Centering spindles

[paulk68]

before getting a true allignemet what is the best way to center my spindles? I have my ridetech level 2 installed and noticed one of the spindles seems a little off compared to the other. I assume it is all in the tie rod adjustment right? any tips or tricks to get them close would be great. thanks

[BMR Sales]

Your Alignment guy can take of this. Are you afraid that they are out enough that you will tear up your tires before you get there.

[Che70velle]

String the car. At ride height, use 4 jack stands, and some kite string. Tie the string between two jack stands, along both sides of the car. Move the jack stands in such a way as to make the string tight. The trick is measuring. You want the string to be an equal distance from the forward face of the rear wheel, and the rearward face of the rear wheel. Don't measure to the tire, use the wheel. Once the string is perfectly parallel with the rear wheel, measure the front, and adjust accordingly. Set the parking break, before you jack the front end up, to adjust your toe, to help the car stay exactly where it was. Once it's back at ride height, re-measure the rear, to make sure your good. DO NOT bump the jack stands during this entire process, once they are set. Move carefully around them.

This is an old school way of setting toe, but it works. For a lot of chassis guys/car builders, strings, and plumb bobs are the most used tools in the shop.
I've done this with both strings, and lasers.

[TheJDMan]

Knowledge is a wonderful thing!

You need to be aware that nearly all commercial shops that do wheel alignments use computer alignment equipment. These alignment computers work by having the operator select the make, model and year of the car that is being aligned. The computer then tells the operator what the alignment settings are and the operator simply adjusts on the car until it meets those specs.

The problem for you will be that none of these computers will have any alignment specs on Ridetech suspensions. So the operator is going to look up your car and attempt to set the alignment to factory specs which will be totally incorrect for your new suspension.

The bottom line is that you need to educate yourself before going to any alignment shop and know exactly what front end settings you need. Once at the alignment shop you need to provide them with the Ridetech specs and make sure they use them. If the alignment shop tells you they cannot use the specs you provide, find another shop! A lot of shops think there is a liability issue if they don't follow their computer specs.

Before you do anything, contact Ridetech and verify their recommend alignment specs for your suspension, then make sure what ever shop you go to uses them.

The alternative to a commercial alignment shop is a DIY alignment that you can do at home with a few simple inexpensive tools. A pair of toe plates from Summit or Jegs, an inexpensive digital level from Lowes or Home Depot and some string, combined with some basic knowledge is all you need to do your own wheel alignments at home. Do a Google search on DIY wheel alignments and you will find hundreds of how to videos and articles. Spend some time educating yourself and do your own alignment at home. The side benefit of DIY alignments is that you can make alignment changes anytime you want for no money.

[bret]

Originally Posted by TheJDMan

Knowledge is a wonderful thing!

You need to be aware that nearly all commercial shops that do wheel alignments use computer alignment equipment. These alignment computers work by having the operator select the make, model and year of the car that is being aligned. The computer then tells the operator what the alignment settings are and the operator simply adjusts on the car until it meets those specs.

The problem for you will be that none of these computers will have any alignment specs on Ridetech suspensions. So the operator is going to look up your car and attempt to set the alignment to factory specs which will be totally incorrect for your new suspension.

The bottom line is that you need to educate yourself before going to any alignment shop and know exactly what front end settings you need. Once at the alignment shop you need to provide them with the Ridetech specs and make sure they use them. If the alignment shop tells you they cannot use the specs you provide, find another shop! A lot of shops think there is a liability issue if they don't follow their computer specs.

Before you do anything, contact Ridetech and verify their recommend alignment specs for your suspension, then make sure what ever shop you go to uses them.

The alternative to a commercial alignment shop is a DIY alignment that you can do at home with a few simple inexpensive tools. A pair of toe plates from Summit or Jegs, an inexpensive digital level from Lowes or Home Depot and some string, combined with some basic knowledge is all you need to do your own wheel alignments at home. Do a Google search on DIY wheel alignments and you will find hundreds of how to videos and articles. Spend some time educating yourself and do your own alignment at home. The side benefit of DIY alignments is that you can make alignment changes anytime you want for no money.

Excellent info! Many people overthink [or underthink] the alignment thing. The only advantage that computerized alignment equipment has is speed. A thorough home alignment will do an excellent job...in many cases better than a commercial shop would do, especially if you encounter an inexperienced or obstinate technician.

BTW...to get started here are the alignment specs that we have used on MANY vehicles:

Camber - .5-1 degree negative
Caster - as much positive caster as feasible, usually around 4-6 degrees
toe - 1/8" toe in

If your favorite experienced alignment tech has his own favorite specs, by all means use them. If not, these specs will make your car happy.

[paulk68]

Originally Posted by bret

Excellent info! Many people overthink [or underthink] the alignment thing. The only advantage that computerized alignment equipment has is speed. A thorough home alignment will do an excellent job...in many cases better than a commercial shop would do, especially if you encounter an inexperienced or obstinate technician.

BTW...to get started here are the alignment specs that we have used on MANY vehicles:

Camber - .5-1 degree negative
Caster - as much positive caster as feasible, usually around 4-6 degrees
toe - 1/8" toe in

If your favorite experienced alignment tech has his own favorite specs, by all means use them. If not, these specs will make your car happy.

Thanks for all the help guys, Bret a quick question for you when setting up the the tru turn how much adjustment should I leave the alignment guys on the Heim end as well and the inner tie rod end? the Heim end threaded portion is a lot less than the tierod. So my plan was to thread the sleeve about half way down the Heim end to leave enough room to adjust. does that sound right?