Improving the Hilux steering

[tez]

HI everyone,

The steering in my Hilux is a bit vague, and is this just normal for a solid axle front Hilux? When driving and the car is just going over normal bumps and stuff on these beautiful Sydney roads, I always need to correct it.
So it makes driving a bit of a chore, compared to a rack and pinion car.

Ive changed the j arm, drag link ends, had it wheel aligned, new steering damper and the tie rods look to be in serivceable condition. The steering box seems ok and Ive taken up the freeplay as best as I could on it.

Anything else to check or is it just normal for a Hilux with a solid axle front?

[v8zuki]

sounds like it needs more castor
you can get some wedges to roll the diff back 2-3 degrees
should fix it

[tez]

I got the front end checked out not too long ago and they said it was fine and didnt need the wedges.

The print out I got has the following:

Front

Caster(degrees)
L 1.4
R 1.2

Camber(degrees)
L 0.4
R 0.5

[Weiner]

You should need more castor than that, about +3 to +5

[tez]

So I should get some 3 degree wedges put in and go over the factory spec?

On the wheel alignment print out, it says its within spec, and the Gregory's manual I have here says about 1.5 degrees.

[berad]

Does the steering have slop in the wheel before the car reacts to you turning the steering wheel.

If so ontop of the box there is a stud with a flatblade adjusment and a nut, loosen the nut and turn the stud in half a turn tighten the nut again and see if it improves, if not repeat until it gets better.

[tez]

Ive adjusted the steering box so it seems fine. Looks as though I need to increase my castor.

At the moment, its about 1.5 degrees, should I get apair of 2 or 3 degree wedges?

[chunks]

That castor should be fine. Its when its in the negative that you start getting problems. Sure its not your tyres?

[tez]

Tyres are practically brand new.

Originals were 205r16 although they have been changed to 235/75/15.
Would increasing the castor 2-3 degrees help drive ability?

Also, with wedges, do they roll the diff back?

[chunks]

Some cheap tyres can cause a car to pull and wander.

The castor wedges tilt the angle of the diff back, they go in between the spring perch and the spring. You can try more castor and see if it improves it but generally I would consider that castor to be ok for a 4wd.

[redv8lux]

How much lift has it got?
How close is the J arm end of the draglink to the U bolts ?
What U bolts have you got on drivers side ,Flat topped forged or standard ones ?

End of draglink maybe touching U bolt when driving,

[tez]

Its just got 2" spring lift in it.
I dont think the j arm is hitting the draglink as Ive never had the problem.

Ive got flat top ones on the rear (or both) u bolts.

[andyjim243]

It all sounds pretty normal for a solid axle Hilux to me,I would stop wasting money on it and just get used to it.Like you said first up 'you were used to R & P steering.You have done everything else champ just drive it.
Cheers Andy

[vk7ybi]

In the event that the J arm does contact the U bolts, what is the generally accepted solution?

[redv8lux]

Its the draglink that will hit the U bolt
Using the forged U bolts on the drivers side gives a little more clearance for the draglink ,Also you can swap the draglink around so the longer end is at the box an shorter at the J-arm.
Otherwise you have to start looking at a dropped adjustable draglink
On pirate 4x4 forum there was a section on swapping the J-arm ball so that it sat above the J-arm to provide more clearance .
Ive actually done this when i did a RUF conversion on my buggy and found it to work very well, but i dont know if it would be a legal option for a road going vehicle.
The replacement balls can be sourced through bursens or repco an are either bolt in or they have to be peaned like the original.


(An yes i probably deserve a bit of shit for welding a draglink but its only a toy thats used on private property)