Road ride quality after UCA replacement

21' TRD OR (2.5-3" lift)
Wheels, Tires & Suspension
• 17X9 SCS SR8 (-10 offset)
• 285/70 17 BFG All-Terrain T/A KO2
• Bilstein 6112/5160, Icon AAL, Icon Delta Joint UCA's

I could just be oversensitive about this whole thing but I drove my bone stock 21 TRD OR for 500 or so miles before adding the lift and the ride was as plush and smooth as can be expected from the factory. Then I added wheels, tires, Bilstein 6112/5160 and Icon AAL and had it aligned it was STILL as smooth as it came from the factory. Highway driving was tight and the wheels felt well planted with no noticeable shimmy or vibration at all.

Later, I added had the Icon Delta Joint UCAs installed and realignment (alignment numbers looked fine) and that’s when the issues started.

The truck is smooth as can be until about 45 mph or faster. Then you can move the wheel ever so slightly in each direction and feel a very slight shimmy (some may not notice but I do!). On the highway the ride is smooth most times as it should be but other times the wheels feel out of balance as there is a slight vibration/shimmy; you can see the steering wheel moving slightly. I would think the tires are out of balance except this doesn’t happen all the time, sometimes the ride on the highway is smooth as can be. It's not different road surfaces as this can occur on a variety of smooth roads.

I readjusted the tire pressures to 36 cold and had the tires rebalanced (they were only off about 1/2 oz if that). This helped but there is still some noticeable movement/vibration. I'm sure there are many trucks riding rougher than mine but I can say that it does not feel as tight and controlled as it did before the UCAs.

Again, it may just me being oversensitive about the ride quality but I’d be interested to hear what has YOUR experience been with upgraded UCA's. Have you noticed any difference in ride quality on road? Suspension still feel tight or does it feel looser? Just looking for opinions before I take it back to the shop that did the suspension and see if they can adjust the alignment a bit more.

 

1. Did you replace the needle bearing on the front diff.?

2. Post your alignment numbers. They may not be as good as you think.

 

Post Alignment numbers

 

Caster should be 3.5-4.5

 

Sorry, should have posted alignment numbers to begin with. Also ECGS Bushing/Needle Bearing are as they came from the factory

It may be worth noting that AFTER the suspension, lift, wheels/tires and first alignment, not only was the ride perfectly fine but the front wheels had zero rubbing, even with mudguards on.

AFTER the UCA install and 2nd alignment, the front wheels now rub on tight turns even with the front mudguards removed. This is the most recent alignment ;

 

Where did you get the alignment done at? Caster is low

 

Need significantly more caster and the UCAs you installed (as most aftermarket do) have much harder urethane bushings compared to the stock UCAs with softer rubber bushings. This will translate more vibration from the wheel into the chassis. One of the biggest reasons for installing aftermarket UCAs for the Tacoma is so you can achieve the proper caster angle after a lift. The alignment shop did not do that for you.

 

Thats what I suspected. Appreciate the input!

 

You got it!! Caster