5100 install....sever misalignment!

18 Sport. Replaced OEM with 5100/887 today and I somehow severely jacked up the alignment. The truck was unsafe to drive honestly but I immediately went to Firestone for an alignment. Sketchy trip for sure! Luckily they got me straightened up within 60 minutes! I marked my bolts but somehow I screwed it up. Perhaps I over-loosened the lower control arm cam bolts? I still need to do the rear AAL and 5100s. I planned on getting it all done today but the alignment was not something I expected. Lesson learned. Anyway, just venting...

 

Next time disconnect upper control arm ball joint and the sway bar. No need to touch lower control arms to replace coilovers.

 

A tape measure and an extra set of hands could have easily made it "safe" to drive. Believe it not, you don't HAVE to have an alignment rack to perform an alignment. Big alignment has everybody fooled.

 

Yes if you want to use your lower control arm as a spring compressor. I just used this method and will use many more times if needed. Did not have to pay anyone to compress springs and it is safe. I marked my bolts too and don’t have any issues.

waiting on final thread on oem tires to replace and get alignment for new tires… for now it rides straight.

 

If you lifted the truck with a suspension lift and haven't aligned it then you most definitely have some positive camber after the lift. That will not effect how straight it drives as long as it's out equally on both sides. You will, however, have adverse tire wear due to now riding more towards the outside shoulder of the tire. Along with that is less tire in contact with the pavement, which means less traction. You could *theoretically* be within the spec that Toyota prescribes for the camber adjustment, but that doesn't mean you don't have positive camber and that the tires won't wear unevenly across the entire contact patch because of it.

 

Well Ya got it done and its Friday. I'll drink a beer in a bit to celebrate your success.

 

These were assembled coilovers so I had no reason to mess with LCA. Dooh! Wrong YouTube video...

 

I'm just here to recognize this epic statement!

 

This is not to say that I don't use alignment shops myself. But my favorite alignment shop near where I live doesn't even have a computer any where in the shop. 2 pivot plates or whatever they're called that are sort of like peninsulas that go out into an opening in the shop floor. They use tape measures and an old school bubble level jig thing (no clue what the proper name is) to get you dialed in. AND if you bring them a vehicle that they can tell is not some daily driver they'll actually ask YOU what you want, or suggest what you might need depending on your needs. (IE: race truck). They look(and talk) like a bunch of old school racers. Maybe circle dirt track, or maybe paved oval track, stuff like that.

Now, the wife's crossover? That gets the cheapo electronic rack-assisted alignment at the local tire shop, because...well, it's just a daily driven grocery getter.

 

"server" ...just noticed my typo in title. Pretty bad considering I work in IT. Note to self...Don't post under the influence...haha.

 

FTFY

 

correct, I am aware of it. I am running my oem tires for about 2-3 months more and then I am replacing. I don’t care if tires wear unevenly because I am just trying to wear the last 16th out of them but thanks for comment.