Your Raptor and It's Alignment

[Lance Vincent]

No camber kit. said they did the toe. truck tracks good no pull. Tires are set at 48 psi.

 

[Lance Vincent]

Never been offroad yet

 

[pirate air]

No camber kit. said they did the toe. truck tracks good no pull. Tires are set at 48 psi.

Never been offroad yet

I'd take it back to the place that did the alignment and see if they will redo it for you. I bet they didn't get the toe right.

 

[Lance Vincent]

Will do. Should i have them do camber also?


Thanks

 

[SilverBolt]

If you tires are showing signs of cupping I would have them completely re-do the alignment and get a before and after print out.

 

[pirate air]

Will do. Should i have them do camber also?


Thanks

That really depends where the camber angle sits now. If camber was between 0.4-/+ degrees I'd say leave it alone. But from what I've seen, from leveling them, I'm gonna bet your camber angles are closer to 0.8-/+ degrees. If this is the case, I would get the camber adjusted. The camber and caster kits are really the correct way to adjust camber/caster. You can move/adjust the arms without the kits, but its a PITA, and most shops will probably refuse to make camber/caster adjustments without the kits installed. So you will probably need to spend a couple hundred bucks to get the kit to adjust camber. It might seem expensive and its not a mod that your going to be able to enjoy, but its a lot cheaper then tires, and the kit should last the life of your truck.

If you get it all done, ask the shop for a print out of your before and after measurements, then bring them back here so I can look at them. If you don't mind.

 

[peppercorn]

That really depends where the camber angle sits now. If camber was between 0.4-/+ degrees I'd say leave it alone. But from what I've seen, from leveling them, I'm gonna bet your camber angles are closer to 0.8-/+ degrees. If this is the case, I would get the camber adjusted. The camber and caster kits are really the correct way to adjust camber/caster. You can move/adjust the arms without the kits, but its a PITA, and most shops will probably refuse to make camber/caster adjustments without the kits installed. So you will probably need to spend a couple hundred bucks to get the kit to adjust camber. It might seem expensive and its not a mod that your going to be able to enjoy, but its a lot cheaper then tires, and the kit should last the life of your truck.

If you get it all done, ask the shop for a print out of your before and after measurements, then bring them back here so I can look at them. If you don't mind.

I had my truck on the lift yesterday to scope out the perch adjustment and it looks like, to my eye, I will have to take the shock assemblies off in order to compress the springs. I am however reconsidering the move simply due to what you have posted here. After dealing with cupping over trhe last several years on my Superduty I'm note excited to jump back on that band wagon. I think what you are seeing, things being pushed out to max adjustment limits makes a lot of sense. I do like the idea of the caster/camber kit for ease of adjustment and the added benefit of just being able to keep an eye on things without the alignment set up. So, I guess at this point I am on the fence. Also, in the quote above, is this the "F150" castor/camber kit you use in your photos?

 

[bfr]

Thanks Pirate...enjoyed the knowledge.

 

[pirate air]

I had my truck on the lift yesterday to scope out the perch adjustment and it looks like, to my eye, I will have to take the shock assemblies off in order to compress the springs. I am however reconsidering the move simply due to what you have posted here. After dealing with cupping over trhe last several years on my Superduty I'm note excited to jump back on that band wagon. I think what you are seeing, things being pushed out to max adjustment limits makes a lot of sense. I do like the idea of the caster/camber kit for ease of adjustment and the added benefit of just being able to keep an eye on things without the alignment set up. So, I guess at this point I am on the fence. Also, in the quote above, is this the "F150" castor/camber kit you use in your photos?

I took my shock assemblies completely out to move them to the second perch. I know from others you don't need to, but I don't think its that much more work. If you go to the second perch, you should be able to get the alignment back pretty well; or at least to the point I think your tires will be ok. But I think after that, anything higher is asking for tire/alignment trouble.

The kit I showed is the "f150" kit from a company called Specialty Products. I'm not 100% but I'm almost positive it is the same kit the 10/11 Raptor will use. Ford also sells a kit for the Raptor that you can get from the parts department. If you have the mechanical skills/patience to do the spring perch, you should be able to install the camber/caster kit yourself. So that will save you some labor charge. The front suspension NEEDS to be unloaded (off the ground/not supporting the vehicle) to do the kits. Just do one corner at a time. Then get an alignment ASAP because things will be really out of whack. Specialty Products had a quick install video for the F150 kit on there web page, but it looks like the site is under maintenance so I will keep checking and link it here.

Another thing to think about is, If your going to keep your truck for a long time, eventually it will need camber/caster adjustments as things wear and bushings get soft. So you will probably have to buy and install it sooner or later.

Thanks Pirate...enjoyed the knowledge.

Thanks!

 

[peppercorn]

As always, great info and much appreciated feedback pirate.
I'll just backburner the perch for now and when and if I decide to do it I will get the 'F150kit' for sure, as I do plan to keep this truck well into the future.