Front end upgrade to 6” lift

So I have a 2010 DC that recently went through multiple upgrades, including a 6-inch Rough Country lift. Overall, I’m happy with the look and ride quality, and would have no complaints except for the fact that the front end creaks. A lot.

I know that sounds minor in print, but trust me, it sounds bad. Seems to be coming more from the left than the right, but it’s nearly constant. Straight line, turning, mild bumps - the slightest force that causes the suspension to torque or flex and it sounds like rusty bed springs, audible both inside and outside of the cab. I’ve taken it to two shops, and neither can seem to figure it out (I do not have a true 4x4 suspension shop nearby, so these are general mechanic shops who could conceivably be missing something). It sounds bad enough that I was afraid, and still kind of am afraid, that something is either damaged or becoming damaged. Basically, if I were to drive past you in a parking lot, you’d probably shake your head and mutter “That ain’t right.”

I will say up front that I realized I was going cheap with the Rough Country package, and I understand you get what you pay for. As best as I can tell, the front end mods appear to be simply urethane spacers at the top of the coilovers - the coilovers, shocks and UCAs all appear to have been left stock.

I also admit to being less well-versed in suspension as opposed to other automotive areas. So, given an already lifted truck, what are the upgrades you would make to a cheap front-end system to really do it right? 99 percent of my driving is pure pavement; the one percent off-road is beach sand or mud. Flat lands, no rock crawling. And while I hesitate to say “money is no object,” I’m not averse to spending the money for top parts. “Buy once, cry once” is already out the window, so I might as well do it right the second time.

Thanks for any and all advice.

 

So my front end creaks and pops a ton. I’m convinced it is the lca bushings. Ive changed everything else thats the last to try

 

Anyone?

 

I have the same kit for my 2007 Tundra and also have the same issue. I was informed by my mechanic that all the grease had been pushed out of my ball joints. Furthermore, the top mount spacer above the spring had been pressed beyond belief. He says that the ball joints are the main culprit especially since they can’t be greased. I am planning on ordering at least new ball joints for UCA and LCA if not a new assembly all together. But I’d start there and see if nothing else you will have an easier to maintain and longer lasting ball joint.

 

I have a 7" BDS lift, I know it's not the same, but they are both bracket lifts. Things to check:
- Ensure the brackets are torqued properly where it mounts to the frame
- Ensure the bolts that secure the front diff to the brackets are torqued properly
- Check for hairline cracks where the front diff mounts to the bracket (this was the source of my endless creaking and squeaking) there are 3 mount points - the weakest one is on the driver side towards the drive shaft
- Ensure the LCA is torqued properly
- Grease the ball joints (primary source of squeaks on my truck)
- Lube the bolt that connects the shock to the LCA (secondary source of squeaks on my truck)
- Check to make sure the disc brake shield is not rubbing making contact with the disc/wheel

 

Thanks for all the tips. At least gives me some place to start.

 

So this is a bit of a necropost, but throwing this out in case it ever helps someone else out.

Something that I didn’t add in my original post (because it didn’t occur to me, or anyone else along the way) was that when I had the lift installed, I had them throw on a Road Armor bumper while everything was apart. Lo these many months later, we finally discovered that the bumper was *this* much off center, causing it to rub against the sheet metal below the headlights when the body flexed. Almost nothing to clue you in visually. Took a long, thin flathead and gave that sheet metal a couple good strikes with a mallet and sweet silence ensued.

Suspension shop guy said he didn’t know how I dealt with it so long, as that sound transferred right up the body panel into the cab.

Anyway, moral of the story is don’t get tunnel vision when searching for mystery gremlins.

Photo of the nearly invisible rub: (This is drivers’s side, just above tire for orientation.)