2015 Tacoma

Hey guys! Long story short I haven’t driven my tacoma in a while as I’ve been out of state. In the meantime I’ve been driving a 2018 Jeep and f150, where the steering is butter smooth.

I came back to my taco and felt that the steering is pretty damn heavy. I checked the fluid, and everything seems fine. Is this in my head? I have a 2015 sitting on 285/70/17s

 

Hey Tools,
Probably a combination of driving different vehicles as well as your truck sitting for a big.
The U joints on the steering column might have got a bit rusty over time. When turning the wheel does it feel harder to turn consistently or just at certain points? If it is something like easy-hard-easy-hard then that is definitely your U joints. I would suggest getting some penetration lube and spraying it. I did that to mine last year and it's been a beauty since.
When I have my frame replaced I drove a brand new rav4 for two weeks. I came back to my truck and it sure didn't feel the same. Give it a week or two and it'll feel normal again.

 

If your truck is lifted, the angle of the tie rods works against the steering feel.

On top of that, its a hydraulic system designed in 2003 (4runner 4.0) its an old aging system that is reliable but doesn't compare to modern trucks.

 

Seriously your gonna compare 3 completely different trucks.