Terrifying cornering

OP, my man; It doesn't matter how much Psi your tires maximum is, what matters is how much your 4R should have which is a maximum of 40 Psi on the road, otherwise you will end up with over inflation, which will destroy the middle section of your tires in no time; besides with 75 Psi you are prone to accidents in the rain & snow, seriously dangerous 75 Psi.

 

good to hear the shop took care of you. Modified suspension can be a pain to align and you have to really understand the geometry.

I would go with it for now. See how it behaves and plan from there.

The problem with lifts is they change the geometry of the front end action. Bigger springs tilt the control arms further from level. When the control arm is level with the ground, vertical travel of the suspension does little change to the camber/caster/toe geometry. As you increase the angle of the control arm, vertical movement causes more drastic changes to those angles. That is why buggies have long arm suspensions.

Tire PSI max @ 80 sounds like LT tires. Need to let some air out of those tires. That will also help on the trails. Softer tires can soak up a lot of "Little stuff" on the trail, as well as increased tire patch. As light as the 4runner is, @75 PSI they probably ride like rocks.


Listen to Pat, bounce it down the trails a bit and enjoy. replace the UCAs when the ball joints wear out.

 

Well what do you know! I just so happen to live in Santa Cruz.

So when will you be buying me this beer?

 

I used to live up in Woodside. We would party on San Gregorio beach, about 45 min up Highway 1 from Santa Cruz. If the surf was bad, or we just got bored, we'd run down, and party under the Boardwalk in S.C. Cold run for the people in the back of the pickups, but not too bad.

Have fun, all!
Pat☺

 

I will listen to you guys and leave it alone. My ball joints are brand new so I don't see buying control arms.
Soon.

I thought 80 psi was a lot but it's what the tire says for cold psi and what they set it at so I backed it off a little. I will back it off more tomorrow and try it. I'm really happy with the performance as of right now. Im just being a bit too picky.

I feel everything can be improved. Made lighter, made stronger , made faster and made more user friendly ...(then my money is gone and its great how it is).

Nimby,
I got a couple friends who work at the red downtown (upstairs). I'd like to check your ride out and have you drive mine around the block. Give me some opinions. PM me for that beer.

" As you increase the angle of the control arm, vertical movement causes more drastic changes to those angles".
I'm guessing more drastic means harsher ride and more wear and tear on your parts, correct? Is there such thing as a shim somewhere or way to drop the front diff in order to correct the geometry? In my old chevy blazer I kept destroying my drive line until. I shimmed up my rear diff and had a guy shorten the drive line. It removed the angle between the u joints and drive line making them spin in a straight line (did I explain that right?).

Would a similar process of shimming\lowering the front diff correct the angles on a lifted 4runner front end? Seems it might be a cheaper solution than aftermarket UCA's?

 

Wow! Let some air out of those tires. We run LT tires and through experimenting with tire psi, found 36 psi for the highway use to be "comfy", on those occasions where we go on the trail and encounter rock, the tire gets aired down to 24-25 psi. 80 psi max on the tire also, that means that is the max. pressure you should put in that tire to achieve it's max payload rating, you must have LT's right?

 

Dropping the diff re-centers the axle geometry. to correct the steering geometry you need to reposition the control arms.
an overly simplified example below. On vehicle there are a lot more factors to control (to limit or exaggerate angle changes.)
Left side with control arms in a neutral level position.
Right side with a lift equal to the previous drop limit.
Lines show "camber" changes with the same movement up and down.


On the left, movement up and down results in only about .6 degree degree change.

On the right, same movement results in 3 degree change. doesn't sound like much, but it only take a little to create pull. toe also changes with more angle on the tie rod, more change on toe. since our rack in on the rear this causes more toe in.

With even side to side change, speed bump straight on, changes cancel out and vehicle still tracks straight.
Off sided movement or turn lean is where these come into play.
neutral position, with one up and one down, the change is still the same and cancel each other out.
on lifted angle, change is always in the same direction so cross camber climbs ans the body rolls further. combine with toe and caster changes and steering becomes less stable.

Same principle applies to the rear pan hard bar. Lifts usually only extend length to position axle after lift. with the steeper angle of the PHB, compression of the rear suspension pushes the axle further from center which affects tracking, reducing steering stability.

Sorry, i fell down this rabbit hole long ago, both with dropped civics and lifted F-150's.

 

I have Bfg KO 2 C Rated 285/70/17. Driving off-road, washboard or rocks 16 Psi, on road 38 Psi.

 

I agree with the gentlemen (?!) above: Air down a bit. Start at the pressures on the sticker in the driver's door frame. You can add a couple, or remove a few, to make them just exactly right for YOU.

I set them at pressures that let the lugs on the farthest outside of the tire, right at the very edge of the sidewall, run on the pavement, but not much less. It gives the maximum contact patch (good), without excessive wear (bad). On my 99 4Runner, it's 32 front, 34 rear. Comfortable ride on the freeway, good grip off road, no cupping of the tread. I think that's what it's called, anywho...
Come winter time, the colder air causes the pressures to drop a PSI or two, so I get a better footprint in the snow and ice we get. A good thing, IMHO, and again, no odd wear patterns. Even wear all the way across the entire contact surface.
I am FAR from being a tire kinda guy, though, so I may be missing some subtle factor that the pro's know about.

But you do you. I've found it's the best way to stay happy in this life
Pat☺

 

Happy to meet up when I can and take it around the block.

Let me know when you're around.