Westcott Designs Pro lift reviews

That article supports what I said. When we talk caster here, we are talking positive caster. Positive caster is when the axis of steering rotation created by upper ball joint and lower ball joint is angled rearward of vertical. The upper ball joint is behind the lower balljoint. This pushes the wheel rearward, not forward. Pushing the wheel forward to where the upper ball joint is in front of the lower ball joint is negative camber. Positive camber is good for stability and straight line. But it pushes the wheel rearward and thus bringing the tire closer to the body mount. Too large a tire and too much positive caster requires a BMC.

Due to the angled mounting of the UCA’s on 4Runners, lifting them reduces caster. OEM UCA’s are designed for 3-4 degrees of positive caster at stock ride height. Enough front lift will make it very difficult to maintain the 3-4 degrees of caster.

Most fixed aftermarket UCA’s have a fixed 3 degree of positive caster on a lifted 4runner. Will be little more on non lifted trucks. Adjustable UCA’s can go has high as 5 degrees of positive caster, bringing tires that much closer to the body mount. With 5 degrees of positive caster, 285’s may require a BMC.

https://suspensionsecrets.co.uk/caster/
https://cartreatments.com/what-is-caster/

 

I think you may be backwards, but maybe I’m just not understanding.

 

So wouldn’t positive caster push the wheel more forward? That’s why Westcott said if I got UCAs to correct the positive caster you get from their lift, then I may need a bmc with 285s because the new UCAs would make it more neutral (pushing the wheel more rearward where it originally was and closer to the body mount). The positive caster pushing the wheel a little forward allows you to get away without rubbing.

That’s how I understood it, but idk I’m new to this stuff.

 

Installed my kit and really enjoy the results. The ride is pretty much the same. Maybe just a very small touch firmer in front. Barely noticeable. Got 2” lift in front and 1.25” in rear. I have additional weight (winch, 2nd battery, drawers) so my fender height measurements are little below what Wescott describes at end of their install video. I am keeping the stock 265 Nitto’s.

Install was smooth and no issues. Wescotts install video pretty describes everything. The only difference is the video was made with the pre 2021 PRO kit where the bottom spring perch is flat all the way around instead of having the offset and taller due to the different coils on 2021+ PRO’s. Therefore when the installer in video describes how to know when the new bottom perches are fully seated on the shocks, does not apply to the 2021+ kit. I just measured the location of the groove for the sleeves in the bottom perches and the location of sleeves on shock and did the math to know when they were fully seated as the sleeves are not visible when perches are installed.

Before


After


I also installed OME UCA’s. With the UCA’s my alignment came out same as stock.

 

@FradyTree Hey man - I am about to run this same set up and wanted to ask you what your ride height is at to the top of your rack after you put on the BF KO2s?
Also - are you running the stock TRD pro Roof rack/Basket? Was going to do a delete of the TRD rack until I pulled the trigger on a full roof rack but just want to see what options I have to fit this thing in my garage before I move forward.

Please let me know! Cheers!

 

Had a local shop install the Westcott design pro lift and it now it kind of makes a little popping or squeaky sound…. Is this normal? (Was told it will need time to adjust or settle into the collars.)

 

@tdicarlo Definitely was not making any sounds for me. I think they might be telling you that to get them off their backs to redo an installation.
Is it coming from the front or rear?
Maybe look under there with a flash light and see if anything looks out of place in reference to the wescott images they have on their site. Turn your steering in either position locked out to view it easier.

 

This could be that the cam bolts on your LCA are not torqued all the way, 129 ft/lbs

https://trail4runner.com/2020/06/17/5th-gen-4runner-torque-specs/

 

@jmeh22 seems to be coming only from the front but it’s only when I’m going like under 20mph or less and plus when I make any sort of turn. I literally just picked it up today. Also read where you might need to use WD40 to help the lift collar settle better?

 

@Slimwood Shady have an appointment coming up this Friday at my local Toyota dealership for 5K service… do you think if I asked they would be able to check for me?

 

Installed the full Westcott lift on both my 2019 Pro and wife’s 2020 Pro.

Then went with 285/70/17 KO2’s and after an alignment couldn’t be happier.

My 2019 will rub slightly in reverse at full-turn but nothing significant while my wife’s 4R has no rubbing.

I wanted a little bigger tire for ground clearance while keeping the stock factory Fox suspension setup so this was the perfect option for us.

Also, the customer service I received was excellent and the owner even picked up the phone directly a couple of times. I learned he worked for Toyota’s performance division for over a decade so he really knows his stuff…!

 

They should, it takes no time and is super easy. But some dealers are dicks.

 

I didn’t experience any noises. I installed the kit myself with loosening the lower control arms as well as installing new upper control arms. However perhaps yours will settle and stop. Without knowing how the kit was installed, I do suggest loosening the lower control arm bolts some and then torqueing to the correct torque. It is important to get the correct torque to avoid “pop” sounding noises. I would also suggest the same with the upper control arms if the lowers do not resolve the issue.

Dealers can be finicky. You go in with aftermarket changes they didn’t install and they may not want anything to do with it. And just a side note…. I even had my local dealer not torque lower control arm bolts correctly after an alignment resulting in noises. Sad but true unfortunately.

 

@matoolie how long do you think I should let it settle? A few weeks?

 

Not sure how often you are driving but I would say more than a week.

 

@matoolie, FYI the 4 runner I have has less then 5K miles on it so do you think I would need them to install new upper control arms as well? (All this just to fit some 285's on the 4Runner smh lol.) I wanted to go get the tires sometime soon but now it seems like I'll need to wait to see if the sound goes away or not.

 

They would, but they'll probably charge you for it since it's not covered under warranty. They'll probably also note that the vehicle has been tampered with by an aftermarket lift kit (spacer), thus if anything arises in the future, they can deny any warranty claim.

Some have gotten away with running 285's w/ no UCA, no rubbing on the body mount and all alignments in the green zone. All this needs to be dialed in with a combination of wheel width and offset or a wheel spacer to prevent your inner tires coming into contact the UCA.

 

Chiming in on my results for anyone that needs the info.

2021 TRD PRO went in for Westcott Fox TRD PRO lift 2 weeks ago. Measurements show a 22" in the front (with a C4 bumper, high clearance adds, and a winch) and 24" in the back. I have a rack thats about 90 lbs, and about 130 lbs of rock sliders. All measurements were within a quarter inch of the stated values, and as all rigs have different results, i figured the ballpark was good enough. 2 inches all around even with the front end weight means that I can upgrade my tire size now.