Super sensitive steering

[amzok]

Hey folks,..here's the deal.....

I have an 07, SR5, 4x4 non REAS w/68 k on the odo. It is a pristine unit, that I got for a damn good price, so I am eager to solve this problem....

It seemed to have a hyper sensitive steering with the original tires, and non lifted, but, I rationalized it by thinking it was a combo of "worn tires", and being "far out of alignment spec".
So,. my steps were as follows....

It got a DS 2.5 front lift (all upper spacer, no "pre-loaded" coil spacer), Just cause I wanted to get the nose out of the dirt Next step was that I swapped out the original tires for 265 /70/r17 Michelin AT 2's all around. (I ran the old style AT for over 100k on my '97 3rd gen SR5, and loved them) End result,... the SLIGHTEST movement of the steering wheel sends the whole truck into a rapid "shift" from side to side. Alignment was done "post lift,and new rubber". and the unit is very much in spec.

SO,. if this sounds familiar to anyone, please let me know

PS,... I am a 14 year T4R vet. so I know what to expect from them, and not looking to have it "perform like a luxury car,.. just want to feel comfort while changing lanes ! :wtf:

thanks, and safe travels to all !

AMZOK

 

[Synister]

If its possible, I would go back to the alignment place and ask to see the alignment spec sheet for your truck. It is possible to align our trucks post-lift and neglect a very important alignment variable, namely caster. After my lift I noticed very similar handling qualities to what you've described, very twitchy with any input and the truck just tracked into every pavement abnormality making for a very fatiguing drive. I took it back to the shop after reading about caster and they showed me that yes, the truck was aligned but caster was about 0 deg (factory is about 3 deg). I asked them to try and max out caster while retaining alignment and I ended up with 1.7 deg of caster with everything else aligned. What an improvement, still not as stable as stock but very very manageable. The lift changes the geometry of the front end slightly, enough to use up most of the caster adjustment. They make aftermarket upper control arms that have additional caster build in for people that want factory alignment specs after a lift. There are a couple threads here that list caster specs post lift, do a search and see what your alignment guy can do.

 

[amzok]

Ahhh,.. first off, I'm glad that I am not the only one to encounter this !
I didn't think about the caster, but certianly makes sense. Your info will give me a place to start,.... THANKS much !