08 front end play

My 08 has a Toytech leveling kit and 33'' tires. I have been noticing a lot of sloppiness in the front end. I also feel every little crack in the road. Just wondering if there are any mods out there that can help. I already replaced the swing arm bushings.
 
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I have an 08 V6 as well...noticed a lot of the same issues you have at around 130K. They've progressively gotten worse and I've taken her off the road for a bit to recondition the suspension. Here's what I found during my tear-down:
1) The passenger lower ball joint was pretty much shot. The driver's was well on it's way, but the passenger one was by far a gonner.
2) LCA bushings were seized and dry. I hit them with some silicone lubricant for a while, but let's face it, that's just lipstick on a pig.
3) Both outer tie rods were shot. The inner ones still seemed fine. I could flick the outers around easily with my thumb.
4) My driver's side differential needle bearing was failing. I had TONS of play in my inner CV shaft where it went into the differential. That alone created some vibrations at certain speeds. It's a common failure point for those with lifts. Check the Tacoma forums for more details. THEIR bearings are going out during the warranty period. At least ours last a bit longer, although I'm not sure if that's a blessing or a curse.
5) The sway bar bushings were dried up
6) Sway bar links long past their useful life

I'm in the process of replacing it all. It's not out on the road yet as I'm still dealing with some CV issues (seems my replacement axles won't take the hub nut so I have to recondition my original axles) but everything I mentioned will cause you to feel odd things on the road. I'm sure the LCAs were bad (I had to cut them off), but I was amazed at the difference between the old and new outer tie rods. I could barely move the new ones, where the old ones were easy to move around. That alone can cause some funny behavior on the pavement. I decided to go OEM on everything except the needle bearing. I replaced that with the bushing from East Coast Gear Supply.
 
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Yes to all the above. I have the same issues. Little rattles, shakes and things that i have never noticed.

Time to start replacing parts.
 
I have an 08 V6 as well...noticed a lot of the same issues you have at around 130K. They've progressively gotten worse and I've taken her off the road for a bit to recondition the suspension. Here's what I found during my tear-down:
1) The passenger lower ball joint was pretty much shot. The driver's was well on it's way, but the passenger one was by far a gonner.
2) LCA bushings were seized and dry. I hit them with some silicone lubricant for a while, but let's face it, that's just lipstick on a pig.
3) Both outer tie rods were shot. The inner ones still seemed fine. I could flick the outers around easily with my thumb.
4) My driver's side differential needle bearing was failing. I had TONS of play in my inner CV shaft where it went into the differential. That alone created some vibrations at certain speeds. It's a common failure point for those with lifts. Check the Tacoma forums for more details. THEIR bearings are going out during the warranty period. At least ours last a bit longer, although I'm not sure if that's a blessing or a curse.
5) The sway bar bushings were dried up
6) Sway bar links long past their useful life

I'm in the process of replacing it all. It's not out on the road yet as I'm still dealing with some CV issues (seems my replacement axles won't take the hub nut so I have to recondition my original axles) but everything I mentioned will cause you to feel odd things on the road. I'm sure the LCAs were bad (I had to cut them off), but I was amazed at the difference between the old and new outer tie rods. I could barely move the new ones, where the old ones were easy to move around. That alone can cause some funny behavior on the pavement. I decided to go OEM on everything except the needle bearing. I replaced that with the bushing from East Coast Gear Supply.

thanks a lot for the reply! I guess I will slowly start checking all those things you mentioned. Might start with tie rods. Wasn't there a DIY post on those somewhere on here awhile back?
 
What kind of tires are you running and at what pressure? LT's will be stiffer and you'll feel bumps and imperfections more, particularly if you run them at high pressure.
 
My 08 has a Toytech leveling kit and 33'' tires. I have been noticing a lot of sloppiness in the front end. I also feel every little crack in the road. Just wondering if there are any mods out there that can help. I already replaced the swing arm bushings.


I replaced the sway bar bushings as a first step... did not change much.

I then replaced all 4 shocks and springs.... Huge difference. It tightened right up and drives like a sports car now...
 
I'm at 115000 miles now and feels all the road imperfection. i'm replacing my struts and springs this summer so I could really clean up everything there and paint those hard to reach areas to keep the metal from corroding more.

I got my struts and springs at rockauto and I am planning on replacing the LCA with the ball joint. so far, I don't hear any clunking but noticed the LCA rubber are cracking.
 
Did the bushings.. What did the shock replacement run you?

I bought the KYB shocks and springs online for around $200 if I remember correctly.

Paid a local shop to install the shocks for me. It was around $500 for the install which included an alignment.

It honestly would have probably been cheaper If I just had the shop order the parts as well, but I had bought them myself intending to do the job by myself... after doing research and calculating the time it would take, I opted to just pay someone to do it. A lot of the bolts were seized. They also had to disconnect the xreas system... which contributed to the cost.
 
UPDATE: Got underneath her today and noticed a bushing on the sway bar link stabilizer was cracked. Went to autozone and got a replacement for $20. Took about a half hour to put on. I don't know if I completely solved the problem yet but the steering did tighten up and it may absorb bumps slightly better. Not completely sold though
 

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