Hey all,

I've got a question for those who have a lot of suspension knowledge. I have a 2004 4Runner Sport with XREAS. I recently installed the Daystar 2.5/1.5 spacer lift kit and 265/70/17 tires with 0mm offset wheels. I had it aligned last week after letting the suspension shake out for a few hundred km's after installing the lift.

I've noticed that since doing the lift, the front end of the truck is very sensitive to bumps in the road. There is no noise, and at slow speeds it isn't an issue. When I hit a bump, it almost feels like the front end floats and then the steering wheel jolts slightly. It reminds me of what it would feel like if you got a little bit of air off a bump and then turned the steering wheel slightly so that when you made contact with the ground then the wheels would be forced to track straight again.

If anyone has any ideas as to what this could be please let me know.
Thanks!

did the alignment tech give you a spec sheet afterwards? i think it may have something to do with not enough caster

Yep! check the caster....

One wheel is 1.23, and one is 1.32 degrees. Is that enough to give those symptoms?

Oh ya.... spec is 2.5-4.0 for Caster so it's way low.

Also, what is Toe? It should be 0 to -.05 or so.

Toe is 0.02 on both
What's the cheapest way to get adjustable caster? Are there adjustable ball joints that can be pressed into the uca?

Most aftermarket upper control arms have some additional caster designed in or are adjustable.

I have Light Racing UCAs and they are adjustable for caster and camber. Fairly cost effective too.

Lots of others out there.

The stock arms are not adjustable or replaceable at all

You should still be able to get around 2-2.5 caster with the stock arms assuming lower eccentrics are not stuck.

The shop I took the truck to for alignment said that the caster is not adjustable...

LR makes an adjustable UCA. Just keep an eye on the bushings for excessive wear and the arms for cracking.

Total Choas, Desert Products/Down South Motorsports,Dirty Deeds & Camburg all make a solid UCA. These are not adjustable, but come corrected with ~1.0-1.5 deg of caster built into the design. Total Chaos also makes design that utilizes a OEM balljoint.

Personally I won't run LR products after having other LR UCA's fail on me. I suggest you do a search and come to your own conclusion on which brand you want to buy.

What you are experiencing is excessively low caster which translates to a very sensitive steering feel. Your 4runner will also follow the crown of the road very easily. Most upper uniball control arms are (slightly) longer than stock and will allow for proper alignment. I like the Total Chaos upper arms but what ever you decide, Just remember any after market uniball arms can have squeaking from the polyurethane and uniball bearings. Keep some wd40 and a grease gun handy. Good luck

Hello all. I'm new to the 4R forums, so please forgive me if I'm not following the posting protocol. I saw this thread, and thought I might get some advice from more knowledgeable 4R owners. I have an 07 4R Sport w 178K. It's in good shape. However, the previous owner tried to level it, and I'm pretty sure it needs to be fixed. The front passenger side appears to have been raised a bit, but whomever did it used what looks to be regular spacers, I mean penny sized spacers under each stud on the shock mount. See pics. What appears to be happening now is that the not of the strut doesn't seat correctly, and I get a loud clunking sound whenever I go over a bump or dip. Would appreciate any insight the group may have.

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Hmmmm, well your knock over bumps is obvious, the shock is not secured properly. My only suggestion at this point is to disassemble the shock/spring assembly using the " no spring compressor" method, remove the washers being used as the "lift" and make sure there is a rubber bushing on the bottom side of the top hat where the shock stem goes through. So as you assemble shock the stem should go through a bushing, then the top hat, then the upper bushing, as you have, washer and nut.