Wheel Alignment after TT & Warrior?

[addkev]

What is the general consensus with doing an alignment after the TT? I have read where folks insist on it, but others that say they haven't noticed any irregular tire wear. I watch mine very closely, because I have been debating doing an alignment. Just wondering what is everyone's opinion.
Around here an alignment is roughly $60. For a lifetime warranty it is $90.

 

[Lifted95X]

I have not noticed any irregular tire wear since doing mine and I did not do an alignment.

 

[Alec]

I assume you're getting new tires after the lift. Just do an alignment then. That's what I did, and I got a lifetime warranty. The warranty's good, and is no questions asked. That means if I screw up the alignment in Moab and drive all the way back to TX, I still get free tires

 

[JDraper]

Get the alignment. When you do the TT, it changes the suspension geometry and messes up the toe in.

 

[addkev]

But if it changes the toe in, which it makes sense because you are rotating the arm down, wouldn't it be noticeable on the outside of the tire? Because I haven't noticed and abnormal wear.

 

[matt6]

i put my explorer on an alignment rack after I did my tt and shackles, and my alignment was still within specs.

 

[JDraper]

Well, I was hoping to be able to post my alignment settings before and after the tt and alignment, but I can't find it. If I remember correctly, the tt threw my toe off about 3°. It will vary from vehicle to vehicle, as you may be at one end of the spec before, and the other after. You might also be out of spec before, and the tt brings it in. It also varies dependent upon how much you lift the vehicle. There is no way it won't change unless the tie rods were tilted up by a certain amount before the tt, and they are tilted down by the same about after the tt.

I'm not trying to flame anyone, but for a quick (and don't hold me to exact measurements, I just grabbed my tape measure and stuck my head under the truck :d)example, the tie rods ends are approximately 15" long. If you do a 2" tt, it will toe the wheels in by about .133" per side (15^2+2^2=229, sqrt 229=15.133. Subtract the 15" and you get the change in effective length) Since the tie rod sits approxmately 6" forward of the pivot point of the wheel, this yields a change in toe of about 1.27° [Angle=invTan(.133"/6")] per wheel. These numbers are rough, but you can get the idea.

 

[addkev]

I am not arguing just to argue. But that doesn't seem like much. Just driving around town hitting bumps, accelerating, braking has to move the suspension around more than 1.27 degrees.

 

[becker69]

I have what may seem like a stupid question about alignments; do they adjust the Torsion bars at all? See I did my torsion twist several weeks ago, and my passenger side bolt was about 8 or so full turns off of my drivers side. So for setting, I screwed both of them in all the way, and backed out one turn on the drivers side and 7 or so full turns on the pass. side. Took it down from the stands, measured it and they were almost completely level. For my alignment on fri, will they adjust any of those discrepancies and is it odd for bolts on different sides to be off that much of each other. Thanks.

 

[JDraper]

Originally posted by addkev
I am not arguing just to argue. But that doesn't seem like much. Just driving around town hitting bumps, accelerating, braking has to move the suspension around more than 1.27 degrees.

The toe in spec for most Explorer's ranges between -0.25° and +0.55°, so 1.27° per wheel is way out of spec. Check out Alignment Specs for the data.