255/75R17 and spacers-- Wandering/Loose Steering

[ecufishbowl]

I've read some reports of loose steering/wandering after adding taller tires and seen that possibly the tires need a break-in period?

I just had 255/75R17 Duratracs and 2016 TE wheels installed on my '08 4Runner. I already had the Daystar 2.5/1.5 spacers on before the new tires and wheels and the vehicle handled great.

When I had the Daystar spacers installed I got an alignment at a 4x4 shop and everything rode great after that.

I'm about a week in on the new tires and wheels and noticing a little looser steering and slight pulling/wandering to the right if I let go of the wheel.

Here is the spec sheet that I got from Sears when they did a new alignment after putting the new tires/wheels on last week. Does this look right to you?


If they only used the stock specs, is it possible that on paper it looks right but because of the lift's geometry that the alignment isn't properly set?

The wandering is minor but I need to know if I need to go back to Sears and have them re-do the alignment, let the tires wear in some, put some more air in them (sitting at 32psi due to the SL rating), or go spend another $120 on yet a 3rd alignment for the year over at the 4x4 shop..

Thanks for the help!

 

[NZDZRT]

Alignment

If you have Firestone in your area, try their nationwide lifetime alignment. Some of the shops have some good people that know Toyotas. Less than $200 for a one time purchase.

NZDZRT

 

[V8RUNN]

front end

you need to have the shop show you the front end, those tires and that align with 35 psi should feel tight and crisp and have no wandering on highway(without cross wind) and no diving l&r when braking.:bowl:
when my truck started to do this it ended up being a slightly loose driver wheel bearing:nod: and a slightly bent driver tie rod(inner, long one).:ybrick: other things to look for are lower control arm bushings, i see them failing with lifted trucks that have higher mileages, remember these things are 10 yrs old now...

spacers put extra strain on wheel bearings and amplify the feeling of such a symptom.

-doug

 

[RonJR]

Your caster is on the low end of the range, a natural consequence of the lift. That will make the steering less stable and the vehicle more prone to wandering. Some people are bothered by that, others don't have a problem with it. I'm one of the first group.

I had the same situation after my Daystar lift. I then put on SPC adjustable UCA's, set the caster to about 4.25 degrees, and installed BFG KO2 255/75/17's, same size as yours. Totally different vehicle. Drives like it's on rails, and smooth as butter.

 

[ecufishbowl]

Lol my wife is going to kill me if I spend any more money on my DD.. If it was driving just fine on the lift spacers before the new tires/wheels, would just installing the tires cause the tie rod and stearing bearing issues mentioned above? It was driving nice and crisp on stock tires with the daystar lift (only been on for 6 months). My truck also only has 75,000 miles on it, so it's not like the components have had 200k miles run on them..anything I can try before spending money on UCAs, replacing tie rod, bearings? The wander is minimal. I'm worried I'm exaggerating the wander/loose stearing as its very slight. I also don't want to under estimate the issue and it cause a larger issue...

Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[ecufishbowl]

I stopped and bumped my tire pressure up to 35psi from 32psi and immediately noticed slightly stiffer controls. It also seemed to be drifting much less on the highway...

 

[RonJR]

Brand new tires often have a bit of loose and squishy rubber on the surfaces of the tread which can lead to wandering on the road until that wears off. The first time I hit grooved pavement on my brand new BFG's on the '94 I was surprised by how much the tires wanted to track the grooves, which weren't entirely straight, of course. Not a problem now after a few thousand miles.

32 psi is a bit low for LT tires, so bumping that up should help. Discount Tire set my new 255/275/17's at 40, and they feel great.

 

[Drunner97]

I'm running 255/75/17 Duratracs on 1.25" spacers and I run around 40 psi. My castor is a bit higher though, 2.8/3.0 or something like that. I'm not running a sway bar in the front or rear and I get some wandering but I'm chalking it up to the lack of sway bars.

 

[Okie81]

Installed my lift, then did an alignment.

Put on 255/75/17 Duratracs; the truck felt a little "skiddish" on the freeway.

Took it in for another alignment (90 day guarantee) and it's much better now.

 

[NinjaOne]

Alignment looks pretty good imo.

Most places warranty their alignment for 30 - 90 days. Contact the shop (Sears?) and tell them your complaint and see what they would recommend.