Tacoma Lean

So do Tacoma's have a predisposition to lean? Mine leans low on the left, about .75 inch in front and about .5 in the rear. I measured at the axle centerlines, from the ground to the wheel opening edge.
It's a 2008 2wd Regular Cab 5-lug. As bought about 8 month's ago it had a dealer frame swap with all new suspension components front and rear, the rear leaf springs are new though the front coils are original.
The shocks were not replaced so I put Bilsteins on shortly after I bought it.

Anybody?

 

Yes it does.... search the taco lean... gas tank and battery are on the same side. Extra weight

 

Normal. Battery, driver gas tank all on the same side makes it lean to the driver. You can add 1/4” top plate spacer up front to counter the lean.

 

Yes, it’s a common stance with our trucks and usually more obvious with suspension lifts. The gas tank and battery are on driver’s side which causes the problem.

 

If you replaced with after market shocks you should add a 0.25” spacer to the drive side front, that will help fix you up.

 

Part of it has to do with your radiator support bulkhead bushings. They really suck on these trucks and get shot rather quickly, which allows the cab to sag to the heavier side. So it is usually not really the frame that is leaning, it is the body. Struts and coil springs that are in good condition should be able to hold the additional weight without showing a perceived lean.

Spacers are a band aid. Nothing more.

 

Did they reuse your body bushings when the frame was swapped?

They wear out faster on the driver side because of battery, fuel tank and driver all being on the left side.

Betcha if you measure ground to frame there will be no lean, or less at least

 

This right here. There is evidence of that wear occurring as the ferrule of the bushings will allow so much slop on the drivers side that when it is time to remove it that not only will the install of the bolt on the new bushing be difficult, but you can actually see the frame mount on the driver side is warped and now distorted.

 

Just ordered 2.5 kings, should I add a little more lift on the drivers side instead of the spacer or does that make for a weird ride?

 

Keep the adjustment the same on both sides. If you jack it up more on one side and do a radiator support bushing install or do full cab mounts all around, you will have to readjust the height of the truck again, which will consequently cause your alignment caster/ camber readings to be disturbed and require those readjustments to get you right again.

 

Just read through this. This is what I need to do for the fix.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/body-mount-bushing-install-now-with-pictures.432885/

Never heard of the bushings, so helpful. I had a solid 1” of lean. Looks horrible from behind.

 

And realized you were the reason for that thread. Great info!

 

Yeah and I'll bet you that it clunks like hell too if judging by your avatar description suggests that you wheel it as hard as you do. Mine were FRIED by before 40K.

 

I’m not sure what you’re talking about here, but agree it’s not a frame issue. The radiator holds only around 3 gallons, that’s approximately 24 pounds, the gas tanks holds over 20 gallons, that’s over 120 pounds. Plus the battery probably weighs the same as the coolant.

 

After installing my lift I had to crank up my front driver side coilover a little to get me to 1/4" lean in the front, and 1/2" lean in the rear. Close enough for me to say fuck it. You'll realize researching this issue that you can drive yourself crazy trying to get it perfectly even. From your numbers I'd throw a 1/4" spacer in the front driver side and drive it.

 

It's really an overall cab mount issue. They just suck and are too soft because what Toyota is attempting to do is isolate Noise, Vibration, Harshness (NVH) By using soft rubber which is not capable of withstanding the weight this truck cab applies on top of it.

The weakest link in that setup, however, are the radiator support bushings. They are insanely weak. To a fault actually.

The only permanent and long term fix is to switch over to Polyurethane cab mounts. Those however are not without their issues either. In the time I have had mine in my truck has turned into a clunker over bumps. Sort of making it sound like an old late 80's early 90's Ford Bronco.

I'll gladly exchange unreliable bushings for an increase in sound, however. It just really depends what you are after and what your overall truck build goals are if you have any.

 

I drove my Fox c/o for a week while they settled, then cranked up the driver side like 3 turns and passenger side 1 turn I think. No difference in ride quality at this point, but I'd be cautious not to adjust preload too much. At a certain point you might have to consider a higher spring rate.

 

Front diff is off-center towards the drivers side too right?

 

It's all a factor, excessive preload, spring rate, and coil spring height. If you have every intention to wheel your truck harder than a pavement pounder, then it is in your best interest to select the proper spring height. The taller the spring the less preload required to lift, but also the closer the coils will be to each other. Too much preload and you will get coil bind which makes the spring essentially stop the travel cycle. Do that too much and the spring will break. 13-14" springs are the best to use. I personally use a 14" with a #650 spring rate but I also have armor so I need the extra spring rate. That being said, while wheeling I have maxed out the travel and have not experienced coil bind, but I am also lifted to 2.5" above stock. It is a formula that you have to determine if you want to make the most of it.

 

The battery weighs 60lbs alone by the way. Much more than 3 gallons of coolant weighs. 8lbs per gallon = 24 lbs