3" and no UCA's

I was worried that I would need to replace the UCA's, an added expense that I would rather spend on other goodies for the truck. Well I am here to tell you that it can and has been done.

Before
LF 21 1/4
RF 21 1/2
LR 22
RR 22 3/8
After
24 1/8 on all four corners

2nd gen Bilsteins set at zero, OME 888's and HS 3 leaf progressive w/factory overload left in. Sitting on 265/75/16's with ATX AX195's -12 offset wheels. I was also able to reinstall the factory mudguards.
I ended up very close to advertised lift for this combination. A huge thank you to marie@headstrong for all the help.
The ride is as good as I remember it when stock and it drives like a dream with no rubbing and all the alignment numbers are in the green. (FWIW I am the alignment tech for a local tire shop)

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but those aren't good alignment numbers. While it may fall in the acceptable range for a stock Tacoma, you want a lot more caster for a lifted one. You want to shoot for 2.5* caster, which is pretty much impossible on stock UCAs. Low caster leads to twitchy steering at high speeds (65+mph)

 

Was just going to point that out. You want about 2.5 in the RF and about 1.5 in the LF to counter the contour in the road.

 

I am heading on a 130 mile trip in about 30 minutes, I will be the judge on how it handles But thanks for your "expert" advice.

 

what this guy said.

 

Only trying to help bud. Was an alignment specialist for a while.

 

Really the only negative of low caster is twitchy steering, so if you're happy with how it drives, that's all that really matters.

 

And rubbing

 

Well that's not allll the negatives lol what about when you snap a tierod off? If you have at least 4* of castor you can actually safely drive your truck to a stop without the wheel folding lol just sayin

 

That doesn't even make sense. Are you saying without 4° of caster you'll snap a tie rod?

 

No im saying IF you snap one, and If you have enough castor the tire will track with the vehicle which is about 4* minimum.... it's a go fast off-roading thing

 

OP doesn't look like the go fast offroading tyoe

 

Ahhh, that makes sense. Learn something new!

 

Pretty sure the caster difference is supposed to be between .2-.5 degrees?Not an entire 1.0 degree. That's way too much.

 

My old boss was a really smart alignment guy. He was a NASCAR Whelen Modified driver and setup guru. He told me for street cars you want 1.0-1.8 degrees of caster difference between the LF and RF. Drove down the road really smooth and counter-acts the 'curve' roads are built to drain water.

If you look at the top of the picture, the 'green' section is actually 1.5* in total.

 

To each their own. I get why the driver side needs to be lower, just never heard anything or seen that big of a gap.

 

lmao alignment tech.


GL OP

 

1.1° caster lol no thanks. I'll spend the extra couple hundred bucks to have a proper alignment.

Btw nobody ever said it "can't" be done. It's just not recommended. You CAN stick your penis in a light socket, but nobody recommends it.

 

I drove my truck for a week with caster at 1.6 and it sucked. Bought UCA's right away, after it sucked so bad on the freeway.