OverlanderJK
Resident Smartass
If your toe is out it will cause wear.
Basic Do-it-Yourself Jeep JK Wrangler Front End Alignment
- Thread starter wayoflife
- Start date
If your toe is out it will cause wear.
MedixJK
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Yea like overlander said, thatll cause wear. Both front tires are trying to track straight but cannot because of the toe out, effectively pushing them across the pavement slightly sideways.
tdougherty81
New member
Great write up! I was able to center my axle and steering wheel with no issues.
SilverBack
Member
Re-centering Your Steering Wheel
Installing any amount of lift on your Jeep JK Wrangler will cause your steering wheel to be off. The higher you go, the more it'll be off and while an adjustable front track bar will help to minimize this, you will still need to re-center your steering wheel. Failure to do so will cause your ESP system to think that you're in a slide and will try to compensate for it by activating your BAS. Depending on where you are when this happens, it can be an annoying experience to down right dangerous. This write-up will show you what you need to do to re-center your steering wheel.
1. To re-center your steering wheel, use a 15mm socket or wrench to loosen the 2 nuts securing the the drag link turnbuckle.
2. Once the nuts are loosened, firmly grab the turnbuckle and rotate it up or down as needed while a friend watches the steering wheel (or you periodically check on it yourself) go back to center. Rotating it up will turn the steering wheel to the left and rotating it down will turn it to the right.
3. Once your steering wheel looks centered, use a 15mm wrench to secure the turnbuckle nuts in place and take it for a drive to verify you got it on. This may take a few tries to get it on 100% on but that’s all there really is to it.
This may be a stupid question but, how do you ensure your wheels are straight/ aligned?
MedixJK
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Did you read the subsection about setting your toe?
SilverBack
Member
Yep, that isn't my question. If the steering wheel is off, how are you to know when your wheels and front tires at straight so you can adjust it. On my GLI and BMW the place expensive laser devices on all 4 wheels to make sure they are all aligned with each other then adjust the suspension. I'm guessing there is a tried and tested way to check if I have the wheels straight without spending a ton of cash on the laser Star Trek tools. This is my question. I don't want to change my steering wheel from tilted left to tilted right or vise versa if you understand me.
olram30
Not That Kind of Engineer
I usually find a nice empty parking lot, Wal-Mart or a mall works great. Drive it forward straight, not going by the wheel position, but rather the jeep driving straight. Stop gently and adjust the drag link. Takes a few times to get it perfect. I also put a piece of blue tape at the 12 o'clock position of the wheel so I can look through the windshield to see if I'm turning it the right way. Hope that makes sense.
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MedixJK
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Yea i got ya. As far as i know, Its a trial and error by adjusting the draglink turnbuckle till it looks straight, then take it for a drive and check it.
SilverBack
Member
Thank you! I had an idea that's what it was but wanted to make sure there want a trick I couldn't get my head around before I start tinkering and try to explain to the wife why I'm an idiot.... Wait, she already knows that. Hmmmm
SilverBack
Member
Thank you for the advise! The tape thing is stellar.
MonkeyLeo13
New member
hey! I got teraflex bb 2.5 lift kit installed last summer with 1.75 wheel spacers with stock tires. I notice my jeep ride little bit flighty/wandering and i thought it was windy but I realize it's my jeep. Well I didn't let it bothers me and I was waiting until I got Toyo 35" x 12.50 Open County MT tires with stock wheels last fall. Same issue. Until recently it starts to drive me nut and I would like to fix it correct. After I read this and I thought oh maybe it's caster so i ordered angle finder which I will get it next week. then for some reasons this article mentions about re-centering axle and brain kept saying steering, not axle. But I realized now. I checked to measure and see how much it off from center of axle and looks like it's 1/2 in off. Is that consider big different? If yes, means I need to get adjustable trackbar?
At first, I thought I could fix it but I realize I don't have adjustable track bar (to re-centering front axle, right?) or adjustable UCA/LCA (to fix caster degree) :doh: I was hoping to wait a little bit longer to save money to get EVO DoubleD PRO or DTD (wishful thinking) well probably like 5 yrs later.
Well once I get angle finder, I will try to confirm if it's caster or not. If it is, means I need to get adjustable UCA or LCA (or both?)?
Really, it should not affect if the lift kit is 2.5"? :thinking:
At first, I thought I could fix it but I realize I don't have adjustable track bar (to re-centering front axle, right?) or adjustable UCA/LCA (to fix caster degree) :doh: I was hoping to wait a little bit longer to save money to get EVO DoubleD PRO or DTD (wishful thinking) well probably like 5 yrs later.
Well once I get angle finder, I will try to confirm if it's caster or not. If it is, means I need to get adjustable UCA or LCA (or both?)?
Really, it should not affect if the lift kit is 2.5"? :thinking:
Voodoo Actual
New member
The AEV geometry brackets are $100 from what I recall. That might work for you.
Just so that we're on the same page here, are you saying that you are running a 2.5" budget boost WITH an additional set of 1.75" spacers giving you OVER 4" of lift OR, are you saying that your 2.5" budget boost came with spacers that only measure 1.75"? There is a BIG difference between the two. Either way, your axle being off center WILL NOT cause your Jeep to feel flighty. A lack of positive caster WILL. Bad ball joints or bad unit bearings can as well but I doubt that is what you're feeling. That being said, a set of adjustable lower control arms will be all that you need to add in a bit more positive caster. I would NOT recommend that you run cheap drop brackets to address your flightiness.
DA RUNT
New member
I think he said he's running 1.75in wheel spacers.
LOL!! I just saw that. Thanks for pointing that out.
MonkeyLeo13
New member
Ah gotcha. Thank you! I will find out soon once I get hand on angle finder. Wait, cheap drop brackets? I consider Teraflex 2.5 bb cheap and this kit has one for rear, I wonder if that one cause issue? Hmm.
Yes it's wheel spacer, not spacer that's for sure! There's no way I want to go over 4" lift on 35" tires! :crazyeyes:
Huh. You probably right, I remember I did fill up gas tank full on that day.
RKJK10
New member
caster with prorock 44 unlimited
so I'm experiencing a heavy wobble in between 25 and 40mph, I've installed a prorock 44 unlimited a while back and the wobble only started about a month ago, I've just noticed the caster is set up at 10*... too much? I went over everything else, brand new ball joints, trackbar, drag links are fine. Control arms frame end bushings are damaged but not much or any movement on the front, tires has been balanced with beads yesterday and still wobbles at the same speed... :idontknow:
so I'm experiencing a heavy wobble in between 25 and 40mph, I've installed a prorock 44 unlimited a while back and the wobble only started about a month ago, I've just noticed the caster is set up at 10*... too much? I went over everything else, brand new ball joints, trackbar, drag links are fine. Control arms frame end bushings are damaged but not much or any movement on the front, tires has been balanced with beads yesterday and still wobbles at the same speed... :idontknow:
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Rccrwlr
New member
When you say fine are you referring to the fact that you re-torqued all front end bolts?