Alignment at 15k?

Well, that’s good. I’m sure it just comes down to every single RWD vehicle I’ve owned needing an alignment.

For the record, it’s not a “pull”. You don’t feel anything at all. It very slowly starts to aim right after letting go. Like I said, all vehicles, from Ford, Nissan, Jeep, and Toyota have all done it to about the same degree.

 

Yeah, more of a drift to the right if I let go of the steering wheel.

 

I don't know, but maybe the roads in Plano have a larger than standard crown and you don't have enough caster differential to compensate. I ran into a stretch of Interstate 99 south of Fresno last year where both sides of the freeway were crowned to drain in the center divider, so in that situation there was a strong pull to the left, but that section of highway was an anomaly here in California. On most highways here my truck drives dead straight with no hint of a pull or a drift. If all of your vehicles pull or even drift, that can be fixed but there are always going to be some stretches of road that require more attention than other. And I can also recall on a trip to Death Valley many years ago (pre Tacoma) where the cross winds were around 40 mph and required almost a quarter turn of the steering wheel to go straight. No letting go of the wheel there. My Tacoma has about +.2.8 deg positive caster on the passenger side and +2.5 deg on the driver's side. Let's look at your numbers. If you're still drifting slightly to the right, maybe you need to either raise the caster on the right or drop it on the left. Sometimes it's just a tenth of a degree or two that makes the last bit of difference, and maybe you just need more offset for the roads in your area. I'd try and find a specialty alignment shop, explain your issues and ask what they can do to address that, and make sure you pay close attention, when it's on the rack, to the existing caster numbers noting if there is any left/right differential or not. My truck is stock, so I always ask the tech to set the caster on the right to max it out, which is +2.8 or close to it and then adjust the left side .3-.5 deg less. If your caster numbers are the same or not enough differential, that might be part of your problem, but you also need to look at the rear numbers which should all be close to zero but sometimes are not.

 

at 15k, you could need an adjustment. The chances of it having been checked in a pre delivery inspection is between slim and none. I would ask for a print out. I had a dealer once tell me they adjusted and when I offered to the service manager the chance to show me a tool mark on my tie rod end, they decided not to charge me.

 

I had the alignment done on my 2023 TRD OR SBDC early on also (I think it was 15K isch) and it was indeed off quite a bit.

 

I had mine done at about 10,000 miles because I had already lifted it. LOL! Before I'd pay the dealer I'd pay a shop knowledgeable in the ins and outs of these trucks. They'll likely do a better job and not just "put all the readings in the green" and call it a day.

 

Most roads are not flat. They have a crown to them. Higher in the centre with a gradual slope to the outsides. Aids in moisture flow. As a result most vehicles gradually go right that steering while driving corrects.

 

I’m well aware of crown, but not all crown is the same. The drift is about the same no matter how the crown is, unless the crown is severe.

 

Thank you for all the replies! I got a better look at it today and I'm not really too concerned. I guess if the wear gets more noticeable or I start getting vibration, I will deal with it then. Rather spend the money now on a Woolwax touchup for winter. Once these tires are spent, I'd like to slap wheels and slightly larger tires on. I will get it aligned at a decent shop when I do.

 

When they say "wear" what are you seeing? Some feathering/scalloping along the outside edge on vehicles like these is normal. I used to cross the front tires to the rear on trucks and SUV's like these during tire rotations and it would help smooth them out. I do the same on my Tacoma.

 

Check tire pressure. Alot of places set tire pressure to 35 or higher. The door calls for 29psi. Setting them to the correct pressure makes a big ride quality difference and better wear.

 

also look for a place that will give you lifetime alignment. Firestone is where I’ve gone. It’s like $200 bucks but you can get an alignment as much as you want. Usually it’s 80-100 per alignment. But you should ask around where you are for the good places. Especially if you plan to lift later on.

 

I'm pretty sure my alignment was knocked out driving the stretch of highway 93 between Phoenix and Las Vegas.

 

Good to know about Firestone's lifetime alignment, I have one near me. Thanks for the tip! Pretty sure my tires are set to 32 psi, but I will double check. It looks like a bit of scalloping when I get right up on it, I had to pretty much put my face on the tire to see it. I popped a pic, but you can't really see it too well. There is no visible pattern when looking at the front of the tire, can only see it from the side. I was caught off guard when they told me I needed an alignment at the service appt. I wasn't expecting to do a damn thing outside of fun parts for a long time with the mileage I drive it. Figured I would post and you guys would have some solid advice. Thanks again for all the help! I'm really not sweating it now. Unless I see that pattern get worse or start getting vibrations, I will continue with the plan for an alignment when I slap some new rubber on her. Hopefully I can get another 10-15k out of them.

 

Those tires look fine.

 

Agreed. This is the crap that gives the service departments at dealers a bad name.

 

FWIW, my alignment on my 2021 needed to be fixed at around 12k miles. My Toyota dealer said they fixed it “under warranty”. I don’t know if that was their way of saying they just covered the cost, or if the dealer was actually able to get reimbursed from Toyota Corporate. I got the spec print outs of the before and after, and it was indeed out of alignment.

 

Actually needing an alignment should be rare. In 50 years I've needed it done 4-5 times. Two of those were done after getting a truck lifted. My 07 Tacoma was aligned the 1st time at 225,000 miles after being lifted.

I only use dealers to do warranty work. Sounds like there are a lot of people who make a lot of money doing unnecessary alignments. If they actually do the work.