Best front end alignement tools for DIY use?

[IQRaceworks]

When it comes to my vehicles, I do all of the maintenance and service on them….except alignments. I’ve done simple toe adjustments before on vehicles with solid front axles by setting up lines on each side and lots of measuring, but when it comes to vehicles with top and bottom a-arms where you are adjusting toe/camber/caster all at the same time, I just don’t have the equipment to do it right.

I’m at the point where I would like to invest some money in some good equipment that will let me set camber and caster pretty easily. Setting toe is the easy part.

Most of the jigs/tools I’ve seen out there only fit up to an 18” wheel….but my truck has 20” wheels on it, my wife’s Touareg has 19” wheels….so whatever I get, it needs to fit those wheel sizes.

Maybe something like this?

 

[jdl25]

Awesome

 

[Sugarfryz]

Honestly you’d probably spend more money on the equipment than you would on alignments. It’s not something I would want to do, if you do it wrong you’ll go through tires like crazy.


To each their own, it’d be cool to see your set up if you find some tools

 

[matt_i]

One advantage a Hunter-style (pro) machine has is that the tires sit on transfer-ball (floating) tables so adjustments don't have to overcome the static friction between the contact patch and the pavement.

IOW, once you make a tweak with the DIY setup, have to disassemble the setup and drive the car or at least roll it back and forth to unload the suspension and get it back into a repeatable balanced state so it can be measured again.

There's a shop in town that does them quite reasonably and reliably and I just drop off the car at night, put the keys in the night box, they align it and I give them a visa over the phone and pick it up later. I call them first to pave the way but its always been a "next day" job.

 

[doublearon98]

I as you do all the work on my truck but alignments. Take it to a mechanic with the proper alignment equipment. It will not be worth the money you spend on the tools required for the very minimum amount of times you will need to have an alignment done.

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[sberry]

I do toes by measure, I can tell by eye really well if it doesn't look right especially if it aint been fukked with since factory and do one end at a time. On the occasion I do send something I make sure any parts the alignment guy has to move are free, all loosened, oiled and tightened. I usually have a word with him before and hope he will tweek something for me if its easy enough for them.
A bunch of rusted stuff will get a guy the fukkits.

 

[jdlong]

I have the same kit. It is only as good as the runout on your rims. Check that with a dial micrometer first.

 

[IQRaceworks]

Honestly you’d probably spend more money on the equipment than you would on alignments. It’s not something I would want to do, if you do it wrong you’ll go through tires like crazy.


To each their own, it’d be cool to see your set up if you find some tools

Yes, I agree. But I prize myself in doing things right....and I've had nothing but bad luck with alignment shops over the years. Sure, they have $80,000 alignment lifts/racks....but the knuckleheads using them, don't know what they are doing. Just about every time I have something aligned, I end up taking it back in order to have it redone....because it's not right. And every time...they say "oh, the guy who did the alignment the first time didn't do it right".

I can do it better.....and it's worth the money for me to do it myself.

The last shop I took my wife's SUV to charged me $180 to get it aligned.....and they did a horrible job. At that price...it doens't take many alignments to pay for some decent equipment. And it gives me the chance to experiment and play around with settings....something I could never do with having a shop do it....unless I wanted to pay for it every time I wanted to make an adjustment.

 

[IQRaceworks]

One advantage a Hunter-style (pro) machine has is that the tires sit on transfer-ball (floating) tables so adjustments don't have to overcome the static friction between the contact patch and the pavement.

IOW, once you make a tweak with the DIY setup, have to disassemble the setup and drive the car or at least roll it back and forth to unload the suspension and get it back into a repeatable balanced state so it can be measured again.

There's a shop in town that does them quite reasonably and reliably and I just drop off the car at night, put the keys in the night box, they align it and I give them a visa over the phone and pick it up later. I call them first to pave the way but its always been a "next day" job.

You know that you can take two 1/8" thick Plexiglas squares that around around 1 foot square, put some grease in between them, and make the same type of "floating pad"....right? I have a couple of those pads I've made....and I can drive my 8,0000 1 ton front up on them, and push the entire front end of the truck around with just a couple fingers. It's not rocket science....

 

[IQRaceworks]

I have the same kit. It is only as good as the runout on your rims. Check that with a dial micrometer first.

Every alignment system...even the "pro" $80,000 lift setups that attache to your wheels....are only as good as your wheel run out.....do you think a typical alignment shop checks your wheel run out with a dial indicator? NOPE....they hook the jigs up to your wheels, and they are done....their goal is to get your vehicles on and off the rack ASAP.....so they can make more money.

You guys are giving these alignment shop way too much credit.....

 

[Ole Slewfoot]

I was going to buy that pictured setup, but I came to the conclusion that all you were paying for was the rim hooks. the tapes and levels are bottom of the barrel junk, and the stamped angle tab it mounts to just isn't right.

 

[danielbuck]

for adjusting toe-in on solid axles (4x4 trucks/jeeps) I clamp straight edges to the brake rotors and measure. It's been good enough.

 

[IQRaceworks]

PepBoys has a lifetime alignment package for as long as you own your vehicle, unlimited miles. $150, save your paperwork and you can take it to any PepBoys with an alignment machine.

Take your chances with an DIY solution. There are many factors that can influence your alignment. Technician skill/experience aside, professional alignment machines and the proper lifts are very expensive for a reason.

That's pretty much what makes it or breaks it. Without a tech that actually knows what they are doing.....an $80,000 alignment rack setup is no better than a tape measure and a level in the hands of a do it yourself'er.

Do you think PepBoys has good ASME certified techs?

 

[IQRaceworks]

for adjusting toe-in on solid axles (4x4 trucks/jeeps) I clamp straight edges to the brake rotors and measure. It's been good enough.

Yep, I do the same and it works great. The problem is when you get into camber and caster adjustment on IFS vehicles.

 

[phule]

That's pretty much what makes it or breaks it. Without a tech that actually knows what they are doing.....an $80,000 alignment rack setup is no better than a tape measure and a level in the hands of a do it yourself'er.

Do you think PepBoys has good ASME certified techs? [emoji38]_hitti

Not every pepboys is the same. I will agree that there are special people in the world. As with any business there are real mechanics out there.

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[Ole Slewfoot]

THe guy at Pep Boys has 10 minutes to get it all somewhere in the green(Numbers the factory chose to minimize warranty claims), but I as a home gamer might be happy to spend an hour or two making my junk absolutely the best it can be. Even if my equipment were 1.3 as fast, chances are I can do the better job. I cheat sometimes, and pay the guy 20 bucks to throw the thing on the rack and fire off a printout.

 

[jdlong]

Every alignment system...even the "pro" $80,000 lift setups that attache to your wheels....are only as good as your wheel run out.....do you think a typical alignment shop checks your wheel run out with a dial indicator? NOPE....they hook the jigs up to your wheels, and they are done....their goal is to get your vehicles on and off the rack ASAP.....so they can make more money.

You guys are giving these alignment shop way too much credit.....

You assume to much. Nowhere did I give alignment shops credit. I simply said check your rim runout first. Not rocket science.

 

[FlyingFinn]

When it comes to my vehicles, I do all of the maintenance and service on them….except alignments. I’ve done simple toe adjustments before on vehicles with solid front axles by setting up lines on each side and lots of measuring, but when it comes to vehicles with top and bottom a-arms where you are adjusting toe/camber/caster all at the same time, I just don’t have the equipment to do it right.

I’m at the point where I would like to invest some money in some good equipment that will let me set camber and caster pretty easily. Setting toe is the easy part.

Most of the jigs/tools I’ve seen out there only fit up to an 18” wheel….but my truck has 20” wheels on it, my wife’s Touareg has 19” wheels….so whatever I get, it needs to fit those wheel sizes.

Maybe something like this?

Longacre sells a camber/caster set that works for your needs - part number 52-78298.

I was going to attach a link, but my post count is too low

 

[gtsgarage]

You know that you can take two 1/8" thick Plexiglas squares that around around 1 foot square, put some grease in between them, and make the same type of "floating pad"....right? I have a couple of those pads I've made....and I can drive my 8,0000 1 ton front up on them, and push the entire front end of the truck around with just a couple fingers. It's not rocket science....

Actually all you really need are two pieces of plastic like thick garbage bags (plastic tarps work great). The two squares on top of each other provide plenty low friction movement.

 

[mikegt4]

After a couple of bad experiences with tire shop alignments I took my car to a highly regarded performance alignment shop. By the time that I got home I heard some thumping from the suspension. Every adjustment bolt was loose, never tightened by the shop. I made up a toe gauge and purchased a Longacre caster/camber gauge and did my own front end alignments for years. Now my son works at a dealership and he can do the work or have his best tech do it. Not to mention the fact that I am getting too old to crawl around under the car.

 

[ovilla]

$150 for a lifetime alignment at Firestone. I take my truck in for anything that looks slightly off. Yes it’s a hassle to drop it off and have to go pick it up but they’re also open on Sunday’s.

 

[pelletman]

https://www.eastwood.com/quicktrick-pro-series-alignment-system-for-13-to-22-5-wheels-90042.html


Never used one but seriously considered it

 

[sreeb]

I have one of these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PKI0YSU/?tag=atomicindus08-20

And I think it works well.

A set of cheap cutting boards like these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011M3H3VM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

with some grease between them will allow your tires to move easily.

 

[Tonyuk]

We use Hunter racks in work, great piece of kit and i can have the alignment done on all 4 wheels in around 1 hour, including test drive.

 

[Tallpilot]

We use Hunter racks in work, great piece of kit and i can have the alignment done on all 4 wheels in around 1 hour, including test drive.

Unfortunately that's about twice as long as the average flat rate guy here would take.

 

[emeraldcoupe]

i have a set up similar to the pic in the first post, my stuff is from Longacre.

I bought it so I could do the alignment on my '66 mustang. every shop I called either said they don't work on old stuff, or said they should be able to "figure out" how to do it. it's mostly young guys around here with no experience working on old stuff.

 

[Tonyuk]

Unfortunately that's about twice as long as the average flat rate guy here would take.

How much do you charge for an alignment over there?

We charge £120 for all 4 wheels as a flat cost.

 

[sweet victory]

You know that you can take two 1/8" thick Plexiglas squares that around around 1 foot square, put some grease in between them, and make the same type of "floating pad"....right? I have a couple of those pads I've made....and I can drive my 8,0000 1 ton front up on them, and push the entire front end of the truck around with just a couple fingers. It's not rocket science....

An even easier way...take a few pages from a very glossy magazine. They'll slide with very little effort as well. No mess and no need to store it.

 

[EMonroeWilson]

I have been using Longacre toe plates for quick toe adjustments but have also considered their digital camber gauge setup like pictured earlier. Mostly just because I enjoy doing the stuff myself not so much for the financial benefit.
Anything I can do to make myself more self sufficient when it comes to the garage is good in my book.

 

[Showkey]

OP has it right........great tool for race track or DIY alignment. It’s not rocket science.

Used this tool for years to check and set camber and caster and it’s likey about 50 plus years old. Its not fast or romantic but simple angle measurement and a trammel bar for toe.



Last used was on ‘50 GMC restoration where camber was changed by by making a fixture and using the 20t bottle jack from the press to bend the straight axle. 3.5* camber to 0* was a simple task. Nobody wants to mess with straight axle and old vehicles.
Used on my Sprinter RV to set camber because few places had a rack that fit an RV and one that did wanted $250.00.

For the younger crowd it’s John Bean not to be confused with Jim Beam

 

[joecon]

wheel a matic has simple alignment tools that have been used for years in the auto
industry and will work on any car or truck even big rigs.

 

[Stephenw]

I have this...

https://spcalignment.com/component/spc/?task=part_description&pid=91000

I also got the toe adapters.

 

[PassnThru]

Wow. How often are you guys doing alignments? I'll think about it after about 100K miles or major suspension work but otherwise I don't do alignments and my tire wear is as expected and my steering is spot on. Is this a we live in the pot hole filled north thing?

 

[sweet victory]

Wow. How often are you guys doing alignments? I'll think about it after about 100K miles or major suspension work but otherwise I don't do alignments and my tire wear is as expected and my steering is spot on. Is this a we live in the pot hole filled north thing?

Do you participate in any club racing? Different alignments for different tracks. Maybe someone is still dialing in their set up - possible to see alignments after every shake down.

 

[engineer2]

I noticed on some of the new alignment machines they don't compensate for wheel run out. Just hang the sensors on and go. Run out compensation was required when I was in the business. How do they do it?

 

[theoldwizard1]

I noticed on some of the new alignment machines they don't compensate for wheel run out. Just hang the sensors on and go. Run out compensation was required when I was in the business. How do they do it?

Because all measurements are made off of the spindle !

 

[383 240z]

Because all measurements are made off of the spindle !

That's why you have to run the heads through a compensation check. It measures wheel run out, adjusts for the difference of the depth of the rim locks as well.

Alignments are not hard, you just need to follow the procedure. I worked at a very high-end British car dealership for most of my career. We had a $100,000 alignment machine, and when the new Red Label cars came out, the front splitter fouled the line of sight for the laser that let the front heads "talk" to each other. We went old school to solve the problem. Strings, squares, and tape measures. I never had an alignment come back for a "touch up".

 

[Tallpilot]

How much do you charge for an alignment over there?

We charge £120 for all 4 wheels as a flat cost.

The independent shop I use charges $89. The big tire chains that do the worst work will have coupons for $59. Firestone offers a lifetime package for $150. But that's exactly what you get, a lifetime of coming back for another one.

 

[Showkey]

I noticed on some of the new alignment machines they don't compensate for wheel run out. Just hang the sensors on and go. Run out compensation was required when I was in the business. How do they do it?

Because all measurements are made off of the spindle !

Or like Hunter laser targets are calibrated by rolling the vehicle back 2-3 feet and forward back on the turn plates. All four wheels done Easy and quick...

 

[sreeb]

Wow. How often are you guys doing alignments? I'll think about it after about 100K miles or major suspension work but otherwise I don't do alignments and my tire wear is as expected and my steering is spot on. Is this a we live in the pot hole filled north thing?

I have 5 cars/trucks including 2 lifted jeeps.

If there was some place competent, conveniently located, and reasonably priced where I could make an appointment for a timely in and out while I wait, then I wouldn't do my own.