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wheel alignment when mounting new tires?
- Thread starter amauri
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elephantrider
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I would still get the toe as close to zero as possible
Crusty old shellback
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never hurts to have it checked after having new tires put on, especially if you have never had it checked.
Mine was out of factory specs from the beginning. Aligned to Thuren specs and been great for 30K miles now.
Mine was out of factory specs from the beginning. Aligned to Thuren specs and been great for 30K miles now.
areuriding
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Always a good idea..
H3LZSN1P3R
You're doing it wrong
No but bumpy roads will throw it out at times so with a fresh set of tires a quick check is never a bad thing
Alignment can be knocked out of specs on light weight vehicles by simply hitting a curb too hard when parking. No so fragile in the case of the RAM HD solid front axle and steering linkage.
On a vehicle with a solid front axle, the front end alignment is much simpler than one with independent front suspension.
Our late modern tucks only have two adjustments, Toe and Caster. There is no adjustments for Camber on the RAM HD solid front axle.
Caster will change if you install a lift kit on the front end (and to a lesser extend if you lower or raise the rear suspension).
Caster can be adjusted via eccentrics on the radius arms. If your truck has seen a lot of rough miles there may be wear on the bushings, causing clunking noises and caster misalignment. Incorrect Caster can cause the truck to pull more to one side than the other while going down the middle of a straight road
I've personally experienced bad tire wear and/or the vehicle no longer tracking straight down the road after a re-alignment.
My personal belief is that if the front tires are wearing correctly and the vehicle tracks straight down the road, the alignment should not be touched.
I've been a mechanic since the 70s, for many years I worked at dealerships before changing careers. I am now retired.
At the dealerships I worked as a line mechanic, that included suspension and heavy duty work.
I own several vehicles with solid front axles, and when I replace worn out parts like tie rod ends I use a tape measure for setting the toe-in precisely.
Of course this is just me and what works for me may not work for all.
On a vehicle with a solid front axle, the front end alignment is much simpler than one with independent front suspension.
Our late modern tucks only have two adjustments, Toe and Caster. There is no adjustments for Camber on the RAM HD solid front axle.
Caster will change if you install a lift kit on the front end (and to a lesser extend if you lower or raise the rear suspension).
Caster can be adjusted via eccentrics on the radius arms. If your truck has seen a lot of rough miles there may be wear on the bushings, causing clunking noises and caster misalignment. Incorrect Caster can cause the truck to pull more to one side than the other while going down the middle of a straight road
I've personally experienced bad tire wear and/or the vehicle no longer tracking straight down the road after a re-alignment.
My personal belief is that if the front tires are wearing correctly and the vehicle tracks straight down the road, the alignment should not be touched.
I've been a mechanic since the 70s, for many years I worked at dealerships before changing careers. I am now retired.
At the dealerships I worked as a line mechanic, that included suspension and heavy duty work.
I own several vehicles with solid front axles, and when I replace worn out parts like tie rod ends I use a tape measure for setting the toe-in precisely.
Of course this is just me and what works for me may not work for all.
Rockcrawlindude
a rock crawlin’ dude
I don’t.
I'm with the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" crowd on this one. Some alignment shops around this area are known for not getting things right the first time. I wouldn't let them touch a truck that's wearing tires well and not pulling one way or the other. Now if you have some reason to believe something may be worn or should be checked and you have a good alignment shop nearby, that could be a different story.
LateToTheParty
Didn't want to come
With a 2WD, I'm assuming you don't see much off-road action to knock things around, so if sticking with the exact same size and things have worn well, I'd leave it alone. If going up in size, I'd get the alignment done.
True... an 8,000 lbs truck is not my 1st choice for off road use, I have a couple of old diesel Landcruisers with solid axles that I use for that.
As Blythkd1 hinted above and also the main reason I don't re-align just because of new tires "Some alignment shops around this area are known for not getting things right the first time."
I've been down that road a few times and it seems to be more common now a days.
LateToTheParty
Didn't want to come
Yeah, not knocking the choice at all, just qualifying the response. I beat up my suspension quite a bit during the summer camping/fishing and then again toward the end of the year hunting, so I rarely can go a full year without an alignment, so when I'm getting close to needing new rubber, I try and line up the timing if I can.
H3LZSN1P3R
You're doing it wrong
Depends where you live i guess but here we drive on whats left of the roads so its almost the same as off road lol, honestly we have many more logging roads that are smoother than our highways, city streets
Crusty old shellback
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Everyone has their opinion of how they want to maintain their trucks.
Some do corrective maintenance to fix the problem.
Others do preventative maintenance to try and keep things in top shape so they don't have to do corrective maintenance.
Your choice.
But of course the big part is either having the ability to do the work, or if not, finding a good reputable mechanic you trust to do the work correctly.
Some do corrective maintenance to fix the problem.
Others do preventative maintenance to try and keep things in top shape so they don't have to do corrective maintenance.
Your choice.
But of course the big part is either having the ability to do the work, or if not, finding a good reputable mechanic you trust to do the work correctly.
They're worth their weight in gold these days.
Crusty old shellback
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Luckily I found 2 brothers who moved to a new shop and are running it all. Was told by a guy at the old shop they worked at that they had moved and I should call them. 
Been using them for about a decade. They actually let me help in the shop to work on my truck. Makes things go faster for them, and they understand that I know what I'm doing. works out good for the both of us.
Been using them for about a decade. They actually let me help in the shop to work on my truck. Makes things go faster for them, and they understand that I know what I'm doing. works out good for the both of us.