192k mile suspension refresh & upgrade questions

[emersscape]

2016 192k miles - increased rolling resistance feeling after suspension refresh and new brakes all around

• About two weeks ago I had my GX in at the shop to replace my previous Eibach coilovers with a new set, replace the original lower & upper control arms with JBA upgraded Std. duty UCAs and OEM lower control arms, tie rod ends, new sway bar bushings, Dr. KDSS sway bar bracket and BOTK, new front calipers, new rotors and pads all around.

• I got it back and it drives like new. Only thing is that the steering feels super fairly tight and it feels like the GX is working harder than it did previously. Almost like increased rolling resistance and a lot more "grippy". I’ve been checking the brake rotors with an infrared and they aren’t getting over 130 degrees I would assume with new UCA and LCAs the steering would be tighter. It is quick to return to center though. Gas MPG is back up to 16 mpg according to my Fuelly from 14.2.

• So it doesn’t seem to be brakes as there is no heat, smell, or impact to MPG. I don’t feel the driveline binding it’s extremely smooth at 75 but I am getting some front end vibration around 60-70 that feels consistent with an out of balanced tire. I just did a rotate and balance and feel like I have have one wheel in the rotation of five that never seems to enjoy being put on the front.

• Could it be the new JBA UCAs or an alignment issue creating more resistance (it drives perfectly straight and was aligned at the shop)? I don’t have a report though. Some people have mentioned that it could be too much toe? I did provide the JBA alignment instructions as part of a package I gave them when I dropped it off with all of the parts. Wondering if they aligned to factory specs?

• Could it be a bad brake line that is causing the new calipers to stick but it isn't generating heat?

• I’ve put about 800 miles on my since the work was done. Any ideas would be great.

My mechanic is a former neighbor who owns a shop 30mins away. He's a great guy and has always given me the friends and family discount so I don't want to be a pain in his ass. I trust him to do the work as he did the original Eibach install and other stuff which is why I left it with him vs. using a local shop.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

 

[iwashmycar]

Yeah I imagine you added additional caster with those JBAs..... like if you took a bicycle, and angled the front fork at a more extreme angle - will be tougher to turn but would go back to center quicker.

You could actually dial OUT some caster with the LCAs at that point which might get you more back to what you felt before if you please.

The angles could exacerbate tire imbalance a little as well. Maybe verify your air pressures havent been messed with / that the spare got topped off to match.

 

[r2m]

2016 192k miles - increased rolling resistance feeling after suspension refresh and new brakes all around

• About two weeks ago I had my GX in at the shop to replace my previous Eibach coilovers with a new set, replace the original lower & upper control arms with JBA upgraded Std. duty UCAs and OEM lower control arms, tie rod ends, new sway bar bushings, Dr. KDSS sway bar bracket and BOTK, new front calipers, new rotors and pads all around.
• I got it back and it drives like new. Only thing is that the steering feels super fairly tight and it feels like the GX is working harder than it did previously. Almost like increased rolling resistance and a lot more "grippy". I’ve been checking the brake rotors with an infrared and they aren’t getting over 130 degrees I would assume with new UCA and LCAs the steering would be tighter. It is quick to return to center though. Gas MPG is back up to 16 mpg according to my Fuelly from 14.2.
• So it doesn’t seem to be brakes as there is no heat, smell, or impact to MPG. I don’t feel the driveline binding it’s extremely smooth at 75 but I am getting some front end vibration around 60-70 that feels consistent with an out of balanced tire. I just did a rotate and balance and feel like I have have one wheel in the rotation of five that never seems to enjoy being put on the front.
• Could it be the new JBA UCAs or an alignment issue creating more resistance (it drives perfectly straight and was aligned at the shop)? I don’t have a report though. Some people have mentioned that it could be too much toe? I did provide the JBA alignment instructions as part of a package I gave them when I dropped it off with all of the parts. Wondering if they aligned to factory specs?
• Could it be a bad brake line that is causing the new calipers to stick but it isn't generating heat?
• I’ve put about 800 miles on my since the work was done. Any ideas would be great.

My mechanic is a former neighbor who owns a shop 30mins away. He's a great guy and has always given me the friends and family discount so I don't want to be a pain in his ass. I trust him to do the work as he did the original Eibach install and other stuff which is why I left it with him vs. using a local shop.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!

Sounds like the alignment is off. Not bad, but not good either.
If your steering is light, then the castor may not be enough. Have you noticed any MPG change to suggest it's feeling a little heavy?

 

[emersscape]

Sounds like the alignment is off. Not bad, but not good either.
If your steering is light, then the castor may not be enough. Have you noticed any MPG change to suggest it's feeling a little heavy?

I’ve noticed that the steering feels heavy and it feels like there is increased rolling resistance at speeds under 40mph, over that it’s much better. Last two refuels were in the mid 16s but it was mostly highway driving which is consistent with my average. Currently my dash is showing 14 mpg but I’m only halfway through the tank.

 

[emersscape]

Sorry wrong picture but you can see when the caliper was sticking and when I got it back from getting all the work done right around August 18th. I was getting great MPG then all of a sudden this last tank it nosedived.