Alignment issues

danford.lau

danford.lau

Caught the Bug
Shop installed all 8 adjustable control arms (Core 4x4 tier 3) and the Evo drag link flip kit today.

Was pulling to the right so I took it to American Tire depot and got an alignment . Print out shows before and after .

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For some reason after I picked up it’s still pulling to the right . Any idea what could be the cause ? Cooper STTs with 3000 miles just rotated .

IMG_0751.JPG


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The vehicle will always pull to the side of the negative caster. In your case, that's the right side. Whoever installed the arms didn't set them properly and it appears and whoever did the alignment didn't fix it. Your previous and current caster measurements are the same. So they charged you for an alignment and didn't fix shit. Take it back to them and tell them to do their fucking job.
 
Got it . So caster needs to be even left to right . Wonder if this place will even know how to do it . Will call tomorrow.

Also what’s best way to relocate steering stabilizer ? Current location seems very exposed


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danford.lau said:
Got it . So caster needs to be even left to right . Wonder if this place will even know how to do it . Will call tomorrow.

Also what’s best way to relocate steering stabilizer ? Current location seems very exposed


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Your LF caster is good. They need to increase the RF by either lengthening the lower arm or shortening the upper arm.

Rancho makes a good affordable stabilizer relocation kit.
 
danford.lau said:
Got it . So caster needs to be even left to right . Wonder if this place will even know how to do it . Will call tomorrow.

Also what’s best way to relocate steering stabilizer ? Current location seems very exposed


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I might not be the sharpest, but a Jeep has a solid axle, you can’t adjust caster on one side without affecting the other (without twisting the axle). The passenger side has less caster built in from the factory. Your caster is spec, might be little low, your toe seems to be in spec (which is adjustable), your camber cannot be adjusted.

I think your right pull is a cause of a different issue


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Wheatbackdigger said:
I might not be the sharpest, but a Jeep has a solid axle, you can’t adjust caster on one side without affecting the other (without twisting the axle). The passenger side has less caster built in from the factory. Your caster is spec, might be little low, your toe seems to be in spec (which is adjustable), your camber cannot be adjusted.

I think your right pull is a cause of a different issue


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Now I’m confused ... very contradictory to advice offered above . Which is it ?


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danford.lau said:
Now I’m confused ... very contradictory to advice offered above . Which is it ?


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You can’t adjust caster individually because it’s a solid axle vehicle. Your numbers are within spec. Try swapping your front tires left to right. You can also try a nitrogen charged steering stabilizer, which will impart a leftward pull that could counteract the rightward pull.


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Your caster on the right is below factory. You should have him put a bit more caster in it. What size lift are you running? You might want to try 4.5 degrees each side. Shops only care about putting it in green and sending you on your way. Most of the time it’s a bunch of guys in a shop with very little experience working off on guys certification. Take it back and have him spend time dialing it in.


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Nespoli1 said:
Your caster on the right is below factory. You should have him put a bit more caster in it. What size lift are you running? You might want to try 4.5 degrees each side. Shops only care about putting it in green and sending you on your way. Most of the time it’s a bunch of guys in a shop with very little experience working off on guys certification. Take it back and have him spend time dialing it in.


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I’ll say it again, I’m not the sharpest, but it’s a solid axle, you can’t put 4.5 degrees on both side without twisting or cutting something. Jeeps are built with a small amount of less caster on the passenger side from the factory. Look at every alignment sheet posted on the internet. Usually around .2 degrees less. Some speculate it’s to combat the crown of the road. I honesty haven’t a clue why it’s like that.


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Nespoli1 said:
Your caster on the right is below factory. You should have him put a bit more caster in it. What size lift are you running? You might want to try 4.5 degrees each side. Shops only care about putting it in green and sending you on your way. Most of the time it’s a bunch of guys in a shop with very little experience working off on guys certification. Take it back and have him spend time dialing it in.


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3” lift .
So I can’t add caster by adjusting adj control arms for RF? Is what WJCO said not right ? I don’t want to swap left and right tires as I just did a 5 tire rotation




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danford.lau said:
3” lift .
So I can’t add caster by adjusting adj control arms for RF? Is what WJCO said not right ? I don’t want to swap left and right tires as I just did a 5 tire rotation




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You can adjust caster, but there is always going to be a fraction less on the passenger side. Crawl under your Jeep and visualize just shortening one of your front lower control arms. The axle is solid, you can’t just shorten one side without shortening the other. As you adjust the control arm, the entire axle rotates.

But no, you can’t adjust just one side


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Wheatbackdigger said:
I’ll say it again, I’m not the sharpest, but it’s a solid axle, you can’t put 4.5 degrees on both side without twisting or cutting something. Jeeps are built with a small amount of less caster on the passenger side from the factory. Look at every alignment sheet posted on the internet. Usually around .2 degrees less. Some speculate it’s to combat the crown of the road. I honesty haven’t a clue why it’s like that.


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I think you're missing that he just had adjustable control arms installed and it appears that they didn't set them up correctly.

Factory caster is about 4.25°, so aim for that on both sides to start with.

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Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407
 
BaddestCross said:
I think you're missing that he just had adjustable control arms installed and it appears that they didn't set them up correctly.

Factory caster is about 4.25°, so aim for that on both sides to start with.

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Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407
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I may as well talk to my shoes. You can’t aim for 4.25 on both sides. You can shoot for something like 4.3 on the driver and 4.1 on the passenger. But I honestly don’t think that’s your issue. If it’s squirrelly and flighty at highway speed, then yes you need a bit more caster. If it’s just a pull, then I wouldn’t worry about your caster and find the issue. If you just rotated your tires, I believe I’d look there first.

If you want a bit more caster, it’s simple enough to do on your driveway. I was always under the impression that with a lifted Jeep, you want the least amount of caster you can get away with. Saves on the driveshaft.


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I’m not sure if it would show up on the alignment spec sheet, but it’s possible that your front axle is clocked slightly to the right. Get a measuring tape and check whether the length of both front lower control arms is the same right and left , and the length of both front upper control arms is the same right and left.


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Wheatbackdigger said:
I may as well talk to my shoes. You can’t aim for 4.25 on both sides. You can shoot for something like 4.3 on the driver and 4.1 on the passenger. But I honestly don’t think that’s your issue. If it’s squirrelly and flighty at highway speed, then yes you need a bit more caster. If it’s just a pull, then I wouldn’t worry about your caster and find the issue. If you just rotated your tires, I believe I’d look there first.

If you want a bit more caster, it’s simple enough to do on your driveway. I was always under the impression that with a lifted Jeep, you want the least amount of caster you can get away with. Saves on the driveshaft.


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My boots can carry on a pretty good conversation. If you "aim" for it, you'll get close. No, they won't match, but he's about a degree off right now and will fuck with his handling.
fiend said:
I’m not sure if it would show up on the alignment spec sheet, but it’s possible that your front axle is clocked slightly to the right. Get a measuring tape and check whether the length of both front lower control arms is the same right and left , and the length of both front upper control arms is the same right and left.


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This. I'm guessing the axle being cockeyed may be throwing off the measurement as well as giving him the flighty feeling going down the road.

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Build Thread - Adventures of Fiona - https://wayalife.com/showthread.php?t=47407
 
danford.lau said:
3” lift .
So I can’t add caster by adjusting adj control arms for RF? Is what WJCO said not right ? I don’t want to swap left and right tires as I just did a 5 tire rotation




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Swapping tires is a ten minute job in your driveway. You can eliminate a bunch of unnecessary troubleshooting. Worse case scenario, you eliminated the tires as the culprit.


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