Need alignment

  • What makes you think that? If there's any lift you might not find someone to just align it. The toe-in is adjustable, but the caster and camber are pretty much built-in. The only thing that would change them other than a lift is worn out or bent parts. If you have worn out or bent parts the alignment shop will tell you they need to be fixed before it can be aligned. I don't know if you have coil springs, but if you do then you should check the control arm bushings. They wear out and the axle can shift around causing weird sensations. Otherwise loose wheel bearings or worn ball joints would be the next place to look.

  • measure the front axle tow. set it where your are 1/8 shorter in the front than in the rear. that's about all you can adjust without grinding/re-welding. i've went 3.5 lift on my TJ, and 2.5 lift on a JK and always went that route. never had death wobble or alignment issues. i get 50-60K miles on tires without issues with 5 or 6 wheeling trips at 15PSI on the record

  • I have a lifetime alignment from Firestone in Prices Corner, but have only used it once when it had the first set of tires. They gave me a discount because I told them I was gonna get bigger tires and didn't know if it would work after that with their machine.


    A standard alignment you can do yourself, though since the only thing adjustable for a stock Jeep is the "toe"... like Andy and Dave said above. Here's a good write-up on the topic: http://www.stu-offroad.com/steering/align/align-1.htm You might need a second person to hold the tape measure, but it's a pretty simple process as long as the adjuster isn't rusted solid (PB Blaster!). If you have adjustable control arms, you can mess with the caster, but that starts to create issues with the driveshaft ujoints on lifted Jeeps. Camber is pretty much permanent, any issues with that is usually due to badly worn components.

    Jerry / Whatevah

    2020 Gladiator Mojave - 33" Falken mud tires, LoD side steps, Zroadz bed rack, Quadratec QRC winch bumper, Superwinch EPi 9.0, Kleinn on-board air, Kleinn air horns, lots of lights, Yaesu ham radio with GPS tracker.

    Gone- 2012 JK Rubicon with stuff. Long gone- Long-arm 2001 Cherokee with stuff.

  • What makes you think that? If there's any lift you might not find someone to just align it. The toe-in is adjustable, but the caster and camber are pretty much built-in. The only thing that would change them other than a lift is worn out or bent parts. If you have worn out or bent parts the alignment shop will tell you they need to be fixed before it can be aligned. I don't know if you have coil springs, but if you do then you should check the control arm bushings. They wear out and the axle can shift around causing weird sensations. Otherwise loose wheel bearings or worn ball joints would be the next place to look.

    Nothing is worn and drives fine but I can see one tire is straight while the other is turned out slightly. I also had a bumping noise when at full lock and found the one cam adjuster on the passenger loose so I am not sure if it is still right (noise went away after I tightened it). It has a 2" puck lift on it and the previous owner did have it aligned before I bought it.

  • I'm not sure what cam adjuster you are talking about, but it's good the noise went away.
    The front should have a little toe-in, not out. My rough eyeball alignment method is done in the driveway. Pull in going nice and straight and get out and look. Go to the back and sight down the side of the rear tire toward the front tire. You can either eyeball or use a four foot straightedge on the side of the tire, and look at where the tire "aims" in relation to the front tire. Just say for instance it would hit about an inch in from the outside edge on the front tire. Wherever it is aiming, the other side should be the same. This can tell you if the rear axle is aligned straight with the front.
    While you are at it, go to the front and do the same thing looking at the rear tire. If they are not the same, turn the wheel u till they are, and then measure the toe-in. Reset it if it is off.
    Also, look at each front tire in relation to the rear tire to see if it angles in at the top or out. Whatever it does, it should look about the same on each side.
    Another old school gauge is to drive straight and slow across a dusty concrete floor, like the garage, and check out where the dust marks the tread. You can measure in from the outside of the outermost lug on the tire to see where the dust starts and ends. Again, it should be about the same.
    Of course the tire pressures should be equal and the ground level and stuff like that, but these tests will tell you if anything is whacked.

    • He may have been referring to the caster adjustment washers at the axle mounts of the front lower control arms on some TJs. Welded tabs on the outside of the mounts, combined with captive washers with holes drilled off-center, come together to create a sort eccentric cam adjusting point that can usually be good for +-1° of caster. I'm sorry I can't recommend any place up north to take it but there are a few websites that can help talk you through a driveway alignment. Google "Stu Off-road" and navigate in his site a little. Wealth of TJ knowledge in there.
  • NTB on Kirkwood Hwy has actually done a decent job with alignments for me

    A few years ago, i took my Chevy Susburban there for an alignment after getting a new set of tires. They called telling me its done and charged me $79. Then I asked to see the measurements / before and after since they were not with the paperwork. He acted surprised, and finally came back with the papers showing everything was already in spec and they actually made no changes. He then pulled back the paper work and said " ahh sorry no charge. "

    Nobody belongs anywhere, nobody exists on purpose, everybody's going to die. Have a beer.


    Jeeps Owned... 89YJ, 81CJ-8, 99XJ, 93XJ, 00WJ, 05LJ, 22Bronco Badlands !

  • NTB on Kirkwood Hwy has actually done a decent job with alignments for me

    i took my TJ there after installing the 3.5 superflex lift.....we did the 1/8 toe in adjustment in the garage before taking it there. when they put it on the alignment rack he said it was within spec the way it is.


    on the way home i had a front wheel start clanking and the only thing holding it to the jeep was the single stud that had loose lug nut on it, and a stud without a lug nut on it. The other 3 had sheared off. i found it hard to believe it was "in spec" if one of the the wheels were about to fall off. Ive never been back (or will go back)

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