front end aline ment..will work for other trucks

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missouriman

10 Year 15 Year
Joined
Jan 28, 2007
Threads
70
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792
Location
1993 land cruiser in rapid city South Dakota
OK, went on a 45 mile interstate trip... front tires where hot when I got there but no time to find out why. went on run of about 10 miles ghost town run in the trails section.
got home and I could see the front tires had worn down... oh shait...
just reference, say the back tires were 80 degrees the fronts were around 120.
so time to check into this shait!!!!
I could do.. maybe 65. and my wife was running up behind me like.... speed up. heck I had it wooded. she was at about half on the gas peddle. WTF... I have the modded motor..
got home and checked it out... 2 inches of tow in.. yeh 2 inches, I am shocked that the tires were not squealing our I could not smell them burning.
so here is how I did the aline-ment
first I cut two pieces of small angle that I had laying around to 30 inch's long (the biggest tires offered stock on the toyota). marked the middle of them.
pulled the front wheels off and clamped them to the brake rotors.

stuff that I used.
HPIM3308.jpg

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measure from the angle to a point on each side to make sure the front end is pointed straight. I used the upper leaf spring.
I also taped the two measuring tapes to the ends of my 30 inch angle iron.
then adjusted the tie rod so the measurements were 1/4 inch less in front then in back.
HPIM3320.jpg

This worked very well.. on the last run out I felt the tires and could not tell a difference in temp.. and felt like I had gained 10 hp... I could tell a difference.
the new 36 sx's are way larger then the old SX's...
I did have a balance problem, I used to use wind shield washer fluid. but after the new tires and seeing how rusted out the rims have gotten I switched to RV anti freeze. it is non corrosive and environmentally safe.
8 oz in each tire made a huge difference.
 
Very nice write-up and I'm sorry but all I could think about from those photos is "I hope he didn't kill himself with one hydraulic jack and no jack stands....at least none that I can see". Glad to see that you didn't.

I do have a question about your measurements. If I'm reading the FSM correctly, you should have between 0" and .08" toe-in (adjustment spec is 0.04" +/- 0.04"). If I understand your measurements correctly, you have 0.25", or am I misunderstanding?

I do like the way you did this as it is simple but I wanted to make sure that I understand the technicalities.
 
WarDamnEagle said:
Very nice write-up and I'm sorry but all I could think about from those photos is "I hope he didn't kill himself with one hydraulic jack and no jack stands....at least none that I can see". Glad to see that you didn't.

I do have a question about your measurements. If I'm reading the FSM correctly, you should have between 0" and .08" toe-in (adjustment spec is 0.04" +/- 0.04"). If I understand your measurements correctly, you have 0.25", or am I misunderstanding?

I do like the way you did this as it is simple but I wanted to make sure that I understand the technicalities.
Click to expand...


humm I took it as a 1/4 inch.. yeh so I am .25 tow.. If you move back to the 28 inch tire mark it was about half that, 28 inch was the stock tire.
I was not under the truck, I would never work under it with just the jack.
 
missouriman said:
now you guys have me wondering if I should not break it back down and turn a tie rod mount a half turn. I have hydro assist so the tie rod has to do a full turn.

I don't remember where I saw it but I thought that 1/4 inch tow was the standard for huge tires.

maybe I should have measured further out..
Click to expand...

Put your 30" angle iron back on the brake disks and mark 1" inside on each end (equivalent to a 28" tire which was factory standard). Now use the same tape measure (not 2 different ones) and get the front just slightly less than the rear, like somewhere betwen 0 and 1/16....or just leave it like it is if it drives o.k.

FWIW, at the price of new tires, I always have a professional alignment done to set the toe-in. Not suggesting you can't get by with what you're doing but an alignment is quick and relatively cheap.
 
missouriman said:
now you guys have me wondering if I should not break it back down and turn a tie rod mount a half turn. I have hydro assist so the tie rod has to do a full turn.

I don't remember where I saw it but I thought that 1/4 inch tow was the standard for huge tires.

maybe I should have measured further out..
Click to expand...

That method of measuring is sound, well proven and if done carefully will result in good alignment. It takes the tire size, run out, etc out of the equation.

On most vehicles the toe spec is in inch and degrees. Degree is more accurate across tire size, it's the angle of the tire vs the vehicle center line. If toe is set at say 1/8" with a 28" tire and a 35" tire is mounted the inch measurement will change, but the degree angle stays the same.

Toe-in makes the rig stable at speed, the stock spec is .04" +or- .04", so .00 to .08". I have found that ~1/16" just about always results in a good driving rig when it's stock and stock size tires.

This becomes a starting point recommendation on a lifted rig with big tires. In my experience bigger rigs benefit from a little more toe. I start at say 1/8", leave the clamps loose, drive at speed on a flat road, stop and crank in a turn, drive, stop crank out 2 turns, etc. Trying settings until I find what is best for the rig and my driving comfort, then tighten the clamps. When back at the shop, remeasure and note the setting for next time that it's apart. On big lift/tire rigs mine has always been in the 1/8-3/16" range.

Too little toe can contribute to wander, reduced high speed stability. Excessive toe will cause added drag, slightly increased tire wear. The factory spec is determined partly by theory, mostly by test driving at different settings and most times works for stock rigs. If you take a lifted, modified rig in for a "professional" alignment the monkey (oops tech) will set it at whatever his machine tells him to for a stock rig, this may or probably will not be the best setting for your rig.
 
well it drives ok, but it did with the 2 inch tow in..
I can feel it trying to death wobble, but only on slow right hand turns at about 30 mph. The temp of the tires had to be with in just a few degrees after the correction.. before the fronts were much warmer then the rears.

do you think I need to break loose a tie rod end and go to 1/16th inch? I have hydro assist so kinda stuck with a full turn of the tie rod. as the ram mount is welded to the tie rod.
 
missouriman said:
well it drives ok, but it did with the 2 inch tow in..
I can feel it trying to death wobble, but only on slow right hand turns at about 30 mph. The temp of the tires had to be with in just a few degrees after the correction.. before the fronts were much warmer then the rears.

do you think I need to break loose a tie rod end and go to 1/16th inch? I have hydro assist so kinda stuck with a full turn of the tie rod. as the ram mount is welded to the tie rod.
Click to expand...

I would try 1/16-1/8", IMHO 1/4" is excessive.
 
yeh big change here, 70 to 30 with fog. that kind of cold that a coat donsn't do a thing, it still soaks in bone deep.
I would rather it be zero and dry.

still have two transfer cases to tear down and install in two trucks. and no garage. well that you can get a truck into.

got the twin sticks sitting here, the bud built dual case mount showed up for the wifes truck and the weather went to crap.
 
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