Need alignment?

[Bam073]

Local mechanic stating he will not install leveling kit without doing an alignment. Mission critical? I was under the impression after reading many posts here that the truck may not need the alignment. Only do if absolutely needed. Thoughts? Thanks1

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[stumblinhorse]

Depends on how much they charge and what you get in return. I would not accept words of “we did an alignment”. I would want the before and after readings of the alignment to prove something was done. Also there is only 1 adjustment that can be done so anything more than $50 is too much for an alignment. And how I have done all of mine in the past is I get a free alignment check and then if adjustment is needed I do it myself.

But for a leveling kit, there should not be alignment required, but the problem with having a shop so the kit, you have no idea what they are doing. If they completely dissemble the front, then an alignment might be needed.

 

[Bam073]

Depends on how much they charge and what you get in return. I would not accept words of “we did an alignment”. I would want the before and after readings of the alignment to prove something was done. Also there is only 1 adjustment that can be done so anything more than $50 is too much for an alignment. And how I have done all of mine in the past is I get a free alignment check and then if adjustment is needed I do it myself.

But for a leveling kit, there should not be alignment required, but the problem with having a shop so the kit, you have no idea what they are doing. If they completely dissemble the front, then an alignment might be needed.

Adding 2" spacer in front and 1.5" spacer in back. Personally because they are not supplying the parts I think the alignment almost helps make it worth their mile. Was recommended and appears to be reputable shop. I just don't think it's needed.

 

[stumblinhorse]

Adding 2" spacer in front and 1.5" spacer in back. Personally because they are not supplying the parts I think the alignment almost helps make it worth their mile. Was recommended and appears to be reputable shop. I just don't think it's needed.

Again depends on what they are going to do. If I was doing it I wouldn’t “need” an alignment. But if they loosen upper and lowers and track bar and drop the axles, an alignment would give me peace of mind that it is installed properly. Again you should get a readout of the before and after specs. if You are paying for the install they are charging you $500? An additional $50 is not a lot to know if your toe is set correctly. Your alignment might be off now, before the install.

and again “alignment“ is a little overloaded, since they can’t align anything on a Jeep. They can adjust toe.

 

[Bam073]

Again depends on what they are going to do. If I was doing it I wouldn’t “need” an alignment. But if they loosen upper and lowers and track bar and drop the axles, an alignment would give me peace of mind that it is installed properly. Again you should get a readout of the before and after specs. if You are paying for the install they are charging you $500? An additional $50 is not a lot to know if your toe is set correctly. Your alignment might be off now, before the install.

and again “alignment“ is a little overloaded, since they can’t align anything on a Jeep. They can adjust toe.

So for $300 which includes the alignment that doesn't sound like a bad price, correct? Thanks Stumblin...

 

[stumblinhorse]

Unless you get something like the attached photo, I would call BS on the “alignment”. Otherwise you leave there not knowing your specs. And with what you are doing your caster number will be low and you should do longer LCAs but without the readout you won’t know.

 

[1Evil55]

After I installed a Mopar lift, I took it to a local shop. The owner is also a Jeep guy and that is why I took it to him. About 15 minutes into the alignment he comes to the lobby and passes me my keys while saying "You're good to go." I asked about payment as well as my results. He said he didn't have to move a thing so why would he need to charge me? I gave him a 20 for beer and will be sure to be a return customer next time I need something. Have driven over 25,000 miles on this set up.

 

[Megawatt]

My JKU and JLUR have both had complete 8 arm adjustable control arms, spring lift, shocks etc. Both times the alignment was done by hand with a tape measure by a shop. JKU went 40k miles with never an alignment / tire wear issue. JLUR only has 8k miles after lift and wearing evenly.

A good shop that knows jeeps does not need the fancy laser alignment with printout.

 

[stumblinhorse]

A good shop that knows jeeps does not need the fancy laser alignment with printout.

Agree, but I still want specs, Printed or otherwise. If you have a shop you trust so explicitly that they can just tell you “your numbers are in spec” you are 1 in a million Jeep owner. I would ask what the caster number is and what the target they shoot for. And I would ask a lot of questions if nothing was provided so I could make a informed decision on if the alignment is acceptable to me.

 

[Megawatt]

Agree, but I still want specs, Printed or otherwise. If you have a shop you trust so explicitly that they can just tell you “your numbers are in spec” you are 1 in a million Jeep owner. I would ask what the caster number is and what the target they shoot for. And I would ask a lot of questions if nothing was provided so I could make a informed decision on if the alignment is acceptable to me.

My comment was in general as I didn’t quote anyone. I am a Civil engineer and even have an A&P certification from the FAA. I can get into specs, measurements, tolerances and technical talk with the best of peeps.

Alignment was acceptable to me because jeep doesn’t pull and tracks straight. And over 1000’s of miles with no uneven tire wear.

Many shops with expensive alignment machines have a long lead time to make an appointment to use their services. My contribution to the thread is that it’s possible for good alignment and very low cost (no big $ machine to pay for) at a dedicated off road shop that just may be doing it the old school with a tape measure.

 

[Philly_]

My comment was in general as I didn’t quote anyone. I am a Civil engineer and even have an A&P certification from the FAA. I can get into specs, measurements, tolerances and technical talk with the best of peeps.

Alignment was acceptable to me because jeep doesn’t pull and tracks straight. And over 1000’s of miles with no uneven tire wear.

Many shops with expensive alignment machines have a long lead time to make an appointment to use their services. My contribution to the thread is that it’s possible for good alignment and very low cost (no big $ machine to pay for) at a dedicated off road shop that just may be doing it the old school with a tape measure.

I did my full suspension swap (all 8 arms plus track bars) in the driveway and use a tape measure and a magnetic angle finder to align everything and check caster. I'm now about ~6,000 miles in with no issues. Totally agree you don't need all the fancy equipment.

@Bam073, for the shop's "alignment," it's likely they are only adjusting your steering wheel. This is 100% something you can take on yourself in 15-20 minutes. Make the adjustment, drive the jeep around the block to verify it's correct, readjust, and repeat until you're done! Usually takes me 3-4 tries, but I am a perfectionist with these things...

 

[rcadden]

I put the 1.5" Teraflex spacer kit on my Jeep and during the install, I didn't need to loosen/move/adjust/touch anything that had the possibility of throwing the alignment off, so I didn't get an alignment.

That was ~30K miles ago ...

 

[Bam073]

So I get the sense that the majority say an alignment is unnecessary with/for a leveling kit. Unless I'm not tallying the votes correctly (uh oh)... Thanks everyone, greatly appreciate the input.

 

[stumblinhorse]

So I get the sense that the majority say an alignment is unnecessary with/for a leveling kit. Unless I'm not tallying the votes correctly (uh oh)... Thanks everyone, greatly appreciate the input.

I’ll say it 1 last time and then I’m out.

The only thing that can be aligned on a JL is toe. Caster and camber are fixed. Toe can be easily measured with a tape measure. But if I was paying for an alignment, I would want something in return. Technically a JL never needs an alignment. But without knowing what your specs are you will “wonder” why your JL “wanders”…. Why in the wind it is twitchy or vague. Why it “tramlines” on the highway. But it is your Jeep. You put 2” spacers on the front and your geometry is gonna change. Your caster will decrease 2-3°. Your axles will shift sideways towards the frame attachment of the track bar Prolly an inch.

I’m out…

 

[Bam073]

I’ll say it 1 last time and then I’m out.

The only thing that can be aligned on a JL is toe. Caster and camber are fixed. Toe can be easily measured with a tape measure. But if I was paying for an alignment, I would want something in return. Technically a JL never needs an alignment. But without knowing what your specs are you will “wonder” why your JL “wanders”…. Why in the wind it is twitchy or vague. Why it “tramlines” on the highway. But it is your Jeep. You put 2” spacers on the front and your geometry is gonna change. Your caster will decrease 2-3°. Your axles will shift sideways towards the frame attachment of the track bar Prolly an inch.

I’m out…

Appreciate your sound advice.

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