Hondoman
Fundamentals are the crutch for the talentless.
Lifetime Member
I just finished aligning my 1000-5 this weekend and thought I would start a thread here on how to, at least how I did it. I didnt find much info here on alignment adjustments with satv a arms and fox shocks specifically. I do not have a lift. Here goes:
1. If adjustments are made to anything (camber, toe, wheel spacers added etc... ) or if freshly lowered from a jack roll the vehicle back and forth several times to settle the suspension.
2. Park on a flat level surface and verify tire pressure is equal on all four tires. Fill fuel tank to capacity.
3. Mark a center line on the underside of the front skid plate and straighten the front wheels to be an equal distance from the centerline. Mark a center line on the rear skid plate for future reference as well.
4. Tie a string around all four wheels near the centerline of each. You can get a good idea of what's off just by looking at it prior to making adjustments.
5. Verify ride height is equal side to side, front to rear will most likely differ. I found that with the preload set equal side to side, the passenger side ride height was more that the drivers side by a little. Adjust preload as required then repeat step #1 and remeasure to verify.
6. For the most part, the satv a arm front adjustment blocks need to be approximately 1/16" shorter (one full turn) on the front and 1/16" longer on rear arms as compared to the rear adjustable block. YMMV. Keep this in mind when making camber adjustments.
7. Adjusting camber can be tricky, everything else you adjust can affect the camber setting. I set the camber for all four tires at approximately -0.5 degree which is about 1/8" closer at the top than bottom when measuring the wheel rim top & bottom using a level set at plumb. It is generally recommended to be set at 0 to -1 degree. You may have to readjust camber after setting the correct toe. Repeat #1 and remeasure to verify.
8. Setting toe front and rear. I have mine set to about 1/16" toe in on the rear wheels (close as I could get it) and 1/8" toe in on the front. I verify this my comparing the front edge of each wheel to the rear from the inside, under the vehicle. I also keep the wheels an equal distance from the previously marked centerline. Remove steering wheel and straighten as required. Repeat #1 and remeasure to verify.
Summary:
It may take going back and readjusting a few times, since changes can affect other adjustments. I measured everything after each adjustment with the suspension settled then put it in a spreadsheet. I could then review the data in an effort to make "smart" adjustments going forward. To me things make since when you can study the data.
Hope this can help someone.
Please feel free to add notes/make corrections if I'm doing something wrong.
1. If adjustments are made to anything (camber, toe, wheel spacers added etc... ) or if freshly lowered from a jack roll the vehicle back and forth several times to settle the suspension.
2. Park on a flat level surface and verify tire pressure is equal on all four tires. Fill fuel tank to capacity.
3. Mark a center line on the underside of the front skid plate and straighten the front wheels to be an equal distance from the centerline. Mark a center line on the rear skid plate for future reference as well.
4. Tie a string around all four wheels near the centerline of each. You can get a good idea of what's off just by looking at it prior to making adjustments.
5. Verify ride height is equal side to side, front to rear will most likely differ. I found that with the preload set equal side to side, the passenger side ride height was more that the drivers side by a little. Adjust preload as required then repeat step #1 and remeasure to verify.
6. For the most part, the satv a arm front adjustment blocks need to be approximately 1/16" shorter (one full turn) on the front and 1/16" longer on rear arms as compared to the rear adjustable block. YMMV. Keep this in mind when making camber adjustments.
7. Adjusting camber can be tricky, everything else you adjust can affect the camber setting. I set the camber for all four tires at approximately -0.5 degree which is about 1/8" closer at the top than bottom when measuring the wheel rim top & bottom using a level set at plumb. It is generally recommended to be set at 0 to -1 degree. You may have to readjust camber after setting the correct toe. Repeat #1 and remeasure to verify.
8. Setting toe front and rear. I have mine set to about 1/16" toe in on the rear wheels (close as I could get it) and 1/8" toe in on the front. I verify this my comparing the front edge of each wheel to the rear from the inside, under the vehicle. I also keep the wheels an equal distance from the previously marked centerline. Remove steering wheel and straighten as required. Repeat #1 and remeasure to verify.
Summary:
It may take going back and readjusting a few times, since changes can affect other adjustments. I measured everything after each adjustment with the suspension settled then put it in a spreadsheet. I could then review the data in an effort to make "smart" adjustments going forward. To me things make since when you can study the data.
Hope this can help someone.
Please feel free to add notes/make corrections if I'm doing something wrong.
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