Issues with 3” lift

just installed front 3” Toytec coil overs with 1/2” spacers and 2” AAL rears on 2013 TRD off road double cab. After alignment it pulls right as couldn’t get caster in range. Also vibration coming from driveline I think. What can I do too zero out the caster and eliminate driveline vibration?

 

Well, when you lift over 2 - 2 1/2", aftermarket UCAs are needed to add caster. As for the vibration, is it a growl from the front that goes away when you engage 4WD? If so, you need to look into the ECSG front differential bushing.

 

The vibration I can feel in my seat so don’t think it’s in the front end. Almost feel the truck bounce

 

Could be unrelated to the lift - check for a binding Ujoint. I've had one go bad in the past (different truck) and it felt like the bed was hopping.

 

How high did you lift the rear? Your driveline angles could be off. Also, you could have a ujoint that was going bad and the lift just made it more noticeable. Lifting these trucks is never a "one and done." You lift, find the problem that comes up and fix it. Something else will pop up... You'll end up with UCAs, your LCA bushings will be seized, you'll need the ECGS front diff bushing, CB drop, new CB, pinion shims...

Welcome to the Rabbit Hole, Alice!

 

Yeah im sure the rear driveline angle is most likely the issue. What is the ECGS and im assuming CB drop is “carrierbearing”?
The truck is a 2013 TRD off road dbcb with inly 33k miles so i want to make it right as i plan on keeping it until it dies.

 

Here is some info


https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/front-diff-vibes-ecgs-bushing-fix.464941/

 

If you went 3", you should seriously look into aftermarket UCA's. They allow for more droop I believe, but more importantly they are designed to add castor, or are adjustable. Look at JBA, if I was doing it again I would go that route. I went with SPC because they are adjustable and I wasn't sure what castor i was going to need.

You do not want 0 castor when lifted. You will want 0 camber and 0 toe, but 2.5-3 degrees of castor seems to be the sweet spot with alignment and lift. Some guys say to max the LCA cam then achieve 3 degrees. I did not max it out, so that may be why I rub on the pinch weld area.

I installed the carrier bearing drop because it came with my kit and was easy. I don't have any vibes, so I'll take my minor rub at compression and call it a win. Hope this was helpful.

 

Thanks for the info. Im debating either remiving the front spacers which should drop the front to under 2.5” lift or add the aftermarket control arms

 

It really depends on your end game I think.

If you mall crawl leave the spacers and get a better alignment. Just make sure that your cv boots are good.

If you are going to wheel, I would recommend getting the UCA's. They are supposed to give better geometry (i have no idea what that means). They are modified to not hit the spring at droop, and they typically add castor or are adjustable. Spacers are typically frowned upon for wheeling, but I can't tell you why.

I don't have a working knowledge of the components though (i.e. not a mechanic or even back yard), so I could be feeding you bad info. This is just what I have gathered in the last few months adding my lift.

The carrier bearing drop is like $20 and takes 5 mins to install. It may be worth looking into for the vibe issue. Again, good luck as this is very frustrating.

 

I think most figure that it doesn't actually drop anything, but rotates it so why bother. It does make the angles better though, even if only by a little. My kit didn't offer it as part of the kit because so few use it. They said to call back and order separately if it was needed. I have no vibes, so left as is.

 

Did you do the carrier bearing drop? I'd start there. Measure your drive line angles and see is you need shims.

 

I wish I had the peace of mind that my angles were good. I should be close to the limit with 3 inches of lift from what I have read. i don't not know how to check the cv angles. I just feel like if they are off, then there is more stress and wear on the whole front end. My boots aren't tearing and nothing feels different, so hopefully I'm good.

 

Well if that is the case, mine are good. I know with driveshafts you have to measure the angles and do a couple things. I just assumed that the cv angles would be the same. So to make sure i have this right. If the boots are in good shape and nothing is leaking I am good to go? If that is the case no wonder people don't do the diff drop.

 

New UCA's,and do the ECGS bearing replacement,rear shims,and possible 1 piece driveline replacement.About $1,100 if you do all the work.

 

...because even a 1" diff drop only actually moves the cv angle about 1/10th of an inch - it does not drop the whole diff it only hinges it...make sense ? The other bad rap thing is that it moves it just enough that you can't run some skid plates and/or ther eis zero gap from your skid to your diff so if you come down on your skid hard the force is transferred directly to your diff which has resulted in broken diffs...there are threads with some horrific photos of this happening.

 

Diff drops are a waste of time and money,mine did not do anything too help.And the kit dropped my skid plate down an inch,which made it look stupid,so my diff drop kit has been sitting on shelve for 2 years now,along with my carrier bearing drop kit,that also is a waste of time.

 

Do both.

 

Keep in mind that if your coilovers are supposed to provide 2.5" of lift and you add 1/2 inch spacers on top, you will be at 3.5" of lift not 3".

 

This is the way to do it right, though not the way I did it