3 inch lift alignment issues

Im having a bit of an issue getting my alignment dialed in and im not sure if its a problem with my set up or a problem with my components. My lift includes 5100's, OME 887 coils, and JBA UCA's. Ive taken it for 3 alignments now, first i asked for 3* Caster and 0* toe and camber, they tried for about 6 hours and couldnt get it. everytime they would get close they would complain of another measurement getting pulled out. They were able to get it dialed into factory specs of about 1.6* caster. I drove it like that for about 5 months and it rode okay but steering was sloppy and twitchy.

Today i took it in for another alignment and i asked for 2.5* Caster and 0* Toe and camber. They were not able to get 2.5 caster so i told them to bump down to 2.0* and they still couldnt get it. I ended up leaving with it set at 1.9* and ride quality improved a lot but it is still very twitchy at highway speeds.

My question is if i have aftermarket UCA's why am i having trouble getting my alignment dialed in?

 

Are your LCA Bolts seized?

 

Same alignment shop both times? I had issues with mine until I found a shop that had a tech who knew how to do what I wanted. 2.9 caster 0 and 0..... Drives like a dream now.

 

Nah brand new Frame and lca's in June from the recall.

 

It was. I'm leaning towards that being the problem.

 

Go down to 2.5 caster and all will be fine

 

Can someone explain to me about caster and toe?
Just had a 3 inch fabtech performance lift and alignment is off. Pulls to the left a little. Steering wheel not center.

 

That sucks. 3inch lift here. I'm currently running the stock UCA and the shop I went to was able to get me at 1.4 caster. Believe it or not it actually drives pretty decent from what I can tell. Looking at eventually getting some Total chaos in the near future.

 

I managed to get 2.9 degree + caster, 0 degree camber, 0" toe with stock UCA's and 3" of lift. (OME 885X's and 1/2" plate spacers) I know....Lucky.....Unicorn material.....But it happened.

Plan WAS to install, align, and do UCA's as soon as I had the cash. Not necessary.

The higher you lift, the more caster it takes to track straight. The bigger the tires, the more important it is to get that caster.....

 

I'm in the market for some new uca probably going to go with LR. Are the typical alignment specs for a 3inch lift around 3° caster and 0° toe and camber? My truck wanders something terrible and steers okay to the left but takes more effort to turn right. The last alignment company I went to screwed up my lca bolts so now I have to order another new set of those. Any recommendations on a company that makes a good quality alignment bolt set?

 

Subd

 

Welcome to the world of aftermarket components and OEM-alignment techs. It's a frustrating battle that many have been through, including myself. My lightracing UCA's are adjustable and almost all alignment shops wouldn't touch the uppers, just kept cranking on the lower cams and messing stuff up. I went in to a couple of shops, foolishly thinking I could give them numbers that were in specs of what the UCA's could do, and every time they said they couldn't do it. Come to find out, none ever touched the uppers for adjustment.

In a last ditch effort, I took it to the local Toyota dealership (usually a big mistake) and turns out the Service Manager has a lifted 4Runner! I appealed to him and he kept the damn thing for 2 days and finally aligned it. Looked at the uppers and they were indeed adjusted. This gets said a lot, but your best bet is to seek out a 4wd-oriented shop that does alignments and make the drive, however long it may be.

 

most likely the shops are not familiar with the adjustable uca's i think. i am at 3.04 caster and is perfect for me..