Alignment issues and uneven tire wear after 3" lift and new tires.

If any one has any helpful info on these issues ?
I recently installed a leveling lift kit to my 2009 Tacoma. 3" spacers in the front, and 2" blocks in the rear with new Bilstein shocks. I had an "alignment" done, then installed 285/70/r16 trail grapplers on the factory wheels, and 1 and 1/4" wheels spacers for clearance. I took a 400 mile round trip and afterwards there was noticeable uneven wear on the outer side of my front drivers side tire. I then also noticed that the Cam bolts on the control arms looked as if they've never had a wrench on them. also the front drivers side tire seems to be out of alignment when just looking at it. I took it back to get re-aligned...and it still looks off. Truck seems to handle well, a slight shimmy at about 50 miles an hour..... are there any special alignment specs that I might need? or any advice that someone may have, would be greatly appreciated????

 

Take the alignment sheet and post it with this post so some of the others can see it and help you better.

Chris

 

What are the numbers for the alignment right now? Without knowing where you are at- it's hard to tell you where to go.

 

If it's aligned and handles well, there's probably not much more you can do with it. With that much lift in the front, there's only so much adjustment the shop can do without aftermarket UCA's. Sometimes the alignment shop will sacrifice some camber to gain more caster. That would explain your wear and the look like the tires are like this \ /

 

You got your alignment before installing the new tires. That's error #1. Tire size plays a role in alignment.

What width wheel are you running the 285s on? If it's a narrow wheel, you will get some scrubbing and rounding of the outside of your tread from turns. This is unavoidable.

An alignment with some toe-in and positive camber that's visible from the front is normal. Rolling resistance when the vehicle is at speed will push the tires to a neutral position when the truck is actually moving.

As long as it handles well, I'd try adjusting tire pressure first to see if you can address your wear issue that way.

 

I also had it re-aligned after putting on the new tires.. Ive attached the 1st alignments printout sheet with my original post..... at this point im beginning to consider going with new wheels with the 1.25 backspacing..... Starting to get a little freaked out about the adapters....(not Spacers)

 

TWo things right off the bat:
1) Caster is way low. That is due to the UCA not being able to adjust for the 3inch spacer. You need new UCAs to get that back into spec...but that does not cause tire wear.
2) Camber is "in spec" but high. I would want that number closer to 0. Here is why:
Your wear was on the outside of the tires...Right?? After that is lowered-Check the tire inflation.

 

The noticeable wear is only on the drivers side though. After about 500 miles. I have the tire pressure at 35 psi all around. There also seems to be noticeable positive camber on the driver side as well. when looking at both of them dead on, the drivers side seems more positive than passenger....

 

Not really possible to accurately eyeball, hence the need for a machine.

Some positive camber is good - helps the tires maintain correct orientation when at speed, and also eases turning the truck. You don't want a ton though.

I'd try another alignment shop and see if things shake out. Personally, I got a 3 year plan from Merchants/Tire Kingdom/That Chain. Unlimited alignments on the vehicle over 36 months, and I can get aligned in just about any city in the US whenever I feel like it. Also allows me to try different shops in case I don't trust the tech at the closest one...

 

Is there a possibility that wheel adapters could interfere with alignment? Im thinking about getting new wheels with backspacing to eliminate the overall worry with having the adapters....

 

I don't think so- At least not if they are installed correctly. They mount flush to the hub and that mounts flush with the wheel...And the alignment is measured off the wheel.

 

New wheels & tires might fix the problem but highly unlikely. Someone gave you an answer up a few posts, get new UCAs.

 

So what would new UCA's do exactly? any suggestions on brand? or style?

 

It is a known fact that when you lift a 2nd gen Taco over 2" you lose the ability to get caster to within spec.
All the aftermarket UCA's address this problem.
UCA's with Uniball give a little more range of motion. Not important unless you go full stuff/full droop frequently while off roading.

UCA's sell for about $380 - $1000 depending on what you want.

If you're on a budget, Light Racing UCA's go for about $380
They are the only adjustable UCA and they use a ball joint.

Next is Camburg Ball Joint version. They go for $375 plus the cost of ball joints or you can transfer your existing BJ's

After that is the group of Uniball UCA's that sell for about $640....
Total Chaos
Camburg
Icon tubular
There are a couple others.....

I think there's an Icon alloy with Heim joints that is over a grand.

Edit:
Someone's prolly going to set you on fire for using those <gag> spacers.

 

Thanks for the feed back everybody