Advice on Alignment Specs and Methods Needed

[Carguy3J]

Ok, I've searched, and searched; both here and Google. I've never been able to find what I'm looking for.

A.) What are the Factory specs for a a 1993 Ranger 4x4?

B.) What should I REALLY be using, as the factory specs are probably not really the best for these TTB front-ends? I'm looking for some real-world, precise numbers, from people with actual experience/knowledge getting these TTB's right.

I don't have a "lift" per-se. But I do have upgraded HD 4-leafs in the back, and sort-of new (about 1-2 years on them now) coils in the front. The truck also came from the factory with 265/75/15's. Overall, I would say it does sit a bit higher then your average "stock" Ranger.

I do a LOT of high speed highway driving. I do depend on it in the snow,etc, but absolutely no "wheeling" or off-roading. I do use it frequently as basic transportation, with nothing in the back, but I also frequently load it very heavy.(1,600-1,700Lbs.)

I prefer a heavier, "tighter" steering feel (more + caster). I corner hard, and typically ask for .75 to 1.0 deg -camber, in all my vehicles. I still usually get a little bit of outside tire wear, as is the case with the Ranger currently.

The shop I have been using doesn't have anything this old in the computer, for specs, so they used a later E-150 van (???) They said that the computer wanted zero or slight toe-out. I disagree'd, and asked for a little toe-in. Any thoughts on this? My understanding is FWD vehicles get toe-out, as the FWD pulls the front tires in, under power, whereas RWD and 4X4 gets toe-in, as the front tires are "pushed" out a little going down the road. Thoughts? Numbers for recommended toe, in fractions of an inch and degrees please.

Thoughts on caster/camber splits?

I have Moog double adjustable bushings in the knuckle. They should have more then enough range to get the job done. Fixed, non-adjustable energy suspension radius arm bushing. (so no extra caster available there)

C.) I have read some posts about using "spacers" to even things out before going to the bushings. Not a lot of detail though. I assume this is referring to even the ride height, side to side. What is the target ride height? Where are the measuring points? Can't use the body/fender gap, as my body bushings are shot, and won't be changed anytime soon. What does one use for "spacers"? Under the spring seat, I assume?

 

[Anime]

Factory specs for most TTB vehicles say to align them with something like zero toe-in and 1 degree of positive camber. Obviously this doesn't give the best handling, but is probably to give even tire wear and the most "neutral" handling for an average driver who just doesn't want any surprises.

In general, the "best" setup, for TTB or most other suspensions, depends on how you drive and what you want to use it for. I like having a degree of toe-in and a degree or two of negative camber. The toe-in gives even tire wear and helps the vehicle track straight going down the road, the negative camber gives better cornering and handling, and also promotes even tire wear since harder cornering would wear the outer shoulder more than the inner, the negative camber keeps the wear pretty even with the right tire pressure. I don't worry about caster and just leave it where the toe and camber settings put it, as long as it's not being affected by something else or is off on one side.

The double-adjustable bushings are nice in some respects, but there are also reports that they don't hold the set alignment and change settings, spinning around even with the upper bushing bolt tightened. For this reason, fixed alignment bushings can be a better choice.

Spacers can be custom made, store bought, or you can just use 3 inch washers:

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/WasherCoilSpacers.htm

They do go under the coil seat. The idea behind using them for alignment is to restore the ride height, affected by spring sag, before compensating with an alignment. It's possible to just use the washers, and stack them so the alignment is back in spec, without touching the alignment bushings or anything else. There is no target ride height measurement, all that really matters is that at whatever ride height you have it, the alignment is within specs. Spacers are just one way of doing it in "reverse" - making the suspension fit the current alignment, rather than changing the alignment to compensate for the suspension. The only downside is that you may have to add/remove washers a few times before you get it right.

More on the TTB, alignment, and steering:

http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/winter2008/steering_tech.htm

 

[arco777]

If the shop doesn't have the specs on hand, that is pretty weak. Our vehicles are really not that old. Hope they aren't charging you an arm and a leg for alignment either. For me it was $70. I had them set a touch of toe-in for straight line tracking, and a little negative camber for cornering stability. I also had the alignment set with me in the vehicle, as I am usually driving alone. For heavier drivers this is even more important.

The double adjustable Moog bushings I bought were shiny but were not a very good fit on the ball joint. There was significant play in them. Most shops should have the camber eccentrics in stock for our vehicles. They are of course more expensive to buy from the shop, but it is hard to know which eccentric you will need before the alignment. For me, my stock eccentrics were sufficient for a 2" lift, but I sacrificed a small amount of caster. If you aren't lifted, your stock eccentrics should be fine.

 

[Carguy3J]

Factory specs for most TTB vehicles say to align them with something like zero toe-in and 1 degree of positive camber. Obviously this doesn't give the best handling, but is probably to give even tire wear and the most "neutral" handling for an average driver who just doesn't want any surprises.

In general, the "best" setup, for TTB or most other suspensions, depends on how you drive and what you want to use it for. I like having a degree of toe-in and a degree or two of negative camber. The toe-in gives even tire wear and helps the vehicle track straight going down the road, the negative camber gives better cornering and handling, and also promotes even tire wear since harder cornering would wear the outer shoulder more than the inner, the negative camber keeps the wear pretty even with the right tire pressure. I don't worry about caster and just leave it where the toe and camber settings put it, as long as it's not being affected by something else or is off on one side.

The double-adjustable bushings are nice in some respects, but there are also reports that they don't hold the set alignment and change settings, spinning around even with the upper bushing bolt tightened. For this reason, fixed alignment bushings can be a better choice.

Spacers can be custom made, store bought, or you can just use 3 inch washers:

http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/WasherCoilSpacers.htm

They do go under the coil seat. The idea behind using them for alignment is to restore the ride height, affected by spring sag, before compensating with an alignment. It's possible to just use the washers, and stack them so the alignment is back in spec, without touching the alignment bushings or anything else. There is no target ride height measurement, all that really matters is that at whatever ride height you have it, the alignment is within specs. Spacers are just one way of doing it in "reverse" - making the suspension fit the current alignment, rather than changing the alignment to compensate for the suspension. The only downside is that you may have to add/remove washers a few times before you get it right.

More on the TTB, alignment, and steering:

http://www.therangerstation.com/Magazine/winter2008/steering_tech.htm

A DEGREE or TWO? That's what you use for street driving? That seems to be quite a lot, to me. The 1 full degree, I can see, but 2deg seems like it would be way too much, unless your racing or something?

I'm surprised you say you don't worry about where caster ends up. From what I have read, caster can have a major effect on "on-center" feel, steering stability vs "wander" or a "twitchy" highway feel, and "drift" due to improper caster split, as well as camber "split"

On the spacer issue, where is a good reference point, to measure ride height on either side? I know how Ford says to do it on the 2nd gen front end, but that's not applicable here. What is it that I want level? Some height from the ground to a particular chassis point(s)? Angle of the beams, in relation to some point?

 

[Anime]

A DEGREE or TWO? That's what you use for street driving? That seems to be quite a lot, to me. The 1 full degree, I can see, but 2deg seems like it would be way too much, unless your racing or something?

I'm surprised you say you don't worry about where caster ends up. From what I have read, caster can have a major effect on "on-center" feel, steering stability vs "wander" or a "twitchy" highway feel, and "drift" due to improper caster split, as well as camber "split"

On the spacer issue, where is a good reference point, to measure ride height on either side? I know how Ford says to do it on the 2nd gen front end, but that's not applicable here. What is it that I want level? Some height from the ground to a particular chassis point(s)? Angle of the beams, in relation to some point?

1-2 degrees may seem like a lot, BUT it depends on your driving style and of course what tires you have on there as well. In my particular case, I have Michelin LTX M/S and do a lot of highway driving, and because of the suspension setup with poly bushings and Bilstein shocks, it takes corners faster - and with near-zero camber the outer shoulder of the tread was wearing down much faster, and also developing very minor "cupping" in the sipes. A degree or two of negative camber and a degree or two of toe-in has led to near-even treadwear. I don't race with the Explorer (at least not yet), but I do tune for performance on other vehicles, though I consider the settings on the Explorer having been done in the interests of longer tire wear, rather than just strictly for performance.

Caster *is* very important - BUT it's not something you should just always adjust FOR, rather it should end up being correct (or at least within specs) because the camber and toe-in are correct for the desired/spec'd caster. You CAN adjust the caster on the TTB using the alignment bushings, BUT the eccentric design also directly affects the camber.

This is partly why using the washers/spacers is such a good way of doing an alignment back to stock - you can essentially get the near-zero or slightly negative camber only using spacers, then either fine-tune it with the alignment bushings, OR you can just twist the bushings to the front/rear, giving essentially zero camber, but positive or negative caster. You can also just get "zero" bushings that give "zero" camber and "zero" caster adjustment - which lets you either do all the adjustment with spacers, or tells you what alignment settings to use, since however much the camber/caster is off with "zero" bushings in it is how much it needs to be corrected with bushings that have that amount of adjustment. (This is actually how Ford says to do the TTB alignment - stick "zero" bushings in and stick it on an alignment machine - however much it's off determines which alignment bushings to use. Obviously, it's a hassle to take bushings out and put them in twice.)

Also keep in mind, the "alignment" of a TTB, like a lot of other older truck suspensions, is VERY rough, at least when compared with newer A-arm suspensions or even passenger cars of the same era. You can actually get REALLY close to a good alignment doing it yourself, no alignment machine necessary - and often, doing minor adjustments over time is BETTER than sticking it on an alignment machine and having a tech who is clueless about the TTB, Ford Suspensions, the alignment bushings, etc. mess with it and then confess after ten or twenty times of bringing it back that they really just have no idea how to align the vehicle and never adjusted it to begin with.

You can pretend that it's a sports-car suspension and do the math on caster-camber splits and all that, but the truth is the TTB is very sloppy and very rough when it comes to alignment - and that's just by design. If the bushings and suspension components that comprise the front end are all in perfect shape, and ride height is where it's supposed to be, then the adjustment bushings and toe-in of the steering can fine-tune it so the tires don't wear funny. That's about it. Other than that, you're talking about performance tuning for more negative camber for better cornering, or something like compensating for extra lift spacers without drop brackets by doing an "alignment" with extreme degree bushings.

Sticking it on an even the latest and greatest alignment machine is no guarantee of a good or even correct alignment, either. The alignment can be "perfect" - when it's sitting perfectly static on the alignment machine at the shop. In reality, the tires aren't always going to be level, nor are they going to be in the same position. Part of the reason you want some toe-in is because when the vehicle is being thrust forward, the front tires are always trying to spread apart or come together - and take the suspension they're attached to with them. The tires also aren't in the same position depending on the load in the rear - with more weight in the rear, the front suspension geometry changes. An "alignment", especially on something like the TTB, is just the best average settings that give even treadwear (if that's what you're after) or the best performance (if that's what you're after).

In the link I posted, some of the "reference" points are that you want the steering links to be "level" - you should be able to look at them from the front, at the same height off the ground they are, and they should make a straight line from one side to the other. If the links "droop" in the center then the springs are sagging and ride height is too low, if the center of the drag links are way higher than the tie rods on either side, ride height is too high and/or you need a drop pitman arm with a lift. Another rough reference point is that you want the axle pivot bolt on the passenger side to be at least level with the middle of the hubs, or even an inch higher. Again, these are very rough reference points, but the steering does give the best performance when the tie rods/drag links are level side to side, and this also gives the best suspension performance because binding is minimal.

In general, I set it up visually at first, then once the ridge height is about right, I make fine adjustments over a period of days, based on tire wear and crayon marks on the tread that tell me what parts of the tread are contacting the road and which aren't. You can also just make adjustments every few thousand miles based on treadwear alone - more/less toe-in/out if it's wearing on the inner/outer shoulder or showing cupping or other irregular treadwear, or more/less camber if it's just wearing on the inner/outer shoulder.

The only real trick is knowing what the caster/camber toe-in/out is at present, so when you go to adjust it, you know for sure what adjustment you're making to get a particular result. Because of how rough the TTB alignment is, you can just make minor adjustments, especially to the toe-in, and see how it affects treadwear over a period of time.

 

[arco777]

Chalk might be another good way to test tire wear.

 

[2000StreetRod]

93 Ranger alignment specs (2wd & 4wd)

This may help: Need to know specs for a 1993 ford ranger front end alignment

 

[malohnes]

Good info in this thread and the link offered!

 

[Carguy3J]

I just had an alignment done, after installing the '95-'97 front knuckles/brakes on my '93 Ranger 4x4.
I had the alignment set to:
-0.77 deg camber - both L & R
+ 6.0 deg caster (within .03 side to side)
0.22 deg toe-in.

It seems to handle pretty good this way. I may have them reduce the amount of toe-in though. It feels like the outside edges of the front tires might be "scrubbing" and wearing too much. I haven't decided yet.