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Alignment Report Opinions

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Old Aug 30, 2011 | 04:25 AM
  #1  
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Default Alignment Report Opinions

I'm looking for suggestions about a couple things from the below alignment report. Toe is obviously off, but is easy to correct. I'm mainly concerned about Caster and Camber.

The service technician said not to worry about Caster. The important thing is that both sides are close to each other (0.1 degrees). Was this a correct statement? I've read that Caster can be corrected with adjustable LCAs. Just to note -- I'm currently running a TF leveling kit, but plan on installing a 2.5" TF suspension lift soon.

I had the alignment check done because I thought Camber was visibly off. According to the report, the Right Front is within spec, and the Left Front is not -- it is just outside of tolerance (specs are +/- 0.37 degrees; max left/right difference +/- 0.5 degrees). What would be your suggestions in this scenario?

I've ordered the EVO C Gussets and plan on replacing the Ball Joints, since I am installing the lift and have recently installed 35s. I'm just unsure about whether to go with adjustable BJs or not.

Thanks in advance for all of your help!

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Old Aug 30, 2011 | 06:11 AM
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you need to realize that you have a solid axle and, with the leveling kit that you have, there really isn't much of anything an alignment shop can do except recenter your steering wheel. due to the design of the JK steering setup, your toe will not have changed at all due to your lift. also, while your numbers do show that you axle c's may be bent a bit, this is totally common when running bigger tires and installing a set of offset ball joints can help to fix this. likewise, c-gussets will help to prevent anymore bending. also, your caster seems to be on the shallow side and adding a degree or two with the help of LCA's will help improve the feel of your jeep at highway speeds.
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Old Aug 30, 2011 | 09:01 AM
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Originally Posted by wayoflife
you need to realize that you have a solid axle and, with the leveling kit that you have, there really isn't much of anything an alignment shop can do except recenter your steering wheel. due to the design of the JK steering setup, your toe will not have changed at all due to your lift. also, while your numbers do show that you axle c's may be bent a bit, this is totally common when running bigger tires and installing a set of offset ball joints can help to fix this. likewise, c-gussets will help to prevent anymore bending. also, your caster seems to be on the shallow side and adding a degree or two with the help of LCA's will help improve the feel of your jeep at highway speeds.
Thank you for the reply, wayoflife.

This is actually why I had the alignment check performed (and not an actual alignment) -- so that I can determine what corrective action needs to be taken for Camber and/or Caster.

My question is -- is it worthwhile to purchase an adjustable (0.5 degree) upper Ball Joint to correct for the Camber offset on the left side? Or perhaps 0.7 degrees does not warrant it since it is close to spec?
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Old Aug 30, 2011 | 09:31 AM
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Originally Posted by RedJK2

Thank you for the reply, wayoflife.

This is actually why I had the alignment check performed (and not an actual alignment) -- so that I can determine what corrective action needs to be taken for Camber and/or Caster.

My question is -- is it worthwhile to purchase an adjustable (0.5 degree) upper Ball Joint to correct for the Camber offset on the left side? Or perhaps 0.7 degrees does not warrant it since it is close to spec?
Get the .5 and get some gussets on the C's , it's just gonna get worse if you don't.
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Old Aug 30, 2011 | 09:32 AM
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Originally Posted by mkjeep
Get the .5 and get some gussets on the C's , it's just gonna get worse if you don't.
yup, what he said. there's not enough off on the right to even worry about it.
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Old Aug 30, 2011 | 10:49 AM
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Remeber that adjusting the caster for better driving negatively effects your driveshaft angle.
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Old Aug 30, 2011 | 10:56 AM
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Originally Posted by Dynatrac
Remeber that adjusting the caster for better driving negatively effects your driveshaft angle.
the report shows that he's at about 3°. of course factory is 4.2° and it would benefit him to at least get his caster back to stock.
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Old Aug 30, 2011 | 11:17 AM
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Agreed, but how will his DS angle look? It will probably be ok now but with the the added lift?
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Old Aug 30, 2011 | 11:20 AM
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Originally Posted by Dynatrac
Agreed, but how will his DS angle look? It will probably be ok now but with the the added lift?
looks like he's only got a leveling kit and i see no mention of an aftermarket drive shaft. i'm sure he'd be fine.
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Old Aug 30, 2011 | 11:32 AM
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I was just concerned because in his original post he said he's adding a lift.
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