Here is the Delema... I have a 90' Ford F-150 Lariat with a Twin I-Beam Suspension and a Rough Country 9000 6" Lift Kit. New Ball Joints New Drag link (Inner and Outer Tie Rods). I had the front Wheels Aligned 3 Weeks ago and the front wheels were toed-out almost 4" and now they are sitting at around 2.75" out again. The Mechanic who did the alignment suggested a steering dampener which the parts and labor for everything i would need would run me $188.00. i was wondering if a steering dampener would really keep my truck in alignment or if the mechanic was just suggesting a bogus part. I really need some info on the dampener placement and what i would actually need instead of just flying in the dark. I am not sure if i need one unit or two or where they are to be installed at. any info on dampener installation would be helpful...

Oobical

 

The steering dampener or stabilizer will not have anything to do with the alignment. It will however make your truck drive better especially if you have over sized tires. What it designed to do is keep your truck from pulling back and forth with the road. This tends to be a common problem with lifted trucks. It may also help prevent other components from wearing out. You can get one for about 50 bucks and do it yourself. It is fairly easy to do. It is basically a shock absorber that clamps to a tie rod or drag link and the other end bolts to your crossmember. I installed mine in about 20 minutes. You probably only need one. A dual steering stabilizer setup would be suggested for anything over 35 inch tires. If you have 35 inch tires and it wanders or road walks bad then go for the dual. This is assuming that everything else in the front end is new or in good shape. As for alignment though it sounds like something else is out of adjustment. He probably couldn't find the correct camber cams or whatever they are called. I had a similar alignment problem on my truck years ago, and thats what it was. It sounds to me like you have warped front brake rotors. I have experienced that a few times on my older F150's. Especially if you are running larger tires.

 

i am running 31" Tires but i am about to upgrade to the 35" Tires and Wheel Spacers, now does the shaking problem have a soloution? because i have new tie rods, inner and outer, new brake pads, rotors, pitman arm, whole front end... only thing old on the truck is the connecting rods that hold the inner and outer tie rods into place and i am thinking that if i replace those and install a steering dampener, the problem may cease but i would like a second opinion... and what would happen if i installed a dual shock steering dampener with 31" tires?

 

I wouldn't recommend wheel spacers. I don't trust those things at all. If you ask me they should not be allowed to sell them. I have seen them fail before. You could run a dual steering stabilizer with stock tires if you wanted to. It shouldn't hurt anything if you have more steering stabilizer than you actually need.

How often does your truck have this vibration? Does it occur when braking, when cornering, when driving on a rough road, or doesn't matter?

 

well, i will get into a little more detail since i know a little more about the problem at hand. simply put the truck is shaking because it is out of alignment. i have gotten the alignment done once every month now, and when i back-up it looks like the truck is standing on its tip toes (Wheels Bent In). the shaking occurs when the truck is out of alignment and i hit a small bump and all at once the wheels shake left-to-right until it is able to correct itself. i am almost to the point of giving up and selling my truck to the junk yard. need help soon i am eating my tires to hell! and alignment is $80.77 at cheapest here in Dayton, Ohio...

 

with the twin I beam, the fronts should change camber when backing up, thats normal. A steering dampener should solve the problem. unless your alignment tech does not understand steering and suspension. Lifts will change the geometry of the front end of a vehicle, especialy twin I beam. Do you have the proper lift kit?

 

Check the tie rod adjusting sleeves........they may be jumping over the threads when you hit that first big bump after getting your truck re-aligned.....Most violent tire shakes are from a defective tire......

 

i have no tread on any of my tires, but i am thinking that one the problem is something different. when i back my truck up it starts walking back and forth and toes in and the wheels are in different directions after i back into my driveway. i am able to pull into anywhere it is just reverse that is the problem. and after the wheels are crooked, when i pull forward they straighten out. so, im not sure what to do... i was thinking that the camber off-set may be wrong.

 

I forgot to respond to a few things... first off, yeah tie rod connectors are moving somehow, but the were jumping before and the new ones are jumping too. as for the tech not knowing what he is doing... highly likely, i am going to a quick lube place to get it done and he is resetting the factor back to factory settings... the lift kit is the correct one it will lift any twin i-beam from 80-96 and it is made by rough country. i am going to see about the steering dampener around the first of august. right now with the dead cylinder and all i have bigger worries.

 

also check your track bar bracket. I have seen people with lifted trucks that ride like your on the a wild bronc. Just make sure that the drop bracket is secured to the frame. I like to weld mine. I run just the single steering damp shock and it works just fine.

 

Check all the lift brackets for loose bolts and any signs of movement. If you can see that the brackets have been moving, you will never fix the alignment problem until you weld them in place.

 

no lift kit part is moving, but i dont think i know anything about track bars. and to give you an idea about what is happening. i can tell you this the wheels will be straight when you drive forward but in reverse the wheels tilt and you drag them.

 

did you ever get the axle drop brackets?

 

axle drop brackets? aren't those only on 4x4? I recieved the whole kit, 4" pitman arm, radius arm drop brackets, swaybar relocation kit, 4 shocks, 2 open coils, 2 blocks, and the 2 drop brackets for the side and 4 new brake lines. nothing is loose and nothing is shaking, it is just when i back up the steering sways back and forth and the tires are out of alignment when i back up. when i pull forward it will correct itself and in around a month the wheels will be so far out of alignment that the truck will vigorously shake until it is re-aligned.

 

Is this kit "road friendly" or strictly off-road ? When you state out of alignmnet after a month....is it just toe problems or caster/camber as well ? Could it be you have a component upside down or even on the wrong side of vehicle ?