When to get an Alignment

[Harbones]

Ok sorry for this extreme newbie question:

What kinds of modifications require you to get an alignment? I've seen the occasional mention on individual things (sometimes these are contradictory), but i'd like to get a more comprehensive list. I was thinking along the lines of new tires (same or different size), wheels, shackles, lifts, shocks, torsion bar adjustment, tie rods, steering stabilizer, etc. Please don't leave something off because you think its too obvious because trust me, for pure newbies like myself nothing is too obvious and this is where i get 90% of my info .

Thanks in advance

[Schludwiller]

Things that require an alignment: (please add to what I miss).

• Torsion bar adjustment
• Front end lift (replacement of a-arms, etc)
• Rear suspension adjustments possibly (Add-A-Leafs, Shackles).
• Offroading (if you offroad, alignments are required more often)
• If you truck pulls consistently in one direction on even pavement
• New wheels might if they are of different dimensions than the stock wheels (not 100% sure on this).
• Replacement of tie rods (either broken, or going to heavy duty ones)

Different size tires don't affect the geometry of your wheel, so you can switch between different sizes without needing an alignment

You should be able to get an alignment for about $40 (at least in the NW anyway). Also check to see how long they warranty their work if they don't align it right (minimum should be 30 days, some places go longer).

[warmonger]

Schlud,

Have you experienced problems with alignment after a rearend change? The reason I ask is technically, (now mind you this is based on theory) when the rearend is lifted and the front end is not, the truck should rotate around the front wheel bearings and the front end SHOULD be unaffected. But that doesn't consider the weight transfer to the front wheels if the rear end is raised higher than the front. The repositioning of the center of gravity could put additional weight on the front wheels, causing the front end to drop slightly from the extra weight. For our newbie, sorry I got technical, but since I am getting ready to make a major suspension change and have never done this on an IFS truck, I was curious.

[rhombus]

Just FYI...
Nissan and some other shops cannot do an alignment if you have tires that they do not have the specs for (like SSR's)

You need to find a shop that does it the old fashion way.

[wilburburns]

Unless the rear of the vehicle is raised drastically......The front end should not be changed or require an alignment.

By drastically, I'm thinking maybe a spring over swap for the Xterra. AAL's or shackles should not raise the rear enough to change the front.

However, when raising the rear, often times raising the front will be done to level the vehicle out. Then an alignment would be required.

Cliff

[wilburburns]

Originally posted by rhombus
Just FYI...
Nissan and some other shops cannot do an alignment if you have tires that they do not have the specs for (like SSR's)

You need to find a shop that does it the old fashion way.

I honestly don't see why different tires will affect an alignment. This could be just my ignorance, but the angles (caster, camber, toe, etc) should not be affected by tires.

1 degree is 1 degree no matter how far you are from centerline...

If I'm wrong, please explain how I'm wrong. Alignments have always been confusing to me. That's why I only take mine to a trusted shop to get it done. I don't even trust the dealer.

Cliff

[Schludwiller]

From talking with the shop I go to for alignments, it doesn't matter what size tire you are running. I asked because I swap tires (31.5" SSR's and what used to be 30" Scorpions, now 31" BFG's).

[Schludwiller]

Warmonger,

I can't claim to have a direct effect on my alignment from rear suspension mods, but Mosi listed this under his AAL install so I included it.

Adjusting the rear end a lot does force the front end down, unless it's compensated for up front with a lift or torsion bar adjustment. ChuckH and I have had varrying heights on the rear with the bumper mod, shackles, and now AAL's. We're both due for an alignment, but like I said with all the changes, offroading and such it's hard to make a direct correlation. Just something to watch for.

[wilburburns]

Originally posted by Schludwiller
Warmonger,

I can't claim to have a direct effect on my alignment from rear suspension mods, but Mosi listed this under his AAL install so I included it.

Adjusting the rear end a lot does force the front end down, unless it's compensated for up front with a lift or torsion bar adjustment. ChuckH and I have had varrying heights on the rear with the bumper mod, shackles, and now AAL's. We're both due for an alignment, but like I said with all the changes, offroading and such it's hard to make a direct correlation. Just something to watch for.

Understood...An Alignment will also be necessarry after Torsion bars wear and weaken. Especially after adding a new bumper and or winch...

Cliff

[Harbones]

Thanks for the info guys. As a follow up, there seems to be some mention of "need an alignment occasionally because of offroading". I am not as hardcore as most of you (yet ), but i have been on a couple xcursions and will have a couple more before the end of the year. In January i will be making a cross country road trip in my X. Should i consider getting an alignment right before i go?

Thanks again for the info :flash:.

[Schludwiller]

You should only need an alignment if you notice uneven tread wear, or your truck pulls to one side while driving.

A truck that is slightly out of alignment can get worse over time, so if you have any of these symptoms I would suggest getting the alignment before your cross country trip, only because with all those miles could ruin a tire or two if they're not running true.

The offroading comment comes from offroaders running into more obstacles than the highway driver. But hitting a curb, or a pothole can have the same effect as hitting large rocks, or sliding off (minor) dropoffs at a weird angle.

[Craisy Daisy]

Originally posted by wilburburns


I honestly don't see why different tires will affect an alignment. This could be just my ignorance, but the angles (caster, camber, toe, etc) should not be affected by tires.

1 degree is 1 degree no matter how far you are from centerline...

If I'm wrong, please explain how I'm wrong. Alignments have always been confusing to me. That's why I only take mine to a trusted shop to get it done. I don't even trust the dealer.

Cliff

Rhombus is speaking of the dealership we both use. They spent 1 million (yeah right) on their 100% computerized alignment system. It takes pictures of each wheel and matches them to what information is stored in the computer. If certain specs don't match, the computer is unable to determine what to tell the technician to do. Therefor, they say they can't align our trucks.

I don't know about you guys, but if I spent 1 million dollars on something that was this $hitty, I'd be getting my money back

[OffroadX]

Good grief, that's insane! Just how much better is the alignment from the $1M machine than the ones in any other modern shop?

Oy!
Brent

[wilburburns]

But I'll take an old shop with old techs who use manual guages and experience over a new modern shop with hi-tech equipment and a tech younger than I am anyday...:alien2:

But then that's just me. Anyone can read a computer readout, but it takes skilled workers to know what how to fix problems.

Cliff

[Mobycat]

Originally posted by Schludwiller
From talking with the shop I go to for alignments, it doesn't matter what size tire you are running. I asked because I swap tires (31.5" SSR's and what used to be 30" Scorpions, now 31" BFG's).

I assume you mean it didn't mean an alignment was needed? If you switch tire size all around, it shouldn't affect it. You would have the same affect if you took the truck with stock tires and drove it up on 4 cinder blocks. No added weight to any one tire (all four are the same), no change in angles (all four are the same).

All the four tires are doing is raising the truck an inch or two. This is, of course, if you are *not* doing anything else - i.e. t-bar cranking.