3” Spacer lift, possible bad Cv angles

Hi everyone,

New to the forums here. Just got a 2021 TRD sport 4x4. Installed 295 70 18, 3” spacer lift, and Camberg upper controll arms. I’ve been a little concerned about my cv angles. I don’t off road, maybe just fire roads. Any input on angles? Maybe some photos to compare mine to? Are they really bad? Thank you.

 

Nah, you're good. There are a TON of guys on here with similar lifts and they do just fine. It's when you get into the 5-6 inch lifts that do not have the cut crossmember that you run into problems with CV life.

 

I’ve read a lot that if you’re 3” or less lifted in the front you’re good - no need for a diff drop. Many also report some disadvantages on the diff drop too.

 

Thanks Adam. I’ve been freaking out. For some reason, I also feel like I need to drive the truck like it’s made of glass. Lol. I feel like the spacers are gonna give way.

 

Well... the fins are touching so that will cause wear and eventually it will tear. Several years ago, I had a lifted Tacoma 4x4 and I made a simple mod to the CV boots that prevented the fins from touching. Check out my post over on Tacoma World:
https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/my-cv-boot-mod.190669/

good luck.

 

Thank you guys. The funny part is, the trucks a lease.

 

I've had spacers upfront for 3 years and no issues brother. You're good

 

Tim, great to hear. Thank you.

 

Tim, was your spacer a 3”?

 

Im 25” from center hub to fender, which should be about 3”..mine looks similar

 

What fins?

 

Brian,

Thank you. I also did a diff drop. Hopefully it doesn’t hurt anything. We’ll see.

 

The fins of the CV boot.

 

Good information here. Thanks

 

Has anyone ever did modifications to a lease?

 

Here’s my Truck.

 

Such an odd dichotomy between Tacomaworld and Tundras sites on this issue.

On TW anything like this would get met with the typical " those look bad, fins touching means fins tearing, do a diff drop, diff drops are pointless" yada yada yada.

Yet here, one thing I've noticed is no one really stresses over them.

First off, with drop bracket lifts the CV angles are usually like stock, so even though they're 6"+ they're usually safe.

Your angles are quite aggressive, which honestly would be expected with a 3" lift. The thing is you could install a diff drop and it would correct the angles some but then some mention it chnages the angle of the diff and could lead to abnormal wear on the diff, I dont fully agree with that, but thats another issue.

Regardless of opinion, I have noticed that yes boots wear faster with these angles, but its not crazy fast. It can still take a year, or years to occur. Once they tear you really have a good amount of time before you need to deal with it. You dont have to drop everything and get it addressed, but it will need to be planned for. Outer boot tears are a bit less concerning and make up most of the tears.

Usages dont give you less risk, the CVs spin regardless of what you're doing. So the fins will rub and wear even if you never touch dirt.

You have the option of reducing the lift to fix the angles, do a diff drop to fix them, or just let it be and see how long they last. Should mention that even stock angles eventually tear, and even then, theres always that random risk of catching a twig in the boot.

I have a personal rule, based off nothing empirical, that if more than two fins touch I fix the angle. Even stock boots will get a two fin touch when turning. So I consider that permittable, even if the two are touching all the time. In your case, it looks like 3 are touching on both side. A diff drop is a cheap option, I would give it a shot.

 

Hi Chris,

Well said and thank you. I actually already have a diff drop. I was thinking of changing out the spacer to a 2.5”

Dont know. My brain feels fried already. Should have just left it stock. Haha!

 

Answering one of your other questions, yes people with leases do mod their vehicles. Swapping it out with a 2.5" will help, but again, even if I sounded doom and gloom, it's not an issue that will suddenly happen soon. The wear takes time. Any lift will increase this risk, so stock would be considered better in that regard, but maybe not better overall for you.

The only time I lost a boot was from tearing it on a branch. Ive had lifts with CV angles like yours, that I ran for over a year and still was good. I personally like them to be a bit more mild now, but only because less lift usually puts the shock closer to mid range travel and reduces the risk of clunks, topping and bottoming and drives better overall. Spacers though, don't work that way, typically the ride stays the same since the shock itself isnt actually forced further into droop by perches or longer coils.

If you already have a diff drop then just keep an eye on them. You'll probably reach the end of your lease before theyre an issue anyway. If they go bad find someone local to give you a hand and swap it out for a couple hundred. CVs are technically a wear/tear item and need replacements. Kind of akin to running larger tires and wheels potentially increasing brake wear. Pay to play they say.

One thing tho, did the dealer install the spacers?

 

On point Chris!!!

The dealer did not install the kit. I actually took it to the same shop that they take their trucks to for lifting. If I would have did it through the dealer, the mark up is freaking insane! I could have done the work myself, but I felt more comfortable using the shop that Toyota uses. The kit I had installed, is the same common kit Toyota puts on most their trucks on the lot.

 

Just spit balling, was going to say if it was dealer done you could always try to argue that if it ever did have issues. Of course I suppose that if it was the same shop and parts as the dealer used you could still give it a shot.

I am going to side with the majority though, wouldnt lose sleep over it.

 

Chris,

I don’t think I’ve slept since I did the lift. Thank you all for easing my mind.

Respectfully, if any other questions should come to mind, may I ask?

 

Absolutely, that's really what the forum is for.

 

Thank you everyone. I’ll be in touch should any issues arise. Have a blessed day!

 

I'm pretty sure the spacers will hold up just fine. And, your Tundra is designed to take some serious abuse. Besides...... it's a lease!

 

My angles are about the same. I'm a little over 3" up front. Maybe 30k miles on mine so far and no issue.

 

Thanks guys,

Paul, which coil overs are you running?

 

Those are the TRD Pro shocks (Bilstein version) and provide 2" of lift. I'm also running coachbuilder spacers for an extra inch and also a different collar on the coilover from Westcott Designs.

 

Nice! I was looking at the icons. I think I’ll Just leave it with the spacers for now. Thank you for sharing your pics.

 

No problem.