Alignment Issue(s)

No gear head here so I will attempt to relay the details best to my knowledge in an attempt that the real gear heads can give me some advice and/or recommendations.

Here's the scoop: I have been to the same shop twice-- once for the original king suspension/aftermarket UCA (camburg x-joint) install and alignment, and a follow-up appointment to check torque. On the second visit I voiced my concern that the truck had been pulling very noticeably to the right/passenger side. They proceeded to work on the truck all day telling me there was an issue they just couldn't figure out and it "is what it is".

Upon picking it up they gave me a print out with the following specs:

Passenger Front: -0.1 camber / 4.8 caster

Driver Front: -0.15 camber / 4.4 caster

Toe = .0625

The truck still has a very unenjoyable pull to the right but beyond the annoyance, I am concerned for the long-term effects this may have.

I have looked into the issue on previous threads and noted the issue with tie rods. For what it's worth there is a noticeable difference in threads showing between driver and passenger side with more showing on passenger side where the pull is coming from.

Lastly, is it reasonable to think this shouldn't be an issue and an off-road shop should know how to get this dialed in properly or will this be an issue I just have to "settle with"?

 

It depends on what kind of off road shop is it. Might have to take it somewhere else to get a different set of eyes on it. Maybe they're missing something

 

Not going to name shame but I thought of it as a reputable, high volume shop. That being said, do I go back a third time and hope they get it right, try to add my own input without coming off as a know-it-all, or scrap that shop and spend more $ hoping a new set of eyes can figure it out?

Mind you this isn't a shop down the road and each way of travel is roughly 1.5 hours. No pity but I did sit in much additional traffic on the way back from the second trip as I was suppose to be out of the shop by 10:30 and didn't get the keys back until 3:30 and don't look forward to doing that a whole bunch.

 

Swap the front tires side to side and see if the pull is the same. Toe typically won’t cause a pull it will cause the steering wheel to be off center when driving straight. If one side has more toe than the other they will equalize and can cause the steering wheel to be off center.

 

Not sure what the specs are on your truck but the caster numbers look reasonable with the passenger side being a greater number to help offset road crown.
Did you have your tires replaced as well?
An under inflated tire and or dragging brake caliper can cause the issue you’re describing. If you’d like to message me with info regarding the shop that did the work I might be able to weigh in on any experiences I may have had with them. Also include where you’re from and I might be able to recommend someone who can take a look at it.

 

Checking cam tabs wouldn’t hurt to make sure they aren’t flattened and not holding

 

265/75/17 with wheels that have a 0 offset

While I'm at it, these are rubbing which I didn't expect to be an issue considering plenty of people say they run 33's without a cmc (running king 2.5's)

 

Maybe this is the issue because steering wheel sits off-center. If it sits centered I veer into the right lane in about 3 seconds

 

Rubbing on the front or rear of the fender well? Wheels with more negative offset have a greater chance of rubbing but at the same time too much positive can cause contact with suspension components. Like said above pictures of alignment cams would be helpful too.

 

So it doesnt pull the toe is off. Do you have a print out sheet of the alignment?

 

When driving down the road if you let go of the steering wheel does it drive straight or pull?

If it doesn’t drive straight when you hold the steering whee straight then it’s a toe issue.

 

do you have left & right toe numbers? i only saw a single toe number you posted, likely the 'total toe', which is not complete info. if your L & R toe numbers are different then that's where to start. and liked mentioned swapping front tires may reveal it as well.

 

Perhaps I'm not getting all the info then? Attached printout from the shop...

 

It pulls when driving down the road if I let go so it sounds like it has been diagnosed. Is it as easy as telling them that? Shouldn't a good shop already know or is it on me to know what I want and need to know how to articulate it?

 

Yeah you should have more numbers. Guessing the toe shown is total toe. Maybe got confused a little but is it actually pulling to the right or steering right when you center the steering wheel?

 

Either way a good shop is going to test drive to verify the work that’s been done.

 

Might be worth noting I have a skid plate on and it looks like they'd need to pull that off to access the alignments cams.

First photo is passenger side, second is driver side...

 

that's weird. I've never seen an alignment printout like that. need the independent left & right numbers, but it actually sounds like you just need another shop on the case.

 

That's what I figured as well and sadly, the owner even drove it before handing the keys back. Regardless, I guess I'd say when the steering wheel. is centered it steers to the right. Not pulling like mentioned above

 

Well if it’s not an actual pull then that’s good news. An off center steering wheel can easily be remedied. If I had to guess you have one wheel that’s got neg toe and the other is just a little more positive accounting for your total toe numbers shown. I would suggest finding a credible alignment shop in your area. If they are able to remedy the problem then maybe the shop that originally did the work will credit you back if you paid them specifically for an alignment. How many miles have you driven since the lift? I’d try to put on at least 1000 or maybe even 2000 and recheck ride height on front springs. If you need to adjust ride height on either side then I’d correct it before having a final alignment done.