FREE ALIGNMENTS FOREVER - Stop Paying For Crappy Work
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ม.ค. 2023
- The best tool on the market for a DIY Wheel Alignment - This is one service that I've always hated to pay for every time I touch my suspension. NEVER PAYING FOR IT AGAIN!
Mahalos from the Lonestar Hawaiian Garage!
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#DIY #Alignment #Silverado - ยานยนต์และพาหนะ
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I love that DIYer math. I saved $100… by spending $600. I do that all of the time but it sure has helped me build up a pretty decent tool cabinet in the garage and shed.
Facts. Just facts
Lol , me too!! My welder and Torch though has definitely saved me and paid itself off
Don't forget time spent. I always figure in $55 an hour for my time on DIY projects. It gets even more depressing when you're doing fab work or 3d printing and it takes you 20-30 hours to make a part that would have just cost $150.
Lol you’re not supposed to say that part out loud
As SuperfastMatt says, DIY for a fraction of the cost - an improper fraction 🙃
I'm sixty eight years old. Been around vehicals from a hands on point like your son. Helping Dad, uncles and older brothers.
I can remember the tyre/tire guys having basic gear just like you were using with a few little differences, they also had a book with reference numbers and make their adjustments, if you were still having problems they would apply experience, they would ask a bunch of questions and adjust to what their experience told them, they were usually spot on. These days most of the guys don't really understand what they are trying to accomplish and would not be able to do the job if there wasn't a computer attached.
Good show.
All the computer means is you don't need to hire someone with experience to get repeatable results.
Ok grandpa. Next ull complain about calculators huh? 😂
@@webguy943 calcu what's?? Huh, Nah I don't mind progress, was just a comment on the way techs were able to have a handson feel for their work, able to make repairs to the base unit, instead of just replacing parts. Just an acknowledgement for those that have gone before us. The techs these days still have a feel for their equipment, it's just through a computer.
@@kezzatries I dont understand how the new machines work. Never seen one. As far as im concerned its super accurate lasers or something you cant repeat with string.
@@webguy943
Have some respect; you might learn something after you grow up.
The amount of Firestone alignments/suspension work I've had to fix over the years is mindblowing
Ha, everyone really pushes alignments, some claiming every oil change. Only two of my vehicles have been on an alignment machine and one of those was fubared (long story) while the other was only checked and deemed close enough.
@@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259 yeah that’s ridiculous. We recommended checking it when someone bought new tires especially with our roads here being horrible at best. Even then only about 50% off the cars checked would really need it. The alignment and front end check was only 19.99 and considering most of the work of doing an alignment was setting it up on the machine it was a good deal and cheap insurance to prevent prematurely wearing a new set of tires due to something like a worn out tie rod end or the alignment being off. Trying to sell an alignment every oil change is insanity
I’ve seen them come in with ball joints falling out due to being pressed in crooked and stretching the hole in the control arm, bushings on control arms that looked like they didn’t even try to press them in, Tire rods left so loose where the taper isn’t even seated in the knuckle. One of my biggest pet peeves was brand new inner tie rod ends with a missing or completely torn dust boots. They have to know that tie rod is not going to last very long all because they couldn’t bother to replace a $20 boot. Last week we had one from Firestone where they installed a new alternator, overtightened the stud on the back, and the car almost caught on fire due to melting the wires and harness it ran along with.
@@Jpilgrim30 holy shit man what a bad shop
I bet you could count them, with numbers...
@1:04
It's technically called 4 wheel "Thrust line" alignment.
The front wheels are aligned to the rear wheels.
The best alignment is still on a set of turn plates, using a measuring tape. It's more accurate than any alignment rack. I worked as a shop mechanic. I did a lot of alignments on a rack with a computer and sensors that set the shop back $250,000 or so. It's faster on the rack, especially if you have to replace parts, but anything you add like the wheel position sensors detracts from accuracy. A tape measure is still the most accurate. Also, if you wanna be the most accurate on your toe and camber, you need to put weight in the seats where people gonna be setting, at least the driver's seat as there's always a driver. On light two door sports cars, it's a necessity. They're so lightweight that there's a huge camber and slight toe difference with someone in the seat vs not. We were pretty particular with how we did our alignments, so we'd stick someone in the driver's seat on the smallest cars when we were doing an alignment. There was a pretty great crew where I worked at though. A lot of places just don't give a shit.
Pro tip, recheck all angles after setting toe, changing toe by large amounts will change camber, especially on vehicles with high caster numbers. I always set toe first then caster/camber. then reset toe and verify cam/cas hasn't moved after.
The reason for checking the rear on a straight axle design, 4-wheel alignment, is to verify the thrust angle of the rear is in tolerance, ensure frame is not offset, also helps in setting toe so the steering wheel is straight, i.e. if rear thrust angle favors the right, and you ignore the rear angle your steering wheel will appear to turn right while driving straight.
I would still verify accuracy of wheel alignment attachment, jack up wheel and check three equal points of wheel to see if all three camber points on wheel the same camber reading before doing actual alignment, if it is off the least little bit, alignment can eat tires or pull after adjusting alignment angles to perfect numbers.
I've been doing my own wheel alignment with 4 laser levels, magnetic clamps, a long straight edge and tape measure. Piece a cake. You can use the old trick of sandwiching two vinyl floor tile squares with some wheel bearing grease in between to slip under the tires to allow them to turn easily.
I did a toe alignment on my foxbody but I'm still getting really bad inner wear. Is there another step other than just measuring the distance between the front and back of the front tires?
@@jamesstuart3238 yes, absolutely. You are only checking toe (in/out). Which is 1 of 3 parameters. Caster and Camber cannot be checked in this manner. Sounds like you have a camber issue, maybe too much negative camber
Can just see those tiles flying out and decapitating someone. LOL. With grease all over the place. Maybe you just jack up the car put them down and then jack the car up again???
@@tanyalove6983 what? How would that work? I think you're misunderstanding something or thinking about cartoon physics. I'm pretty sure if you offered a million dollar bounty, nobody on planet earth could decapitate someone with a piece of flexible linoleum/vinyl by driving a car tire on top of it. Lol
@@TheMuddman74 ROBL I made that up too it is roll on bed laughing. ROBL. you said tiles I assumed they were ceramic tiles and I have seen stones and all sorts of things shoot out from under tires. Depends on how fast the idiot revs the engine. LOL. You are so funny. I will sleep well ROBL
I love you're swift process. no blabla, no loud music, no unnecessary talk. (not that it's all bad but during a "how to" it gets in the way) sweet knowledge.
You must be deaf.
Crap work and arguments with “front desk guys” are the main reason I have takin to doing everything myself. Buy the way I used to work for a company that ran multiple top level race programs. We aligned cars with string and tape measures, it’s just math shops don’t have some kind of magic you can’t figure out.
Ditto, I use fishing line so that I can get a nice tight pull on the line and finer measurements when checking dimensions. I ran the math on 17" wheels, if you can measure within plus or minus 1/32", you will have alignment specs within plus or minus 0.08 degrees.
Your jr. mechanic is great and show a lot of potential.
I'm a little flustered at this video... I have literally made a pretty identical alignment tool to that along time ago. I honestly now wish I had patented it. I've had people tell me I can't align a vehicle without an alignment rack. Well I've been aligning my own and friends/ families vehicles for years pretty much like this. They all drive straight with straight steering wheels and no excess of tire wear. Mine is a pretty identical tool too be honest. I used to use a buble level, only recently use a bubble level and a digital angle finder And I've always settled on 1/16 of toe in.
What do you think an alignment rack does?
Yeah theres probably several patents on this stuff and hard to really come up with something unique. Like you others have just made there own vs buying one. Many dont have $600 to spend to save $100 lol
I wish I had patented masking tape, a sharpie, and a tape measure, but then I'd just be buying swordfish steak lunch for some coke head patent attorney.
You should have. There are a lot of fools who buy this kind of stuff just to save a penny. Literally.
Video possible? :)
Most shops do free alignment checks. Would have been interesting to see a print out from one of the machines to compare measurements and see how well it came out.
If I can find one that’ll fit the track width of this truck we’ll do it!
LOL Where do they give free alignment checks I will rush over there and get one done. LOL
@@LonestarHawaiian rich people problems
@@LonestarHawaiian Who cares if your truck wheels are even aligned? Thats problem for real cars.
Every time I get the print out from a shop the numbers are accurate but the car drives like shit. Its like they fuck with the machine to make it read incorrectly.
I’m dealing with shop not aligning my truck correct at this moment, second TIME, while I watch your vid.
Great explanation of just what goes into an alignment and it drives me nuts my steering wheel not straight as well.
New subscriber because as a DIY for most things vehicles I am learning more about all the time and it’s save me big money so far doing it myself.
i worked as an alinement and drivability tech. constantly worked on stuff other guys got wrong and bought a similar set on amazon. i was kinda nervous to watch you as i dont trust people to do alignments anymore. good job.
Back in my racing days, I fabricated my own brackets to check camber with an angle finder and use fishing string to adjust toe. The caster would be adjusted to full positive. For the turning plates, 2 pieces of 12x12 vinyl tile, with a dab of oil between them, for each wheel.
RE: 4-wheel alignment requirement - rear thrust angle is required to set your steering wheel angle. For example: presume your wheels and steering wheel are perfectly aligned, then adjust your rear beam axle position (i.e. left tire forward, right tire backward). Now your vehicle dog-tracks and you must counter-steer to drive straight down the road. Now, your steering wheel is mis-aligned. Thus, rear axle measurement matters for setting the steering wheel angle.
Every home mechanic needs a helper, and looks like you have one of the best! :) Oh, nice DIY as well!
When I used to do alignments I did them with the vehicle running so the alignment is set with the power steering pump running. An alignment with the pump off vs pump can make a big difference in steering wheel placement and alignment.
I haven't been to a Firestone store since about 1981. I took a Dodge Aspen to the one at Weatherly Road and Memorial Parkway in Huntsville, Alabama, for alignment and a grease job. I waited in the waiting area until they got done and paid them. Going home, the car still pulled to the left, so I suspected that they hadn't done anything. I checked the grease fittings. Some were still covered in dirt. None had been touched.
I took it back to them, and they did the grease job. But since I couldn't trust them anymore to do something as important as alignment, I took it to another place for that and haven't been back to Firestone for anything since. My advice is that no one take ANYTHING to them, ever.
I have started doing my own alignments and found that my cars were never properly aligned. There is no point in having a super-accurate machine if it's not used properly. Even with an expensive machine on a 4-post, the operator still needs patience, care, and attention.
As an Alignment Technician My self of 6yrs I 100% Agree I go by a rule of 0.3 for toe & 25% for Castor/ Camber anything more and ill redo the ROC and Castor Sweeps to be sure there is nothing bent or my sensors haven't been knocked by foot traffic in the workshop
There is usually at least one reputable shop with good honest techs and staff in any given area you just may have to do some asking around. As a tech who specializes in driveability/diagnostics I know how hard that can be. I am constantly fixing cars that have been to multiple shops with horror stories that turn out to be something simple that any competent tech should’ve found. Cars are becoming more and more complex and sadly there are a lot of guys out there that just refuse to put forth the effort to keep up with modern technologies yet want to stay in the industry. Ask around and look for a shop that cares enough to send their techs to training and stands behind their work. Sometimes it may seem more expensive at a shop like this but I assure you that you’ll save money in the long run as they’ll diagnose and fix your car right the FIRST time instead of throwing parts at the problem and making excuses for why they had to change it and the problem still exists. The amount of knowledge required and the amount of investment in equipment required to be a great technician who works on all makes and models would surprise a lot of people.
I'll go with 9 alignments from an experienced mechanic using professional equipment before paying the same for this kit. Thanks for the show and tell.
Your common sense surpasses your thriftiness. Kudos to you for learning how and when to pick your fights haha.
Just listened to your Costs and "The Wife's" look on her face. Epic.
I love how Firestone tries to say brand new parts are worn out
Keep in mind your also buying common sense and knowledge. Most tire stores don't care and they are repetitious. You care and love learning. I bought a 2013 Toyota Highlander, the salesman said you have brand new tires on this... 7 months later, including 3 tire balancing and 1 4 wheel alignment I was still getting alot of road noise, it road rough and just not good. I finally said the heck with it and bought a set of Falken Wildpeak. The sales guy asked are you sure you want such an agressive tire and not an all season. I asked him if he wanted my business. He also had a really cool tool that read the serial number on my current tires and they were 2 years old. So, the dealership I bought this 2013 from put a set of NEVER driven 2 year old tires on my Highlander. Nice... These dang so called agressive Falkens drive smoother than any highway tire I have ever had and they are quiet. And it drives straight.
The Tire Discounters in my area offers wheel alignments for a one and done or you can get a 3 or 5 year wheel alignment package. I recently purchased the 5 year wheel alignment package for a little under 200$ and I had the 3 year package but it expired in May of this year.
Awesome tool you got there! Also very nice garage and setup!
As a former Firestone tech who did do alignments I can confirm everything with a straight axle rear that doesn’t use some sort of multi-link system to align the axle does not need an alignment in the rear. If it is fucked enough in the rear to be mis-aligned it needs parts replaced and that’s much more expensive depending on what it is. But I think this is more a store policy/computer issue. I don’t think there’s an option in the computer to just align one axle.
I did alignmemnt years ago and used both Bear and Hunter equipment. No matter how sophisticated your equipment is, it is no better that the operator. Also, customers will hit 3 speed bumps and 6 potholes before they have driven 5 miles from the shop and wonder why their new alignment doesn't drive good.
If you were to use a piece of string. Cross both back tires and then up to the front on both sides. Center the steering wheel and adjust the fronts to touch the string evenly. It would be straight. Relative to the rear.
I wanted to say I love the videos! Thanks for introducing me to AWE exhaust!!! I put it on my trail boss and I love it!!!
cool video. going to get an alignment in the next week and wish I had something like this but I agree with your review on it that it seems too expensive and could be built to measure more reliably.
When the guy who installed an aftermarket suspension brings his truck to the mechanic to be aligned….
Firestone is just as happy that you did it yourself.
Wanna know some facts.
I used to work at Firestone as a tech before i quit.
One of the guys training me on the alignment rack (Hunter Rack).
If they were lazy, they would quickly punch the tire to get it to bounce into spec on the computer and quickly run over and hit the "save" button on the computer for the print out results to "show the customer".
Just food for thought guys. I didnt work with Firestone for long, maybe a month. I went into being a mobile mechanic because I wasnt taught to do shaddy work. My grandpa taught me that you do the job right the first time because you don't get paid twice. Be honest, I dont know everything but I'll tell you what, if i don't know. I will tell you that i don't know and I'm not very trained in this specific brand/model. Honesty goes a long way, it really does.
😊😊😊😊😊😊
That's the same exact reason why dealership flat rate techs are constantly **** on. It's the lazy ones who want nothing more than to get the job done quickly and easily by ANY means possible because they only care about money and completely disregard the fact they're working on a 6-7 thousand pound death machine. One of the many things that sucks about the car industry is you actually get rewarded for that behavior at most - if not all - dealerships, and even some independent shops. It's the mechs/ techs that aren't trained well, aren't bright/ have no common sense, or are just pure lazy/ just do not care that give us a bad name.
Fire comment 🔥
@@cameronbrule7912 I totally agree with you. The one thing that honestly bugs me the most is techs not torquing wheels after brakes or doing tires for example. They put them on with their impact and ship it saying it's fine.
Techs do that and people wonder why the threads on the studs get stretched out. Especially if people are running wheel spacers. Also a good way to warp your rotors after a few heat cycles down the road and get a shimmy in the steering wheel when you hit the brakes. I understand a lot of cars don't make it easy to get a torque wrench in a lot of spots and you can judge it by experience. I understand that side of it, but wheels are the easiest one to torque and it's also the most dangerous one to fall off going down the highway and a wheel and tire slamming into a school bus full of kids is what I think about. Imagine being a tech and getting sued because you're the last one who worked on it, and the tech signs the bottom of the paper. The business will throw techs under the bus if anything happens or BAR shows up to investigate. I understand shops want to rush techs but stand together as techs in a shop and it gets done when it gets done because it's going to be done right or you can take it somewhere else. I've said that to a customer before and when I started my mobile mechanic business. He was one of my first customers and still is to this day. Great guy actually.
Link below of a bent rim most likely but just an example for people to see even if the rim was straight and true. If the lugnuts are not torqued evenly, you can see the brake caliper slides are moving in and out making for a warped rotor that would also cause the same drivability down the road. All from simply not torquing the lugnuts.
th-cam.com/users/shortsn1wXxjONFHo?si=h9_PdBDT1pZcvNjO
While the shop is wrong about being able to adjust the rear of your truck, the machine needs all 4 alignment heads setup to measure thrust line (center line). It then compares the center line of the vehicle to each wheel to make sure the adjustments made on toe\camber\caster don't push it out of center alignment. If only the front was measured, then there's no way to know if the rear is aligned with the front and the vehicle doesn't crab down the road. Yes, the front can be aligned separately but without measuring the rear and thrust line, your truck may not go down the road straight. FYI
Not that an arrogant douchebag manchild like him would care ...
The old string trick would help eliminate that problem, would it not?
Raising and lowering the height will change camber,always adjust after height is set
Drop a plumb-bob from the centerline of your car at the front and rear axle, pull fishing line down each side measured from the centerline, measure distances top and bottom for camber and front and back for toe. If you can measure plus or minus 1/32" on a 17" wheel you can get accuracy plus or minus 0.08 degrees.
Nice build man. When you swap to 37 i suggest a steering brace. Stay safe! 🤙
I hate paying people to do things that I can or should be able to do myself - so I love this - much rather pay for a tool like this to DIY alignments than pay for Firestone's lifetime alignment that never gets done right anyway
You can get a Alignment rack with the computer and lasers for $10k, might have to look into one of those alignment tools. I'm at the point where I'm getting tired of having to double pay for things due to other peoples errors. I can never find someone around me who I would love to constantly take stuff to, plus when your constantly going in and some sort of suspension work or work that requires suspension to be disconnect it sucks to have to repay for alignment afterword's. and after having to train a tire shop on how to deal with my special Icon Rebound Pro rims and getting charged extra per wheel for mounting I'm considering looking into the tire changing machines with the mount and balance combo for $3k. Cause then I would have unlimited balances and rebalances for free plus be able to set the weights correctly for clearance of the caliper. (life of a 17" on a 16" brake 😆)
Gotta pay to play, sport
Your technical information is outstanding and impressive but more impecable is your kid side by side learning from the very beginning the knowledge required in the industry, " CONGRATULATIONS " ", that is very wise approach in life, at my 71 years of age and been born and raised in the mechanical field on gasoline and diesel I can tell how important that is, your wonderful kid is gathering what's required to become a highly knowledgeable person can become, blessings to you and your love ones, from the endless summer paradise Puerto Rico Jesus Torres.
I bought the lifetime alignment package from pep boys for $200. They've been great. Now I get 2 alignments per year for free.
thanks for the tip im gonna look into this
I pretty much did the same thing when I was a truck mechanic.Nice
If toe is in a bit you won't be able to tell by driving down the road, eventually you'll realize it's of when you get a tire wear.
Great vid. I don't want to do my own alignments but Im looking into it now. I typically bolt on new arms, coli-overs, etc and took it in but over the past couple years I can no longer find an honest shop or you need to jump from shop to shop because they are no longer honest but this other guy is running an honest shop, for now. Nice garage, I wish I could fit my truck in my Garage.
Remember that style set up being used for alignment back to the 1970s
love ur videos keep up the great work
4 wheel alignment aligns front wheels with the rear wheels as reference.
Great video bud! I've been having issues findinga a spot where they do an accurate alignment shiii you gave me ideas😎🤠🦁
I'm doing a front end suspension rebuild currently on my 2008 Silverado 3500hd 4x4 DRW to include new hubs.
The nearest alignment shop is some 50 miles away and down hill some 3,000 feet here in the Colorado Rocky's.
Alignment job is approximately $100 and the round trip is about $60 in gas (6.0L engine) along with, a guy that seems "sketchy" doing the job. lol
I'm glad your channel came up as a recommendation!
It's cheaper to rebuild a dually than to buy another!
If you have a bent wheel you're going to have bad alignment alignment shops don't check that and if you get this tool make sure you check your wheels it's very important
If your wheel is bent enough to throw Alignment out you’re sure as hell gonna feel it before you ever put it on a machine.
@@frankz5864 I worked doing alignments we found out that if the wheel was bent 1/4" the customer didn't feel anything but that give me a .5 degree difference (you want a perfect alignment right?)
An overweight person would give me 1° to 2°difference that much did worn-out the tires
And not to mention that the road has a built in rounded off edge to help channel the rain water away
That would throw out the alignment
These situations where not in the alignment equipment manual
@@cuda6496 An overweight person throws the alignment out? You don’t align a car with the driver in it and a 1/4 buckle would be much more pronounced in a 12in hatchback tyre than a 18in alloy. I have a little runabout with a bent alloy on the front wheel at the Moment and I can definitely feel it and the buckle is barely noticeable by eye. it gets pronounced at about 70mph so I thought it was a balance problem and I rebalanced it and yeah I could see the buckle when I spun it up on the balancer at work.
@@hedgeapple4374What no Krispy Kreme. That's discrimination or racism or something! 😂😂 Ask any liberal! 😂😂
Great video and good on you for having a go. If you are "playing" with suspension, wheel track or base, and/or wheel diameter then a wheel alignment is needed. As you do do these changes, having you alignment gear makes sense. Also you can experiment what works best for your setup.
Old school alignment (done 1000's this way). That is exactly how I did alignments back in the 70's except no digital levels, just level bubbles. Pro tip: Due to camber in the road (road off side is normally lower to let water run off the road) the off side (passenger side) should have 1/2 degree more CASTER. The big trick is to try to ensure your work space is as level as possible.
Also check your wheel base front to back on each side (wheel center to wheel center). As your rear suspension is not alignable, any difference from side to side can mean: worn bushes, bent axle housing, bent chassis, bent front control arms, worn ball joints, etc. Allowable in my opinion is about an 1/8 inch (be lucky to be less in a new vehicle from the factory). If you have a difference I seem to remember that more cast may be required on the short side to compensate for the crabbing.
As you make changes there are some things that may require alignment tweaks (away from manufacturers specs). As you widen the front wheel track the camber may need to change (and sometimes not as you think), also the toe in may need to change. I've done a bit with race and modified vehicles.
I still have the turn tables in storage ........... I think. 🙂
100% Agree mate in AUS btw I am an Alignment tech myself any tips n tricks you can share other than heat and leverage XD im always keen to learn more
It's crowning in the road not camber and I would be irritated if someone did that to my alignment without asking.
✅
Hell yeah man always makes my day to see a video from you. And yeah I was absent blown away by Kens death,he truly was a visionary. KB43VER
I feel your pain on finding a competent alignment place. Try getting an alignment on my Trailblazer SS and get told there is no camber adjustment. Then I have to show them how to do their job. Most places set toe and send it out the door unfortunately.
Those trailblazers are goofy. Slotted control arms and reverse thread tie rods
For race cars they have a tow gauge and they make a magnetic caster camber gauge also. All real simple to use. Old school 😊
Nice work!
very good job , loved the video
If you can't afford turn plates.. For each side cut 2 tin plates using grease in between. Cut plates big enough to extend a few inches all around bottom of tire that is on the floor.
Or you can use 2 large trash bags fold them a couple times
Cool video, I agree if you change your ride height often it's prob worth the effort.
Got to get this. I’m always dissatisfied by the shop alignments. I usually just give up. Went to the Volvo dealer shop 6 times with my XC90 and they never got it right. 5 first times weren’t even close.
Not plugging Firestone but I get free lifetime alignment, tire rotation and tire repair. The truck is you have to go to a manager or upper person and ask to make sure it's all done well. As he said sometimes you don't get the brightest person. They have been super good to me though, also saved me 600 bucks for something another garage was 1700 and I only ended up paying 1100 at fire stone in the end
I have personally aligned trucks in my past and the Firestone employee is correct. Though it is atypical to require a rear end alignment on a truck, lifted trucks do need the rear end to be aligned. Some blocks aren't installed completely square and can cause the rear end to dog track and need the block locator pins to be ground out to create a slot so the rear end tracks straight.
hi bro, i have a problem with my bmw 4 series,live in italy and it seems that there are no good tire specialists,
where can i buy the whole kit?
Does that apply to rear adjustment as well?
I purchased the lifetime alignment from Firestone ($299) for our 2002 Landcruiser. I've found that each store has had different results. They are minute; however, it definitely pays to find the best one in your area.
Great stuff. I see that they even have ATV stuff, which is my jam.
Thanks and love the content
first!!! love the videos man! so inspiring
Awesome video !!
I got to Hibdon tire to get my Tacoma aligned. They do good work and offer a 6 month warranty on their alignments
i see you one of the smart ones and moved out of hawaii thanks for showing us this product.
Thx for the vids!
… The helper was awesome 🙌🏽
Same adjustment points as my 1960 Mopar cars. With the wishbone upper control arm, you have the two bushings with eccentric cams which move each end in and out laterally. With those two variables, you can set both camber and caster. We get the most caster possible (rear side in max) and even then need special Moog offset bushings to get enough caster for radial tires (old bias ply would deflect backwards when driving). Camber is more of a driver's choice, as witnessed by the extreme neg camber in some tuner cars. Factory spec for mine was actually slight pos camber (tops lean out) but I set a slight neg camber. Not all cars allow adjusting both caster and camber using adjusters, and might require shim plates.
Toe-in setting is the most critical for handling and to avoid tread wear. If the front and rear tracks are the same, you can quickly check toe-in by holding a straight-edge along the front tire and sight at the rear tire. You want the sight hitting ~1" off the rear tire for RWD and ~1" inward for FWD (easier, at 1st tread channel in my minivan). For exact, use a tape measure on fwd and aft side of front tires, as shown, but can just use the channels in the tires rather than the bolt on fixtures. The purpose of setting any toe-in is to account for play in the suspension. You need less if all parts (bushings and ball-joints) are new and tight.
15 Ford Fusion SE 2.5 L How can you tell if strut is bad ? I took severe hit on drivers side wheel and CV axle , lower control arm and the inner tie rod was damaged need replacing . The strut looks fine but some say the strut is likely shot and needs replacing . Took it to this shop yesterday and hopefully start working on it Monday . Some shops sell you on things you don't need
I had replace my both lower control arms,both upper control arms, both struts, both ball joints, and i took my suv to big 0 tires for aglinment and they didn't know what a camber bolts means, my camber are underneath my suv theres three bolts and it's injustabled, big 0 tires was trying to spam me with sum camber bolt that cost $129 and that two bolts doesn't go anywhere on my sepension, there also trying to charge me $600 all together with aglinment, i was like am going to Firestone and they know what a camber was and camber bolts, they injust my camber perfect and cost me $130 for aglinment, but after Firestone finish my aglinment, i took my torque wrench and i torque specs my lower control arms bolts ,195 lbs, but Firestone did better then big 0 tires, great video man 👍🏻
Great video !
Wife's reaction around 13:30 was accurate in my experience. :)
Lol wow you’re in my home town I moved hear 1972 when I was 12 done alignments for years we got bumps hear, I started working on forklifts back in 2011, I miss working on cars and trucks you got a nice truck
I ended up doing exactly the same thing. Bought laser alighmrnt kit for 1400 GBP, plus turn plates, steering wheel level, camber and caster measuring tool, all because local garage only adjust toe. Not chamber or caster. It's a real problem in England with all the potholes, knocking out the tracking on cars and garages avoiding doing the work properly as they don't want to spend the time on it.
I sell used tires, always wanted to do allinement but not gonna see me buy an expensive machine. But with a set like this. I can see myselve do it. Here in thirdworld half of the cars are twistedup garbagebins with no law that inforces anything so people litterly driving around in deathtraps. Thanks for the video im gonna dive.in this.
great job on the video- I learned plenty. I also learned that unless you change your suspension every other week, spending $900 is hard to justify. On the other hand, doing it yourself is why most of us are even here. I'll stick with my tape measure and string. Anyway- great video- well done.
Hell I need this for my '15 2500HD. Had it "aligned" at a local major chain tire shop last year - complete with a before/after printout - and it still pulls to the left, no better than it was. Changed brake rotors, calipers, pads, and lines as it seemed like maybe that was the deal, but NOPE! I noticed there is a huge difference between the adjustment cams comparing left to right sides of the truck, and I measured rear to front center hubs, and there is almost a 2" difference between the left and right side. I'm done with shops, gonna get this setup and roll with it myself. Might as well upgrade from the torsion bar level to a proper lift kit while I'm at it...
had this same thing happen, wanted an alignment on a 2007 ranger, no adjustments can be made on the rear but most shops recommend 4 wheel alignment. makes no sense. I adjusted my own camber with the camber plates and then shortened and lengthened (depending) the tie rods myself. just used a measuring tape.
Can’t believe they wanted to charge you a 4 wheel alignment. When a thrust angle alignment is the best that is offered. That’s Firestone for you. They’ll also align your vehicle without checking the suspension as well. Who knew?!!
AWESOME VIDEO! Dude, you are doing to recover your $600 in short order. Well Done! Those wheels are smokin' hot.
You said that you have the 4th gen set. They have a 5th gen set now, so they may have improved some of the issues you stated at the end of the video.
Right on! Money well spent IMO. Most alignments are done incorrectly by "malignant shops" in my experiance. Just a waste of money and time. Always amazes me how with all that expensive alignment equipment they manage to screw it up most of the time. I hate to take my vehicles to one because I have never had it done correctly. Steering wheel not centered, Pulling to one side, tire wear (expensive but you won't know until much later). Lost all trust in them years ago. When it comes to toe and centering the steering wheel I set that myself now or correct it after I get an alignment.
Whats up, question, so Im stuck with positive camber after installing lowering control arms how do I adjust that, pulling the upper control arm out further, I also have a little toe out but I have my tie rods fully in so it wont let me adjust it any further.. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated
Watching this, makes me wanna take my truck to an alignment shop.....lol...
My GMC dealer does a free alignment check with a printed readout. I bring the readout home and make the adjustment in my driveway.
Fewer headaches to leave your trucks all stock and a lot safer and cheaper to maintain.
Great video. It's hard to imagine that they would only charge you the 'standard' amount for the alignment on a custom truck. Maybe you spent more on the cost of this kit in the short term, but if you use it a few times it will start to save money. Plus you know you can do it right vs. rolling the dice on who is actually assigned to work on your truck......
nice truck . looks like you got it dialed in
what you need to say is this tool will save me hundreds over 10 years :)
Yes its true that you can't align the rear but with readings from the rear you can adjust the fronts to no only wear correctly but also drive straight. If the rear is tweaked a little bit and you only put sensors up front you could end up with the vehicle pulling and or a crooked steering wheel
I'm assuming that the 1.5 is to compensate for road crown or is the measurements provided include the correct specs? The nice thing about an alignment machine is it gives you live data so you don't have to stop and get a reading you just make your adjustments and swing Caster to check it after you do both sides
In firestones defense I have nothing but good luck with mine. Yea the paying for a 4 wheel alignment thing is dumb but when I buy a new car or truck one of the first things I do is buy the lifetime alignment for 200.00 and I can take it in as many times as I want for the entire time I own the vehicle. I know the guys up there and the manager has done a very good job of staffing it with experienced technicians. Unfortunately, I think the Firestone I use is the best and the one you have is the worst. Makes advocating for them tough and I would have the same opinion as you do if I had your experience with them. Just saying not all of em are crap.
it really depends on the shop, the manager, and the techs that work there
Firestone are st8 scammers. Will refuse to do the work because supposedly it needs a bolt to be replaced cus its seized but went to another shop nd they got it done no issues. Lifetime my ass
question on that shim washer whatever it is call.....can you set it drill a hole and put a self tapping screw or just a screw? to hold it
Minor note, alignments are normally off so that you will veer away from oncoming traffic in the event you fall asleep at the wheel.
Longacre Racing makes good alignment products. They are not cheap, but they are good products.
Bad ass wheels🙏🏼