95.5-2004 Tacomas & 96-2002 4Runners 4th gen pickups and 3rd gen 4Runners

Radius arm hitting front coil under compression

Old Dec 9, 2009 | 03:14 PM
  #1  
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Radius arm hitting front coil under compression

Hey, i recently put a 3 inch spacer kit on my 02 tacoma prerunner and now whenever i hit a speed bump kinda fast my front radius arm will hit the coil. I can see exactly where it is. Do i need to get a wider upper control arm?
-the left and middle photo is the coil decompressed
-the right photo is compressed
i was thinking i might need a wider upper and lower comtrol arm? please let me know, i only used these spacers because my tires were rubbing on the inside of my fenderwell.
Attached Thumbnails Radius arm hitting front coil under compression-img_6792.jpg   Radius arm hitting front coil under compression-img_6796.jpg   Radius arm hitting front coil under compression-img_6799.jpg  

Last edited by yamaboy03; Dec 11, 2009 at 02:48 PM.
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 04:15 AM
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you need to take that spacer out, its over flexing your suspension
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 12:22 PM
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you could also install limited straps to prevent too much downtravel. i believe a prerunner is 2wd , so you dont have to worry about cv's.
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Old Dec 10, 2009 | 07:45 PM
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I'm not sure what you are calling a "radius arm".

Is it rubbing a little or a lot? If it's a little, it may not be a problem. Would a 1/4 wheel spacer help?

Pictures?
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Old Dec 11, 2009 | 02:54 PM
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i just put some pictures up.. hope that helps
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Old Dec 11, 2009 | 04:17 PM
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Something ain't right, sorry to say.

Looks like full droop is causing the upper a-arm to contact your coil?

Is your spacer really 3"?

I think you added too much lift...post pictures of your CV angles, etc. Did you get an alignment too? Alignment may help a tad. But, you're just going to have premature wear on all your components.
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Old Dec 11, 2009 | 05:36 PM
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That is a ton of droop to come in contact. I'll have to see where mine are when drooped.

The difference between mine and yours would be... my lift is with taller coils and yours is a spacer. The spacer goes on top of the shock/coil plate (correct me if I'm wrong). a lift like mine keeps the stock droop and since your lift lowered the shock plate it will allow the wheel to droop that amount. Since you have a 2wd you don't have to worry about over extending the CVs. Does it hit a lot? If just once in a while it probably isn't a big deal.

You could check into Total Chaos upper A arms.
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Old Dec 11, 2009 | 06:38 PM
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the spacer only measures 1.5 inches and it raised the front 3 inches. had an alignment done also. the spacer is mounted on top of the coil. it doesnt hit a lot but i just have to be careful when i go over speed bumps, like a lowrider : ( i dont know what else to do other than buying a new coilover with 2.5 inch lift..
Attached Thumbnails Radius arm hitting front coil under compression-img_6803.jpg  

Last edited by yamaboy03; Dec 11, 2009 at 07:04 PM.
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Old Dec 11, 2009 | 09:08 PM
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Well, at least your 2wd so you don't have to worry about the CV's.

I dont understand why it would be hitting like that. Maybe bad ball joints? Someone will probably chime in here soon with a similar experience.
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Old Dec 12, 2009 | 10:40 AM
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This is a close up of where the coil is coming into contact. Its about 3/4 inch and it chipped the paint. Will this cause major issues in the future?
Attached Thumbnails Radius arm hitting front coil under compression-img_6807.jpg  
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Old Dec 12, 2009 | 11:16 AM
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What kind of spacer kit did you use? Was it made for a prerunner, normal 2wd, or 4wd?
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Old Dec 12, 2009 | 11:29 AM
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Brand New set of 3” front lift/leveling kit for the 1995-2004 Tacoma 2WD 4WD (6-Lug)



***Highest Quality Kit Out There Guaranteed**




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THIS IS PULLED OFF THE INFO FROM EBAY..
Attached Thumbnails Radius arm hitting front coil under compression-88black3inchrp8.jpg  

Last edited by yamaboy03; Dec 12, 2009 at 11:31 AM.
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Old Dec 12, 2009 | 01:38 PM
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I think that much lift completely on top of your strut assembly is the problem. Most spacer kits have one (1-1.5") spacer inside the assy and another on top (1-1.5"). Crolison is right, it's over-flexing your suspension.
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Old Dec 12, 2009 | 01:39 PM
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So im guessing after reading the specifications for the coilover spacers, they would be legit right? Saying that it wouldnt have premature strut extension. Well then why would my truck have this problem?
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Old Dec 12, 2009 | 01:44 PM
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Originally Posted by yamaboy03
so im guessing after reading the specifications for the coilover spacers, they would be legit right? Saying that it wouldnt have premature strut extension. Well then why would my truck have this problem?
ok i know what you mean but either way, if i put 1.5 in, in the strut assembly and one on top, wouldnt that be the same thing as putting it on top of the strut?
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Old Dec 12, 2009 | 02:27 PM
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I'm really not sure why you get 3" of lift out of a 1.5" spacer, but the overall geometry is being pushed to the limit. I guess it's just another reason why people say spacer lifts suck. Are those stock shocks?

Last edited by brian2sun; Dec 12, 2009 at 02:28 PM.
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Old Dec 12, 2009 | 02:35 PM
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Originally Posted by brian2sun
I'm really not sure why you get 3" of lift out of a 1.5" spacer, but the overall geometry is being pushed to the limit. I guess it's just another reason why people say spacer lifts suck. Are those stock shocks?
yeah theyre stock shocks.
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Old Dec 12, 2009 | 02:43 PM
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There's a small tooth of metal on the top of the steering knuckle (that's the part you're talking about) and you can grind it off. That will probably take care of the problem - I had the same thing on my 4R when I put the Tundra swap on, and I ground the tooth off before it attacked my pretty new springs.

The Tundra springs are wider than the 4Runner springs which is why there was contact, but I don't know how they compare to the Taco coils. The spacer you're using might shift the spring out a little.

I wrote a nice big post about that yesterday but it appears to have been eaten by the YotaTech editing software.

If you want to hit this story on off-road.com, I've highlighted everywhere I cut and trimmed and ground. It's not a lot of metal, just some sort of engineering leftover.

http://www.off-road.com/trucks4x4/Pr...tegoryId=46623

STICK

Last edited by SharpStick; Dec 13, 2009 at 05:26 PM.
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Old Dec 12, 2009 | 04:58 PM
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My buddy tells me that he thinks i should get 1.5 inch offset ball joints. That would bring the upper control arm back up and the joint would sit level. What do you guys think?
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Old Dec 16, 2009 | 12:13 PM
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So would offset ball joints bring the steering knuckle back to the stock position??
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