I need to update and upgrade my leveling lift.

I literally bought my 2011 DoubleCabLongBed 4x4 Tacoma Sport and added a ReadyLift kit to it(spacers on top of the stock struts). I think this could be part of the stiff ride as the control arms are stretched out, Thoughts?
The alignment maxed out the camber settings on the alignment rack and has created a more sensitive handling ride (steering seems jittery, more sensitive, going down the road) and still rubs on right side. When looking head on at the truck the bottom of the tires are closer inward, Top lean away from center (Positive Camber). The truck is coming up on 58,000 miles and I am thinking for a 60k maintenance and now that I actually OWN the truck haha, I am going to change things up and looking for input (Most Importantly) to make it ride and handle better. Most of my driving is on black top so I don't need expensive parts just quality. what about different spindles? Pro's/Con's? Not looking to get to crazy yet looking to adjust the front to a true 3inch even 4 inches of lift(I know thats a little excessive) if possible with out causing other damage to other parts after doing this.
I am interested in the Bilstein 5100's and wondering why I can't just leave the stock springs for a factory ride as I see most adding the 885's right off the start. Im not looking for a stiff ride and want to say it has a stiffer ride now because of the Caster/Camber adjustments maxed out. I am sure new upper control arms might a top recommendation that won't surprise me and allow for more practical alignment specs. Whats a good aftermarket quality UCA thats going to dial in the Alignment specs better? Am I wrong for thinking UCA's are needed in order to get the alignment right on point? Where can I find other write ups on this topic? I know there on here. haven't been on here in a while so thanks ahead for all your input.

 

You can use the factory springs, but the ride quality with 885s is better since the spring does the lifting not preloading the shock. I've had both done at different times. People usually go for the 885s for not only the ride quality but it's a pain in the ass to keep switching things out. Buy once, cry once!

 

If you go with the 5100's go order them on Amazon and nowhere else because Amazon is stress free when it comes to dealing with warranty; They send you new ones without giving you headaches. Anyhow Set the front 5100's to 1.75inch of lift and your good to go or the top one if you require it; Using the stock springs ain't bad; it does stiffen up the ride but it wasn't by much; after a while I didn't notice it. With those front spacers that you currently have on; your probably used to a much stiffer ride. I didn't need upper control arms to get alignment in correctly; YOU HAVE TO TELL THE SHOP THE SPECS YOU WANT! otherwise most places put it in the Green and off you go; the green zone doesn't mean its the best alignment adjustment.

 

That's a lot of questions.

I'll just list random answers.

If you upgrade your spacers to 5100's your caster/camber issues will be exactly the same.

Upper control arms will fix your alignment with either lift and is highly recommended.

The "sensitive steering" is low caster. Upper control arms are needed to fix this on either lift.

No spindles for your 4WD.

5100's with maximum preloaded(lift)on your factory coils isn't going to result in a "factory ride". I call it the jackhammer.

SPC arms work well.

 

Yep above UCA's needed.

 

Your caster is out and that's why it feels like it wants to wander around the road. New adjustable UCAs are the only fix for that. Adjustable UCAs will be pricey.

Using factory springs with 5100s will not maintain a factory ride because lift is achieved by compressing the springs, which in turn makes them ride much stiffer.

 

I would suggest fox 2.0 coil overs. Excellent ride and are a quality piece for the price

 

Here's the deal. Bluntly, but not rudely.

You're pretty clueless on suspensions and alignment, and you're wanting to have a street ride while looking like a tough truck.

Make your life simple. Call Marie @HeadStrong Off-Road. Tell her your goals. Get the right parts installed. Find a good alignment shop, get a quality alignment after the install. Done.

PS, the higher you lift, the higher the risk of other issues. Since you don't off-road, thus don't need king size tires or ground clearance, you might consider that before selecting your final ride height.

 

Most places a 4" lift and a 6" lift run fairly close in price. Like with in $100 or so. I would not go with a cheap Suspension, because they don't have decent warranties or find a way out of them. I would suggest BDS, they are my favorite! This is how my truck sits with a 6" lift on 35s

 

How do you know what specs to tell them so that you get a smooth ride? I have the same issue with my alignment but I am going to order a new uniball uca soon to correct that but i don't want to buy those just to have the alignment not be the best it could be

 

Camber: 0.4 to -0.4 Anywhere inbetween there should be fine; Ideally you want this to be as close to 0 as possible_ lifted trucks without aftermarket UCAs will have some positive camber but anywhere between 0.0 to +0.4 is fine.
Caster: 2.0-2.4 You want to get as close to 2.4 as possible but anywhere inbetween 2.0-2.4 is good.
Toe: 0

These numbers should be easy to adjust to without upper control arms(This is just for the 5100 shocks)

 

I thought ideal numbers were
Caster 2.5++
Toe 0
Camber 0

 

It's really difficult to dial in 0 degree camber without aftermarket Upper control arms so usually an acceptable range is given. Having more caster is great but everyone I went to with my alignment could not get more than 2.3-2.4 on the caster.