Alignment or tire wear
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Tuned
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 399
Likes: 1
From: Ness city Kansas
Alignment or tire wear
This Friday I will be sitting in the stealership gettin my girl aligned, I have to do it every 5000 miles or my tires start cupping bad, yes I have hankook mt tires and I know they are more likely to cup than a at or ht but 5000 miles for alignment doesn't seem good, and I try and baby it not hit curbs or big bumps mainly highway travel any idea, I also have a problem with it wondering left them right goin down the road everything seems tight, the steelership says that this is normal ? Any insite
Lead Driver
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 9,399
Likes: 188
From: Norco,CA
The dealer will only go with factory alinement spec's. If your front end is all good it should track straight. I'd go somewhere else, they can correct your problem if you tell them what it is. Hows your shocks? I left mine on for 130,ooo miles so they did that. As soon as I changed them all was well. Some tires cup way easier then others, I run michilen and get 70K out of a set. I have CC LB 4x4 7.3L stock height.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,298
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From: Damon (South East Texas)
Postmaster
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,555
Likes: 8
From: Longview, TX
Changes in alignment specs are needed when you vary from stock tires and/or rim sizes. Changes in width or wheel offset can need less camber to properly "wear" a tire. Mine is set "fairly flat" (slight camber) and toe-in is ~ 1/32". I get good wear and drivability with its settings. I feel the factory specs are too broad of a range. Most alignment shops check them and if it's in that range, "call it good". I prefer to set them to my personal specs and try to be a little more precise. I used to do alignments with the old "bubble type" Snap On alignment machine over 20yrs ago. I did my last alignment with a level and a tape measure.
Hotshot
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 18,849
Likes: 179
From: Puget Sound
Never discount the power of the MkI eyeball and a plumb or level. I was working on a very long machine that was being extended. We had to draw a centerline extending out from the existing center of the machine. One of my coworkers neglected to bring the laser and it was holding us up. I grabbed a plumb and we "roughed in" a center line so we could start work and adjust as needed when the laser arrived. After going through all the gyrations of aligning thousands of dollars worth of sophistcated hardware, the laser confirmed our plumb line was dead on... 60 feet from the end of the machine.
Ya just gotta know whatcher lookin' fer.
Ya just gotta know whatcher lookin' fer.
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Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,712
Likes: 107
From: BoCoMo
A light bulb should have went off in your head that there is something else going on if you have to have your front end aligned every 5,000 miles.
The stealership is stealing your money.... er... (re)-aligning your truck, but the underlining problem is still there.
The stealership is stealing your money.... er... (re)-aligning your truck, but the underlining problem is still there.
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Senior User
Joined: Jul 2009
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I have NEVER taken my truck to a shop for alignment. For that matter none of my cars (Porsche 928, RX8, Mini Cooper) karts and race cars (Tube frame and open wheel formula cars) ever had a shop of monkies do an alignment.
String, camber gauge, chalk, measuring tape and protractor is all you need.
Assuming ball joints tie rods wheel bearing shocks etc. are up to snuff.
For specs? -1/2 degree negative, All the caster I can get that is even on both sides. Toe is nearly dead straight to 1/16" total toe in. NOTE: hang a big trailer on the back end toe is changed.
String, camber gauge, chalk, measuring tape and protractor is all you need.
Assuming ball joints tie rods wheel bearing shocks etc. are up to snuff.
For specs? -1/2 degree negative, All the caster I can get that is even on both sides. Toe is nearly dead straight to 1/16" total toe in. NOTE: hang a big trailer on the back end toe is changed.
Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 399
Likes: 1
From: Ness city Kansas
ok so i just measured from the outside lug to outside lug on the front and rear of the tire they bothe measured 77 5/8 inches so it should be perfectly straight.. why are my tires cupping. the front right is just cupping on the outside lugs and the front left is cupping on the inside and outside lugs but not near as much ? what do i do
Cargo Master
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,502
Likes: 2
From: Bend Oregon
are you sure what you are seeing is "Cupping" and not "feathering" ?
HOW TO READ TIRE WEAR
Can you maybe post some pictures of the wear?
have you played wih tire pressure.....if you are running the "door tag" pressure it may be to high for the MTs you are running.
HOW TO READ TIRE WEAR
Can you maybe post some pictures of the wear?
have you played wih tire pressure.....if you are running the "door tag" pressure it may be to high for the MTs you are running.
Senior User
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 226
Likes: 0
Air pressure?
Does it track straight?
Are the wheels actually pointing straight in relation to rear tires and centerline of the truck?
and lastly what shocks and how old.
Tough to be accurate to 1/32" per side using tread features at the tire face specially when they are worn.
Better to have your youngins hold a yard stick to the sidewall on each side X inches off the pavement and level.
Does it track straight?
Are the wheels actually pointing straight in relation to rear tires and centerline of the truck?
and lastly what shocks and how old.
Tough to be accurate to 1/32" per side using tread features at the tire face specially when they are worn.
Better to have your youngins hold a yard stick to the sidewall on each side X inches off the pavement and level.