Tire rub after alignment

Hey guys - hope this isn't just another "my shit rubs, help me plz" thread so hear me out:

I have 285/75/16 Falken Wildpeak AT3Ws, stock SR wheels, 1.25" spacers in the front, Bilstein 5100's w/ 888's on the bottom notch, and SPC UCAs.

I got my truck custom aligned about 3 months ago after my lift and tires so that Camber and Toe were near 0* and Caster was around 3*. After that alignment I could hit bumps while turning and never felt any rubbing. The original spec sheet is in my build log, but can re-post it if you need to see it.

Fast forward to yesterday. I jolted my alignment all to crap over the weekend and took it to the same place. Their spec sheet says near 0* Camber and Toe with 3* Caster after alignment, just like the previous alignment (current specs attached below). Now I rub the body mount on both sides when hitting bumps while turning both directions. My initial thoughts was: "well, maybe the first alignment specs were off and I had actually been running with a ton of caster (meaning way more than 3*), so when they set it to 3* I lost a bunch" but when I looked at their "before alignment" specs it looks like my passenger side was already set at 0* Camber and Toe with 3* Caster, so they just barely nudged the alignment on that side -- remember that side didn't rub before taking it in yesterday. One thing I did see on the pre-post measurements is that they let out 4 psi from my tires (assuming that's accurate). Anyone have any idea if psi can influence rubbing as much as it has? What else could change if the specs are almost identical?

 

If they got your 3* of + caster using the UCA instead of the LCA cam bolts then that’s your problem. What position is your UCA ball joint in?

 

maybe a different tech not familiar with the SPCs?

 

Exactly what Marin said. Adjusting caster positive with the lCA pushes your wheels forward. Adjusting with the upper moves them back toward your cab mount. You need to find a tech that knows what they are doing. They should get as much caster out of the lower then adjust the upper. It is a hassle that most techs won't want to deal with so make sure you talk to them up front.

 

Strange. Well either way you’ll need to have them redo the alignment and max the lower cams forward and then dial in the caster and camber after with the UCA. Maybe bring them a 6 pack too so they do it the way you want it done.

 

I don’t. Alignment is independent of the wheels altogether. Your spacers are likely putting your tires closer to rub points so a CMC and heat gun to the plastics will help. But I would guess that you should be able to get rid of most rubbing with a good alignment.

 

Keep us posted. I'm looking to run 285's on my pickup with SCS ray 10's so I'm trying to gather as much on this as I can, but know I may have to do some tweaking to make them work...

 

I'm running the same size. I found that it didnt rub before cmc and pinch weld until I compressed suspension during a turn or going up a driveway. It got pretty nasty over time and tore up my tire so I chopped a big amount from the cab mount. I plan on running 35's in the future so additional amounts were chopped.

 

This is probably going to be my reality. I figure instead of the price of a re-alignment ($120) I might as well cut the mount and pay my dad in a few IPAs to weld the cover plate on. Worry about fine-tuning the alignment the next time I inevitably slam hard and knock it out.

 

i think if you're asking these questions about keeping your alignment strong in a Tacoma, you should maybe check into:
- alignment cam gusseting
- cam replacement
- Marlin HD frame braces

if serious about keeping your alignment these are a way forward.

 

Honestly, I don't know. I don't think it's quite as easy as just marking the locations though. Every time I've had mine done they've had to adjust the lowers and uppers to get everything dialed. It's a pretty complicated 3 dimensional system.

You also might want to look into the lifetime alignment options. I am fortunate enough to have a local Firestone with competent technicians and it has already paid for itself many times over. The other thing that might be worth looking into is learning how to do a home alignment. Or as @St.Germain said, look into reinforcing your alignment components.

 

don't jump on those if you're still figuring out how you like your truck. seems you're thinking about it correctly.

 

Good points. My alignment does get out of whack because the cam tabs always bend out after my trips. I went ahead and did some reinforcement by welding a bead behind the cam tabs. What I do want to do in the near future is install the TC cam tabs reinforcement plates along with the marlin crawler lca gussets. This will ensure cams stay in alignment.

Maybe I will go as far as installing the poly performance can bolt alignment delete kit.

https://www.polyperformance.com/pol...5-tacoma-03-09-4runner-gx470-07-09-fj-cruiser

 

big fan of those Marlin braces. the truck's front end is just not properly strong with them. good stuff.

i haven't gone with gussets or cam replacements myself. I'm still doing minor mods on the front (latest example: steering knuckle reinforcement in 2 weeks, and another alignment of course), so i still need full easy access to tweaking.

 

It is hard to tell what they did because you didn't post the before readings. It would also be helpful to post the past alignment specs if you have it.

 

I'm trying to bounce back and forth between the measurements to figure out what you had and what you have. It looks you initially had 3.4 degrees left and 3.0 right and you were not rubbing. Then when you took it in after a hard trip and you had 4.1 and 3.3. Assuming it wasn't rubbing when you brought it in. If that caster was gained at the expense of the LCA, you probably weren't rubbing. After you had it aligned you end up with 3.0 Left and 3.3 right. If they dialed back caster on both sides using the LCAs then that might explain the rubbing because it pulls the wheels back toward the cab. Ideally with adjustable uppers, you dial caster back with the upper ball joint and it moves the wheel forward to lower caster.

 

I think you're right. The UCAs haven't moved so they had to have just used the lower cam tabs. So next time I'll have them max caster with the LCAs and then dial back caster using the UCAs to 3*? Is that the workflow?

 

Yep that is how it works. You really have to get lucky finding an alignment tech that knows what they are doing and will take the time to do it right because the difference between rubbing and not is so close.