Thoughts on need for an alignment

A week ago, I hit 150k on the odometer and decided to swap front struts and rear shocks. I found some new 3rd gen takeoff struts and some brand new Bilstein 5100 shocks on Craigslist. Swap was easy peasy for both with no issues (amazingly).

At the same time, I realized I needed new tires. Somehow, I managed to go 110k miles on a set of Michelin LTX M/S2s without noticing how low the tread got.

The old tires wore perfectly - even as can be and no weird wear patterns. With the new suspension and new tires, she drives straight as an arrow and the steering doesn't feel weird at all. The 3rd Gen struts and new shocks lifted all 4 corners exactly 3/4" and it is dead even all the way around.

So the question is, Is it worth bothering with an alignment? I normally would considering the new suspension but I didn't get much lift and it seems to be steering just fine. I just don't want to ruin $900 worth of new tires.

(Full disclosure...I've already driven it 300 miles on the new setup and have noticed no ill effects.)

 

Yes....

 

Get an alignment if you do suspension work.

You can also just get the alignment checked for free at some places if you're THAT sure that it's fine, but it probably isn't.

 

Dang it. I knew you'd guys would say that. I just don't have access to an alignment shop for a while and I'll be away from home for a couple weeks.

 

ANY change in ride height will change the alignment. The most harmful effect will be toe in. That will most definitely wear the tires out faster.

 

That $70 or so alignment will save you from buying another $900 worth of tires in half the time if it happens to be out.

 

Yes. New shocks and struts. Get the damn alignment.

 

I will. It just rides and steers so nicely I thought maybe I could get away without.

Unfortunately, it will be a few weeks until I can get to it. Hopefully, I don't cause too much wear in that time.

 

If it seems to be driving like normal and straight, I would run with it and keep an eye on the front tires for any possible sudden wear. Once you change the ride height, the factory specs kind of get thrown out the window and a shop can't really guarantee the alignment since they would only set it to factory specs which no longer apply to the changed height. If your cam adjusting bolts are rusted in place, they would need to break them and replace them to make adjustments as well. It sounds like you will have some time to see how it does anyway, but I wouldn't go out of my way for the alignment. You can adjust the tow yourself if you can get the tierod nuts loose to make changes. The camber and caster will need to be adjusted with the cam bolts and if they are frozen it can get a lot more involved. My trucks has SPC upper control arms which you can adjust the camber by moving it in and out and you can adjust the caster with the position of the arm as well. I adjusted those and did my own tow adjustments and my truck drives a lot better than when I bought it with the lift. If it feels like it's pulling one way or the other or darts back and forth with a light change of the steering wheel, then you need to have it checked out and adjusted. In the end, you need to know it's safe to drive but don't expect a shop to guarantee it once it has been modified.

 

The only problem with an alignment on a truck with that many miles on it - and it being used in the rust belt - is the possibility that your alignment cam bolts are hopelessly frozen. This can lead to a rather pricey replacement of both the LCAs as well as the cam bolts required to do the alignment.

 

Alignments are cheap services meant to save $900 tires.
At a shop, it might be $100+.
If you do it yourself, it could be $0.
Is $0 worth it to save $900 tires?
I don't think I need to answer that.

The question shouldn't be whether or not you should spend an hour of your time aligning it.
The question should be what specs to do it to, and how to do it.
Most people here won't know the answer to that.

Well then OP I guess you heard it. It's apparently humanly impossible to soak your alignment bolts in penetrating oil, heat them with a torch, and remove them to clean and coat in anti-sieze, that you should have probably already done anyway.

As for other posts, I guess who needs a Hunter laser alignment rack.
It's not like they're $20,000 for any reason at all.
After all, as long as "it drives straight".
Even tough you can still drive straight with out of spec camber and toe and premature tire wear is an indicator of poor alignment, not the steering wheel.

Even though a straight steering wheel is more of a result of even toe on each side, rather than proper alignment.
I bet you money I can drive a vehicle with a crooked steering wheel, pull over in the side of the road to adjust the tie rod jam nuts a few flats in that direction until it's even, and the steering wheel will be straight.
That does not mean it's aligned.
There are many things to an alignment. Camber on each side. How it combines together. Caster. Toe.
Not sure how people don't understand that. It's not that complicated.
There is people who have aligned their cars with blocks of wood and tape measures for years.
Or sewing string and jackstands.

That is why many times, people aligning their car will get it perfect, but with a crooked steering wheel. Rather than remount the steering wheel on the column spline that will uneven full turn to lock number of turns/ratio, that is resolved by adjusting tie rod jam nuts a number flats evenly on both sides in the direction of wheel angle until it is straight. It is an aesthetic adjustment.
If the tires have good camber and toe and the vehicle goes straight on it's own, it really does not care which way the steering wheel is. Only the driver does, because it bothers their eyes.
To the contrary, sometimes a vehicle will have a bad adjustment, but straight steering wheel. Thus the driver will not detect it, until measuring their tread depth to find out it has worn prematurely. Which should be done at every 5k oil change service.
Like when a tech aligned a previous vehicle of mine. The steering wheel was crooked. All I had to do was get underneath and adjust the tie rod jam nuts some flats evenly on both sides, such as 6. or 4. whatever it takes. 1/4 turn is 25%. 1/2 is 50. a nut has 6 flats. 3 flats is 50%. a flat is the flat section of the nut that you see with your eye when grabbing with the wrench. It's a finer adjustment than 1/4 turn because alignments are sensitive.
When you shorten tie rod length, that wheel toes in. When you extend it, it toes out. Ideally they get set into a certain spec range and even on both sides. Sometimes that range can be 10 minutes of a degree depending on vehicle so that it tracks straight on it's own with no input to the steering wheel from your hands.

Not sure why people don't get this. I have aligned a car with a shoe string. It is not that hard.
Hacking into your ECU and writing your own tune from scratch to get what was an N/A engine to now run well with a turbo? That is hard.
Alignments? Not hard. There are children that do them.

Usually people do an alignment when they do suspension work such as bushings, shocks, ball joints, springs, and so on.
Usually it's worth it and seen as cheap insurance and peace of mind checking, given that the job/task itself is mostly labor.

 

Thanks for all the info. I will most definitely get it done. Just hard to do with my work situation.

And I know I might run into issues with rusty parts, but if it means anything, when I replaced the struts and shocks, all of the nuts and bolts came out fine. No need for cutting nor penetrating oil. I'm hoping the cam bolts are the same.

And yes I coated all the new bolts threads with anti-seize.

Did I mention I got 105k out of a set of Michelin LTX M/S 2s? I'm half thinking about making a thread about it. I kept looking at the tread depth and thinking I could get one more winter out of them, but when I pulled out my little measurement tool they were all at 2/32". I grabbed the receipt in the glove box and saw they went on 4 years ago when I had 45k on the dial. I'm amazed. But most of my driving is long stints at 75 mph and I do rotate and inspect them every 5k. And psi was always kept at 30 - checked weekly.