Thoughts on These Allignment #'s

Just got my truck back from the alignment shop yesterday afternoon. I installed Icon 2.5 VS coilovers and Delta Joint UCAs over the weekend. I for some reason had it in my head that I should be able to get 3.5-4.0° of positive castor. Instead the alignment tech couldn't get it over the mid 2's. Does that sound about right for this setup?

 

Looks good to me, Jerad. All within specs

 

1) the (modified specs) means he changed one of the specs most likely so everything will print green. All he did was fix the toe and for some reason add camber to the passenger side? There looks to be no attempt to adjust the caster or camber. If you like the way it currently drives I wouldn't bother but if you find it wonders on the highway I'd take it somewhere else and try to get more caster.

 

So far it does seem to drive better than before the Icon UCAs went on (far less wandering, almost none).

He told me the caster adjustment on the front cams was maxed out and that adjusting the rear would give more caster at the expense of adding negative camber. I'll drive it around more before deciding whether or not to try another alignment shop.

 

I agree with the comments above in general, but the numbers that bother me are the rear toe. Judging by those, your rear axle in in a bit crooked. The tech should have noticed that and tried to address it. Even though there are locating pins, there is some play where very slight adjustments can be had. Whether it's enough to be an issue, I can't say, but it is there, staring you right in the face.

 

I'm not an alignment expert but that looks to be within the normal variation. It does look like it's ever so slightly dog tracking. Those numbers are so small you could probably change them more by just making sure the wheel reflectors are mounted properly and not on some dirt.


and honestly, i doubt any changes at all were made on the before and after. Just shaking the vehicle will probably do that.

Here is an alignment I got a few days ago on an '02. I just installed the same suspension components. This truck has a problem on the drivers front, so I had to switch to SPCs to get it to align and not run the 33" into the rear fender well.

 

This was with brand new Icons, and Icon delta joint control arms like you. I could barely leave the parking lot like this.

 

Wow your #'s with the Icons make me feel better about mine lol. Have you identified the problem on the driver's side? You needed SPC arms to fix the negative caster that the Icons created? Is something wrong with your coil bucket where the UCAs mount to?

 

Looks like a "toe and go" to me. Meaning, the tech only adjusted the Otres to set the toe.

There is no evidence the LCA adjusters were touched. The caster numbers are unchanged from the before and after results.

It is possible the adjusters are not moving freely. Have you looked at your adjuster cams? It is pretty obvious when they are maxed out.

Of course, as mentioned already, what is most important is how it drives and whether you like it.

 

Get the KPOffroad alignment cams and set the caster yourself using their recommended setting. Then have an alignment shop to set the toe.
One of the best mods I did for my suspension. Takes setting the caster out of the alignment shop’s hands.

 

The vehicle was in a small accident at some point, possibly two. I was not terribly shocked it was wonky. I just finished a lot of work that included a new fender, door, and fixing a very bent bumper. All low speed stuff, but enough. Still. I expected the caster on the passenger side to be more than that.

 

The adjusters are definitely moving freely. They're about a year or two old, and up here I'm Northern AZ we get no rust. I'll snap some pics of them and see if anyone can tell me if they were already maxed out (caster wise).

 

That makes sense. You were able to overcome that though with the SPC uppers though right?

 

I was looking at the Solo LCAs that push the ball joint forwards too, to gain more caster. Would you recommend recommend the KPO cam adjusters over them for this purpose?

 

So here's all my cam adjusters:

Driver's Front:


Driver's Rear:



Passenger Front:



Passenger Rear:

 

Cumulatively, you are far from maxing out the caster. But you also don’t want to max it out, or you’ll go through lower control arm bushing quickly.
The most notable thing is that the passenger front does not mirror the driver front. They should relatively be in the same, but mirrored, position.

There is definitely more caster to squeeze out of that alignment. The alignment shop corrected the toe, and nothing more.

 

The KPO cam adjusters make alignments simple, and locks the alignment in place. If you do plan on the Solo LCAs, I would definitely recommended the KPO cam adjusters so that you can ensure that you are getting the caster you want out of your setup.

I have the Icon UCAs and Solo LCAs and have them dialed in with 5 degrees of caster…and it rides and handles better than ever, even with a lift.

A lazy alignment tech can have you feeling like you’ve wasted your money, even after you’ve purchased the best suspension parts.

 

In the pics nothing is "maxed out" in regards to caster. Looks like they didn't touch the LCA cams at all.

 

He states above that the cam adjusters are 1-2 years old and it moves freely, and he lives in AZ, so they are not rusted.

Do you agree now that the alignment tech was lazy?

 

I missed the part where he said they were moving freely.

9/10 times they're stuck