Taco Lean Update

My 2012 DCLB really had The Lean and the truck wasn't able to be properly aligned.
I had Bilstein 5100s on the 2nd notch from bottom.

I finally decided to change to heavier front springs, and I bought the 884x from Old Man Emu.

In the process of doing this I set the right clip to the bottom to combat the excess of lean.

But, changing the right shock I found both top bushings stuffed under the spring perch.

This was messing up the pre-load and lifting the right front.

After that was corrected, plus the clips offset by one notch, plus 50 lbs air in the rear AirLift bags, the ride and handling started to come together.

One a-arm snail move and 3 tie rod adjustments later the truck was steering better than when I bought it.

So Two alignments weren't able to disclose the real problem, because nobody was checking out the truck. It looks too new and shiny to have any problems.

I'm going to see if Les Schwab will do the 3rd alignment for free. My truck was on their rack twice, and they didn't see the upper rubber missing on the right front shock. In theory, you look at all the rubbers before you touch the adjustments. If a suspension rubber is split out you'll never get a good alignment job.

 

When using OME coils, both 5100’s should be set to 0. Anything else will preload the springs. Your alignment doesn’t have anything to do with taco lean.

 

I wanted some preload on the left.
Even on the bottom clip setting there is some preload.

 

As it turns out, one notch up on the left was almost exactly what was necessary. Ride height is good, and it steers straight and stops straight with no significant vibration. There is a tiny bit of vibration from the tires but that's all.

I took the truck back into the local Les Schwab and they ticked me off right away. They wouldn't guarantee their work (re-align the truck for free) because of the aftermarket suspension parts.

Even though they never bothered to look at the suspension rubbers to see if the truck was align-able, safe to drive. Etc.

Anyhow I paid them to balance & rotate the tires and do another alignment, and it all came out OK.

Except that tiny vibration. When I looked at the paperwork this morning I found out they had only balanced two tires.

I was there at 8:01 when they open the doors only to be told that their policy is only to balance the front tires unless you complain about vibration. I didn't say to balance two tires or four tires or all the tires. I told them to balance the tires and the fools only did two.

When I took my 4th trip into Les Schwab to complain about their work again, the managing fool told me I would have to wait behind three other cars with appointments and pay another $34.

That's the fourth time I've been in their shop now, and it's the fourth time I've been disappointed. Les Schwab has lost my business forever.

I wnt to another shop where I ddin't have to wait for anyone and had all 4 tires ballanced again. I could not tell exactly which of the two tires were balanced. All 4 were improved by re-balancing.

I don't think this company operates east of the Rocky Mountains, so some of you lucky folks probably haven't heard of them. But they have a lot of stores on the West Coast. I won't be visiting any of them unless it's a dire emergency.

 

Sub

 

Am I reading this right ... driver-side is on 1st notch and passenger-side is on zero? If so, that is not how to address the lean, and it is not safe.

 

Yup, get the 1/4” spacer and install it. Also put the clip on the last groove “0” to match the other side.

 

I'm certainly not worried about rollovers because this truck has two stabilizer bars on it. I simply cannot find a reason to get excited about this adjustment.

Can anyone tell me where this wisdom comes from? Who has suffered a safety-related failure because of this? Who has suffered an accident?

Can anyone explain to me exactly why they don't think this is safe?

Back in the seventies I used to run autocross in a modified MG Midget. I know a little bit about handling and suspension. This is the most jacked up vehicle that I've ever owned and I don't drive the thing like a sports car. I got all that out of my system before I turned 60.

By differential adjustment of the rear airbag pressures I can preload either front spring and I have been doing this for many years. I normally carry a few pounds more in the left bag if I'm driving alone, which is most of the time. I don't have to do that now.

These trucks are so light in the front end that they cannot mask the effect of having or not having a passenger. It's only really stable on the highway with four people in it. Otherwise it always does feel like a jacked up mini truck.

I'd say right now it's it's almost 2" above stock.

 

I'll agree with Caddmannq, these trucks get pretty light and I've noticed at over 70 mph mine feels like it's half it's size and I think it has to do with the stock skid plate. The front end is designed for looks not function. The way the front end is designed it's like the stock skid plate funnels air under the truck making it feel lighter than it is at speeds over 70mph. It took me some time to get used to the feel and by the way, I know these aren't race cars or trucks for that matter, it's a truck.

 

Our coil springs are designed to work in parallel, even with a lean. By interfering with the spring rate in one of the coils, you’ve created an imbalance with uneven spring rates.

 

Both coil springs really should be set on the 0 setting.

 

So far 5 people have said it's unsafe, but I haven't heard a good reason. I've added 1/2" or ~300 lbs preload to the side of the truck that bobbles from the laughable stock weight distribution. The other side has just a bit.

I think it is certainly less safe than stock for the obvious reasons. That's a fact of life, driving a jacked up truck. Having dual stabilizer bars equalizes the discrepancy, statically, if not as much dynamically.

Before the spring change I had it de-cambered and drooped the back. I'd been running a coil spring spacer on the left to help the weakening stocker. With the stabilizer bars and a slight toe-out I could stand the truck on one front wheel and slide the rear around like mad. I wanted to go drive around cones in a lot. Gymkahna . . . LOL. (My wife was not having the fun I was.)

Spring rate doesn't change unless the spring sags over time**. But you can pre-load. I have un-equal preload.

Everyone does, which is what causes the taco lean. (Preload "on the bench" is not the preload when on its wheels.)



**It does change a bit when you preload a progressive spring. OMEs are only slightly progressive.

 

My truck doesn't have a zero. I have notches 1, 2, 3, and 4. Left is on 2, right on 1.

 

this might be an idiot question. but i never understood this "preload" thing. a spring is a spring. it has a constant, k. assuming you arent changing the truck's weight distribution, that spring will support the same force, therfore compress by F/k, regardless of where the shock perch is. All one does by changing the shock setting is shifting mounting points relative to the spring. am i missing something?

now in regards to the 884 springs with the adjustable billy's, i am guessing that the reason they insist on the zero setting is that the high spring rate and/or natural spring length will extend the shock too far and damage it.

 

When adding aftermarket springs like OME it’s the spring that provides the lift not the shock. Match the spring rate and height to provide the desired lift and capacity for things like armor bumpers and winches.

 

By preloading one side and not the other. The suspension will react differently on each side. So since you preloaded the driver side, that side will load and unload at a different rate than the passenger side since the driver side is already into its compression stage if even only 1/2”. So let’s say for example your wheeling and you hit two rocks n each front tire, normally you would get an equal reaction out both sides but since you do not have the springs at the same spring rate because of the preload you won’t get this.

 

The stock suspension reacts differently on each side.
The stock shocks are out of sync because the trucks lean.

It's because of the irregular weight distribution.

So when I fill the gas & get in the truck and it settles another 1/2" on my side, the shocks are out of sync even more.

The extra load causes the left tire to steer the stock truck a bit more than the right.

Now it doesn't.

The wheel loadings feel more equal while driving, but I haven't yet measured the truck for "reverse lean".

 

I had to compress it just to get the suspension bolted up. I think the upper a-arm will bottom first.

 

He doesn’t get it.

 

Get what? So far I haven't heard a cogent examination of the subject or a reasonable explanation of the problems.

You don't even seem to understand what a spring rate is.

You say that " . . . if you don't have the Springs at the same rate . . . " but there's no way for the customer to change the spring rate. Only preload.

To change the spring rate you have to change the spring.