Lift on 2023 TRD Sport and disappointed right now. Pls Help

I have a 2023 TRD Sport Access Cab.

The stock tires were not cutting it as I regularly drive off road to my property which is only accessible via 4x4 with lots of clearance. The road also gets muddy/icy easily. I was regularly bottoming out, so I decided I wanted larger tires. With this, I needed to lift my truck.

I went to a reputable shop who recommended this kit ( I see RC gets a bad rap around here, but I didn't have thousands to blow on a lift kit and it seemed like it would work for what I needed), along with 285/70/17 tires, stock wheels. I was assured that there would be no rubbing as that was my main concern.

When I picked up the truck today, the guy told me I "might get some rubbing against the control arm" when off roading. Lol. I didn't even turn my wheel more than half and it started rubbing on that arm. I told him this needed to be fixed so I'm bringing it in next week to get 1.5" spacers per his recommendation. They also rub when going over speed bumps..

Additionally, I am noticing wobble in the steering wheel at some speeds, mainly around 45 mph. It's not terrible, but very noticeable compared to how it was before (absolutely no wobble). It also seems it jumps a little around the road, but maybe this is because I'm not used to large beefier tires?

Needless to say I am disappointed that the shop would even return my truck to me like this.
Negatives aside I like the added clearance, the tires, and the ride quality really isn't too bad (a little stiff but expected).

Questions:
1. Is the spacer going to alleviate the rubbing issue?
2. Is the wheel wobble fixable? Should this be something the shop fixes?
3. Any recommendations on anything else I should do to alleviate any headaches down the line?

 

Did you have an alignment completed?

Wheel spacers are not a fix, they are Band-Aid on something that needs stitches.
Wheel spacers will accelerate wheel bearing wear, not a fan.

I would not have used Rough Contry…..As you know now,
no lift is better than a poor lift.

 

Hi, yes I did.

 

As far as rubbing, the spacer may alleviate some rubbing, but will probably cause rubbing elsewhere. Kind of just pushing the problem to the outer section of the wheel.

The RC kit isn’t terrible, there is better quality out there, but it’s not a spacer lift so that’s good. If you aren’t expecting to do heavy off roading, they should be fine.

 

How to resolve my issue without spacers and keeping the same tires?
Aftermarket UCA?

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_68Hc8GtLko&t=297s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1tTelhdEiM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAYGdcKSA3o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wAJAOxh8LE

 

Nothing too crazy, no. Nothing I'm going on requires anything but high clearance and 4x4

 

The videos just posted above will give you a great direction.

Do you have the read out on your alignment?

 

I’d recommend a different rim with at least a zero offset or even a slight negative offset. That’ll make sure you’re not touching the UCA. How much of a lift is it?

 

Your before and after are basically identical like they did nothing and your caster is too low and that’s why it has a red background. Low caster could be the cause of the lack of steering stability at speed.

green = good
red = bad

 

I saw that but figured the shop would know what they're doing, because I don't know anything about this stuff. Hence why I took it to a shop.

I may just take it to a different shop as these people have proved they don't know what they're talking about. They had good recommendations from other shops and reviews online, so I'm not sure what happened here.

 

Since you’re already committed this far, I’d do as mentioned above. Getting new wheels that push the tire further out will stop the rubbing on the control arm. All things considered, it’s probably the cheapest option. There is no guarantee that there won’t be anymore rubbing though, it might just get moved to the body mount or plastic liners.

if you had done research about that tire size you would’ve found there is usually some form of rubbing and trimming involved. People have made it work using wheels, tires, lift, and upper control arms, and you are going for the least expensive route possible.

 

well, at this point I'm going for any route that will stop it from rubbing.
I am busy 24/7 with other life things, so when I was told there would "be no rubbing" from a shop that regularly installs suspension lift kits and tires, I believed them. I guess that's still on me for trusting.

 

unfortunately, it is on you.

I have method wheels, 17x8.5. They push the wheel out to the edge of the fender, looks great and no rubbing. They were having a sale last week, you could check if they still are.

 

So what I gather from this thread is new wheels to push the tires out, high quality hubcentric spacers if I'm willing to accept the consequences of added wear/tear, and then have the tire shop fix the alignment as that's most likely what's causing the wobble.

 

Watch the videos I posted and also consider the possibility of a cab mount chop (CMC) and pinch weld folding.

 

0 offset wheels to prevent the UCA rub and will be least likely to rub the fender and cab mount. Adjustable UCA’s can help with that as well. Probably need the needle bearing replacement for the steering wheel vibes.

 

Yes, and new wheels will get rebalanced.

but also, don’t get wheels that go too far out or else you’ll rub on the other side

 

THIS! All your answers are contained within these videos.

The easiest way to solve multiple problems at once is to ditch those wide tires. If you opt for 255/80R17 (or similar) you'll end up with the same ground clearance you have now (or more), the tire will be further from the UCA and also less likely to rub in all other areas as well. If there is rubbing in other areas then a good alignment should fix that.

Lifting is not how you get rid of rubbing. It only changes where in the suspension travel range you will rub. Tire width, tire diameter, wheel offset and alignment are the levers you need to be pulling to get rid of rubbing.

Without changing the tires you're kinda limited to either lower offset wheels or an aftermarket UCA. Pushing the wheels out to increase clearance at the UCA will likely cause rubbing of the tire elsewhere. Pushing the wheels outward usually makes rubbing worse, not better. Changing the UCA may also give you the clearance you need but it may push the wheel too far back which would then mean you need a cab mount chop. Essentially you're just playing whack-a-mole.