Problem with alignment and steering after lift

Just recently lifted the wifes 2016 TRD Sport Tacoma 4x4.

First off this lift was for looks and to clear the wheel and tire setup for now. Later the front will be upgraded to coilovers.

The Setup-
-Front-
3 Inch Supreme suspension Spacer
Bilstein 5100 (1.5" setting)
SPC Adjustable Upper Control Arms
1 Inch Diff Drop

-Rear-
Bilstein 5100s
1.5 inch Spacer

-WHeels and tires-
20x10 XD 525
Toyo MT 295/55R20

-Alignment-
Toe- 0 Degrees
Camber - 0 Degrees
Castor - Cannot remember but I know its within Factor spec, I believe 2.5 Degrees.

The upper control arms were set to max castor and then fined tuned with the stock castor adjustment to get the tire centered in the wheel well



Now the problem, the Tacoma has always had very loose steering, especially when going over bumps and the suspension droops. Completely normal. But now with this setup, every little bump or rut in the road, the steering is everywhere. Very loose and wont track on its own as a stock vehicle would.

next problem is it will pull right or left depending on the road and road surface.

My question is, is this caused by the heavy wheels and tires being to big for the stock steering rack to maintain control?? I am aware the Toyos are very heavy. if this is the case, is there a steering assist or upgraded rack to compensate for this??

Thanks in advance.

added picture for curiosity

 

No, it's because your alignment sucks.

Also, you're lifted 4.5" up front on a 4x4?

 

Yes that is correct, mind giving some more input on alignment rather than it sucks?

 

Post your actual alignment numbers.

You're under caster for that lift height - my guess.

Stock specs are for stock geometry and you're far exceeding those limits.

 

Also mind you the Upper control arms are set to -2.0 Degrees castor

 

Im assuming adjusting castor will solve this

 

Your caster shows at 1.5 degrees.

I'm at like 2.5 - 2.7 so my 33's clear on my 3" lift.

More forward caster makes it "harder" to steer left to right, but it creates stability and clears the tires from the wheel well better.

Also, since you have aftermarket wheels and tires - have you had them Road Force Balanced? (not just traditional mount and balance). This can make a big difference on Tacomas.

 

That's what I thought, thanks Kyitty, if you look at the install guide for my control arms here

http://www.spcalignment.com/instructions/25480-INS_WEB.pdf

-2 degrees castor on top is actually pushing top of knuckle forward 2 degrees while the stock adjustment on bottom is only pushing it out 1.5 degrees, so in essence I have -.5 degrees castor. Can you confirm im calculating that right.

Unfortunatly we used this setting to clear the tires from the cab mount, but in the end I think made it worse. May have to trim cab mount and realign


Also wheels and tires were bought from 4 wheel offroad, I believe they do road force balance but ill have to check.

 

Just checked, yes they do road force balancing.

 

I'm not sure about the caster adjustment on the UCA's to be honest. I had someone else install mine so I wasn't involved. But I do know my alignment sheet was at +2.5 degrees on the actual sheet. That stopped my cab mount rubbing.

Your 295/55R20s are basically a 32.8" tire. My 255/85/16's are 33". So with a higher lift you should be able to clear just as easily as I am.

Now, keep in mind, you have a 33" tire and 20 inches of that is rim. That is, theoretically, 13" of rubber (half of which cushions between the rim and ground).

I have a 33" tire with 16 inches of rim. That leaves 17" of rubber (half of which cushions between the rim and ground).

My tire will "feel softer" than yours chances are. This is exactly why people who off-road WILL NOT put 20's on their trucks. Either 16's or 17's are the choice. Air pressure makes a difference. Mount and balancing makes a difference too.

 

Thanks bud, we have the option to go higher but everyone says anything over 4 inch on 4x4 puts the axles at crazy bad angle.

Ya we knew it would be a bit rough due to wheel/tire combo and also the toyo mts are very hard compound so we knew that as well. The ride doesn't bug me, its the steering issue that bugs the wife.

 

Pay attention to the inflation of the tires. You should be running no more than 33 psi. Tire inflation is a huge deal when it comes to handling. Your choice of suspension in the front is another problem. Spacer lifts are not the way to go. You spent considerable money on the truck you should do the same when choosing lift options, but you already know that now.

 

Thanks I will check out psi levels and ya fully aware. We are currently saving for front coilovers, hopefully soon.

 

Take your bilstiens down all the way. 4x4s shouldn't be over 3" without a drop bracket.

 

Yeah the typical consensus on TW is 2.5-3" max to keep your CVs in good health.

Any lift can impact them. The higher you go the more impact you get.

 

IMO, you did a little more stuff to your truck than what a little bit additional caster will solve.
Increased caster is used a lot around here to adjust placement of the wheel in the wheel well. The additional caster is more a function of bigger tires, rather than lift. It just happens, lift and bigger tires go hand-in-hand. I'm talking increased caster; not caster loss due to lift.

Increasing caster is meant to get your SAI and tire, back to a proper relationship. SAI is a compound angle; front/back and center/outside. Caster(front/back) is our only way of adjusting SAI.

The biggest thing you did to change this relationship was the bigger tires; particularly, the increased tire width and high offset rims. This pushed your steering axis(along with scrub radius) way outside. There is no adjustment to regain this angle(center/outside). You can however, adjust for the larger diameter tire using caster.
You can keep it in check somewhat by limiting increased track to 1/2" for every 1" of lift.

Changing rake will drastically affect caster requirements as well.

The bump steer you feel, as it relates to caster, usually indicates too much. At 1.5 degrees caster, this is likely not the case. The looseness you feel, as it relates to caster, usually indicates too little.
I suspect your bumpsteer has a lot more to do with the increased track/scrub/steering axis. Spacer/preload and added unsprung weight probably aren't helping either.

If you hit a bump on one side only, does the steering kick to that side?

 

Shitty lift, shitty results! There's your problem!

 

Thanks for this explanation, it helped further understand the castor. What do you mean by unsprung weight? Is this caused by the spacer?

If I hit a bump lets say on the driver side, it will cause the wheel to run left a but, this only happens on bug bumps at speeds though.

Thanks for your lack of useful input, like I said it is temporary if you even read anything. I am fully aware of the lift issue thanks.

 

Unsprung weight is everything not supported by the springs, so stuff like wheels, tires, and axles.

 

Weight not supported by the springs;namely wheels and tires.

It's the high offset/increased track; you have a shit ton of scrub radius.
Here's an article that explains a bit.
http://shocktherapyst.com/wheel-offset-and-suspension-performance/

If you like the look(track/height) and are considering upgrading suspension, I recommend taking a look at long travel and replacing the tire/wheel combo to compensate. Probably not what you wanted to hear...$$$