UCA's and Alignment

I switched to "F" and maxed caster on lowers...can confirm it drives way better now than on "D" where turning was really heavy. ~2.4 caster on "F" vs 3.5/3.9 previously on "D".

 

I guess im confused. I've been reading over this thread after another unhappy alignment. does "F" give you more caster than "A"? F looks negative while A looks positive.

 

I replied to your message but I'll post it here so others can see the explanation.

I recommend "F" because it gives you a little bit more caster over stock. "G" would actually be like stock (No additional Caster) when you lift the truck the actual issue is the Camber your tire move elliptically \----/ so to compensate for that; the shop will decrease the Caster to try and get the Camber close. The goal is to get the Caster into spec. Not to get really high Caster. If you go over 3* Caster you risk premature damage to your steering system. (It's not how Toyota Designed the truck to perform.)
Setting "G" would provide you with the most Body mount clearance. you'll probably be able to get about 2* of caster at setting "G" I set mine at "F" because I wanted my caster to be about 2.5*.

Hope this makes sense.

Good Luck!

 

read all the pages, learned alot. thank you.
i got an eibach stage 1 on 2nd notch and icon 3leaf 1.5 at the back that leveled the truck with JBA UCA.
i took it for alignment after the lift and i am now rubbing on the lower control arm on full lock forward (u turns), i dont rub on full lock backwards- on stock wheels and tires, TRD Sport 2023 17x7 +30mm offset.
the shop put my caster at 5.3, took the truck there 3x and they still cant get it right.
So now am gonna get 285/70/17 with 17x9 -12offset to bring the tire away from the LCA. Gonna have it aligned after the new tires/wheels are on and i'll shoot for 4.5 caster as suggested by JBA spec sheet.
any feedback to getting a -negative offset wheel to prevent the tire from rubbing the LCA?

 

They'll never get your Caster down because of the JBA UCA's.
Read the link in my sig:
"Most UCA's are doing it Wrong!"

 

have personally know 2 people that's using jba uca that can only get to 4.5 caster no matter how much they ask the shop to push it forward as they have 295 tires.
so your reasoning "because i have jba usa" is moot.

maybe if i get a 0 offset wheel instead of a +30 wheel will solve the problem instead of blaming the jba's.

 

If you like the way it drives with the current numbers I would toss a 1" (25.5mm) spacer in and call it a day. You could also adjust the LCA alignment cams yourself - are your cams all the way forward? You could adjust slightly back and see if you still rub the LCA - But but now camber will be off so it's a back and forth (https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/how-to-do-an-alignment-at-home.252256/) game, and you're more likely to rub the cab mount / rear wheel well on compression. I'd like to see a pic of your LCA rear cams to see how much room you can move in either direction.

 

i left it alone, drives straight, no vibrations and i only rub when i make a full lock turn.
i'm getting falcon t7 wheels 17x9 -12, 4.5bs and 285/70/17 tires and then getting it re aligned by an offroad shop.

 

Good luck with that!

 

before alignment the caster was at 2.4 and 2.7, so you're telling me a good alignment shop cant get it back close to that?

 

Ok based on this thread it seems the SPC or JBA would work for me…. I don’t have a pic atm but I have eibach stage 2 lift up front and icon leaf pack in rear. My front end is about 1.75” higher than stock

my alignment was in spec except for caster at 1.4 degrees. About 1 degree off from being within spec.

which UCA would remedy this best?

it drives fine at all speeds fyi.

 

update to my #324 post.
got new wheels falcon offroad 17inch with -12 offset and 285/70/17 wild peak tires, got new alignment too, caster is still at 5degrees, toe is .03 and camber at .04, no more rubbing, no rubbing on LCA which was my problem on full lock. no rub full lock forward and backward. the closest the tire gets to the palstic is half an inch and half an inch on the cab mount. will probably rub on full articulation so am doing viper cut and cmc since i'm going to MOAB.

thanks to roamoverland in tampa, fl.

 

I bought SPCs and they have been a nightmare. balljoints and bushings failing under 10,000 miles. i've decided to replace them with JD Fab UCAs. mostly because they use OEM bushings.
they offer .25" and .75" adjusted caster UCA. based on reading through your threads i'm tempted to get the .25" adjusted castor. i have 33's with about a 2" lift.
JD recommends the .75" for use with the stock LCAs.
What would you recommend? I've never seen any other UCA list how much more caster they offer in "inches" before. it's hard to say how much these will give compared to SPC or JBA.

 

Great thread. Lifted my truck 2 inches last weekend and going for an alignment tomorrow. Place specializes in performance/custom stuff and has been doing it for 40 or 50 years. Hoping they can get me a decent caster number with my stock UCA's.

 

I am also curious about the same exact question. Also currently have SPCs and looking for other options. I don't have 33's yet but plan to go that way, concerned the 0.75" version will cause caster clearance issues and wondering how much caster can be obtained on the 0.25" version when moving the LCA forward. If it's anywhere in the 3° neighborhood I'd be pleased as punch.

 

Sorry guys, I hardly come to this forum these days. Busy with my Jeep.

But with my SPC UCA's I can set my own alignment in my driveway fairly easily.
I move the LCA fully forward, (as far as they can go). And I use the SPC sliding feature to dial in my Camber using a level.

No 2 Tacoma's are ever exactly alike.
So there will be variances to the set up. But if you have other UCAs with high Caster you are putting excessive strain on your rack-n-pinion. (But if you're ok with replacing you steering rack??) That's Great!

SPC are not the only ones that area adjustable to allow you to maintain your Caster. (They are the most affordable) My recommendation is to avoid any UCAs that come with added Caster that cannot be adjusted.
When you do a 3" lift, It's the CAMBER that is the problem Not the Caster. \-----/

Sorry to hear about some people having ball joint issues with SPC. (So far they have worked fine for me)

Good Luck!

 

I'm on the fence of which UCA to purchase, hoping you guys can assist as I've had a struggle w alignment here like most

Ive got a 2015 Pre, 16×8 0 offset wheels and 265/75 tires.
The "lift" is with 2020 TRD offroad coils/struts which lifted the front prob 1.5"

Got it aligned after and it was a bear on the hwy/interstate

Went back and the guy eeked out as much caster as possible, right around 3 but at the cost of positive camber. It drove much better at higher speed but still have a jiggle between 55-65mph, the outer tires will prematurely wear and now noticing more & more suspicious squeaks and the feel is a bit off compared to before.

I know I need to get some UCA's to be able to get the numbers I need - so for the slight lift and sake of little to no maint on the UCA's, whats a good brand to shoot for?

Jba sounds good but I'm worried I'm not lifted enough for those to clear

I dont wana deal w uniballs and I dont need race spec gear either

 

Here you go! This guy gets it!
Watch all of his video!
https://youtu.be/huMztKaHsUE