terrain. also has 1.25 spidertrax spacers, and it has been alligned.

But when driving on the freeway it seems to sway back and forth. It drives straight , so i know its alligned, but it just seems like it swings left and right a little bit.

Anything to fix this? or anyone identify the problem?

Thanks, Chris

 

I'm guessing that you need upper control arms. With your wheels being further out, the caster making your wheels ride on the outside of the tire after the lift all contribute to less of your wheels under the truck touching the ground. Try walking fast on the outside of each foot... you're less stable and you look funny doing it.

 

I don't have any lift dtuff installed on my truck (TRD Sport) and notice swaying with mine. The trucks are high to begin with and experience movement with any kind of wind on the highway. Just my thoughts.

 

Yup....UCAs. And keep in mind the higher CG of the 4x4 and PreRunner suspensions can make for a bit more wobble.

 

Try different tire pressure. (I assume you checked it.) My recollection is that Toyota specifies higher pressure in the rear - probably to meet requirements for a full load. If you are not traveling fully loaded most of the time, you could drop that to match front tire pressure. You could also try going up a couple pounds or down a couple pounds. The changes are subtle, but I'm supposing the squirreliness is subtle as well.

It's also possible you have a bad tire. You might be able to mitigate that by swapping tires front to back (or perhaps make it worse. ) Maybe it's just an aggressive tire tread that is better suited for off road than high speed applications.

I wonder how much affect the lift and spacers have on alignment and stability. The alignment specs are designed to work with the suspension and tires in their original positions. Once that is changed, the factory alignment specs may no longer produce the desired results. In that regard, I'm in agreement with other posters who suggested alignment and/or modified UCAs.

 

x3 on uca......i got the same thing and im saving for mine.....

 

Yeah, 6am typo on my part. Had to go chop down a tree so my buddy can heat his house!

 

damn i figured i would need aftermarket uca's. Whats a good uca, for a decent price?

Also what tire pressure does everyone suggest to be running all around for just every day driving.

 

Tire pressure is gunna kinda depend on your tire and size... Myself I run about 31-32psi (maybe a bit on lower side, but to me it feels more stable and handles better).

 

Mine is stock except for 265/75 tires. I notice a sway quite a bit. It was worse before I changed tires. I do not have any sway in my '93. Very sensitive to wind. Would better shocks like 5100's help this?

 

my Coma is stock and I drive 100mph once in a while and it drives like my old 2007 Accord coupe. That is one reason why I don't want to mess with the suspension.

 

Doing your lift with spacers increased the tendency to sway. New UCAs will help but the blocks raise the weight of the body above the point that the suspension is designed to control back and forth movement.

 

It is funny you mention this swaying/drifting issue, my 2010 does the same thing on the highway. I never felt anything like this before, unless something was shot in the front end such as control arm bushings. I am surprised how I have to fight to keep correcting the steering as though the truck has a mind of it's own, which I know it does but it is brand new.

 

+1 i had the same on my 06 after a tough country lift. you need the UCA's.
side note if you get into a side wind on the freeway the truck can catch alot of that and cause it to sway. moving with a full load to Louisiana from Oregon. i must have looked like i was drunk going across Nevada.

 

I really like my Light Racing UCAs...they have lots of adjustability.

 

And I ask again, since mine is new and does the same thing, does anyone know or have an idea that upgraded shocks would make any difference in this?

 

I heard that this is a common complaint with running spacers and I just got some too Can't afford the UCA's right now and my tires rubbing were annoying me.

 

UCAs, and get that spacer lift the hell out of there and replace it with a suspension lift. I've never known spacers/blocks to help anything.

 

What he said.