Uneven tire wear with 3” level kit

I have a 3” spacer lift on my 2020 trd sport. I got my truck realigned and have wear on outside edges of tires. Rotated tires and still same problem. Some pieces of the tire tread are higher/lower on outside edge. 2 different shops say alignment is in spec. But I can still visually see the tires are slightly slanted in. Been reading the forums and maybe ditch the spacer lift and get adjustable shocks/ new uca’s? I’d hate to spend a lot of money again. Any advice someone can give me before I rethink the lift?

 

Look into SPC UCAs. They will allow for the camber adjustment required for a 3” lift. Have those installed and aligned at a reputable Toyota shop.

 

No. You have crappy alignment guys.

I had a 3” spacer lift as well when I got the truck. I have a great guy that alings my truck. He always got it within spec.

what I can see from the picture, you have positive camber.

not sure which was it is, but I think they have to first get the camber correct, then they do the caster.
Most shops just get caster and toe. Don’t care about camber as much

 

No way factory UCAs will allow for the camber adjustment required to fix the OPs problem. We are talking a 3” lift. Not a 2” lift.

 

Spacer lifts do this, usually I can get it down to 0.8 positive but you sacrifice caster to 1.5-2.0 its awful.

SPC UCA is the best route to take.

 

I can promise you that you can get numbers. I had no uca on my 4Runner with a 3” lift and got perfect numbers and same thing with this Tacoma. I had a spacer lift 3” and then I got billy 6112/5160 with 650 lbs springs on the highest setting which is 3” or maybe even more….and I had perfect alignment numbers.

I eventually got jba hd high caster uca and hate them.
Yes they give me more down travel. But….they moved the wheel more inwards towards the door. Which caused me to rub my 265-70-17 tires. Never had rubbing before.

a lot of people think you need high caster uca to clear big tires, but it does the exact opposite. It pushes your wheel closer to the cab mount.

so in summary, the stock uca is good for getting factory numbers….but they limit down travel. High caster uca give you more down travel, but mess up your alignment and push your well into your door, or can mount.

the only good uca in my eyes, is the spc which is adjustable. Both for camber and caster.

 

See I had thought the same thing. When the lift was first installed I never saw the uneven tire wear but took it in again for a alignment and I think the beginning of this year like feb-mar I saw the tires were getting jacked up. Im running 285 70 17 would new UCA’s make me rub on Cab mount?

 

No, it lets you max the LCA caster, which pushes the tire away from the cab mount, then you can adjust the other specs as needed.

Normally when you max LCA caster it creates positive camber. Like your truck has.

If you max out the UCA caster it moves the tire back technically.

With SPC arms I can get better than stock alignment figures. SPC arms aren't perfect, but it will make the truck drive much better and will work for any lift you throw at it.

 

If you get high caster ones, yes it will.
I would recommend getting spc uca. They allow the shop to move the tire away from the cab mount.

 

thanks for the advice guys I appreciate! Now should I replace the oem TRD sport shocks? They’re some hitachi brand.

 

Anyone know about the freedom off-road UCA’s? A little cheaper than the SPC’s

 

My camber is maxed out on a 2 inch lift. You'll need adjustable UCA's my dude!

 

Troll somewhere else.

 

UCA's are not the area to cheap out. SPC are affordable, reliable and they work very well. Buy once, cry once.

 

what’s so funny about that? What would you prefer for a lift. Cuz I’m open to opinions I want to fit a 285 70 17

 

First, your lift is not ideal. Spacers, especially over 2" cause all sorts of issues. I'd suggest looking into a new set of coilovers that are designed for the lift.
Second, your stock UCAs provide minimal adjustment to accommodate aftermarket parts usage. As others suggested, look into new UCAs.
Third, stop using shops that have guys who are use to only working on family cars. When your geometry changes (lift kit), the stock specs become less and less usable. Find a shop that knows how to properly align a lifted vehicle.

Yes, doing it right will cost you money. But, as you are finding out, not doing it right costs money and is a PITA.

 

Are you sure your tires are wearing unevenly? From your limited description, it doesn’t sound like you have enough miles on the tires for uneven wear (or any wear at all) to be determined via casual visual inspection. Post pics of the tires?

You mentioned you rotated the tires, but didn’t mention in what manner they were rotated (front to back, left to right, corner to corner, etc). That would be valuable information in diagnosing your issue.

Your alignment sheet would be useful as well.

 

i think I was misinformed at the stealership they said it was a 3” spacer lift but it seems to be a 2” I found a forum saying stock ride height n compared to mine it’s only 2” more. Here’s a few tire pics hard to tell but you can see where the dirt is rubbed off more. And some treads are higher than the others. And I rotated tires front to back to see if the problem still is there.

 

To determine uneven tire wear you have to compare both sides of the tire. You are only showing one side in your pic.

Your alignment sheet looks spot on. No worries.

I suspect you are worrying about nothing.