Need advice, alignment/ tires??

Okay, i have 1990 jeep cherokee i just bought new set (4) 33 toyos in may.
i took jeep to les schwab to get them rotated. Then to find out that my front 2 tires need to be replaced in month :tears:because my alignment is so bad that it shredded half of the tread on my front tires and the rear tires are still brand new,so i asked them can i get alignment they told me they have to do do this before i get an alignment :

replace track bar bushing : $ 115.62
replace track bar bracket : $100.00
tie rod x2 $ 80.00
thurst alignment : $55.00
alignment labor : $90.00

Is it just me or is that very expensive!
Should I just buy the parts myself and find a someone to do it?
i want to get the alignment done of course, so i dont have to buy bew tires every 6mos ,but wow this is way expensive! any suggestions? thanks

ARGLE707 said:

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thrust alignment : $55.00
alignment labor : $90.00

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It seems to me that the thrust alignment is nothing *but* labor. Once all the parts are replaced, a thrust alignment is just hooking up the optical equipment and making some adjustments. $55.00 is a reasonable price for the alignment, but the $90.00 looks like gravy to me.

Also ... you should look into getting a Chilton's manual and doing a lot of that yourself. None of it is very difficult.

http://www.ironrockoffroad.com/Merc...=IROR&Product_Code=IR-STBCK&Category_Code=PFX

Get that and install it instead of paying for labor to replace whatever is on there. Doing the alignment yourself is also very easy:

http://www.stu-offroad.com/steering/align/align-1.htm

I have the ironrock double sheer setup and it is pretty awesome and a piece of cake to install. I paid $60 for an alignment, I figure 60 bucks is a rather good investment for my brand new($$) tires. When dealing with such minor adjustments I would rather trust a laser alignment rack than me with a tape measure.

Definitely purchase the stuff yourself. If you can, order it. If not, go to napa or carquest.
Since you will probably want to upgrade, if you buy local go with these:
ZJ tie rod/ends (bolt-in upgrade)
Unless you have a 4wheel parts or similar off-road place nearby, then a stock replacement bar is what you will have to live with for now.
If you can wait a little for your parts:
ironman4x4fab tierod/TRE's
aftermarket adj. trackbar
You can adjust your toe easily with a tape measure. Spec is inside of the front of the tires is approx 1/8" in from the rear of the front tires

iwannadie said:

I have the ironrock double sheer setup and it is pretty awesome and a piece of cake to install. I paid $60 for an alignment, I figure 60 bucks is a rather good investment for my brand new($$) tires. When dealing with such minor adjustments I would rather trust a laser alignment rack than me with a tape measure.

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If you take your time and do it right then you can gain the same results as the pro alignment. I did my alignment after swapping in long arms and then took it in for an alignment. The guy told me to look at the screen and all was in green. I was dead on and nothing needed adjusted. I measured like 6 times and adjusted once to 1/8" toe in and got it spot on.

What OP, you bought brand new 33s and never thought to get an alignment??? Wow there goes 400 beans down the drain man.... I would also upgrade your trackbar and replace your steering joints yourself, it should take all of a few hours with a rented pitman arm puller from autozone if you even need to use it. Then once you replace those get it on an alignment machine.

Whats the condition of your ball joints, hub bearings, and axle u joints? I wouldn't get an alignment done unless everything is tight.

muddeprived said:

If you take your time and do it right then you can gain the same results as the pro alignment. I did my alignment after swapping in long arms and then took it in for an alignment. The guy told me to look at the screen and all was in green. I was dead on and nothing needed adjusted. I measured like 6 times and adjusted once to 1/8" toe in and got it spot on.

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agreed. i have also had my driveway alignment checked by a machine, spot on. xjs are dead easy to do an alignment on.

OP, buy the parts yourself, install them and do the alignment yourself. unless of course you feel like spending a bunch of cash on relatively easy work.

ARGLE707 said:

Okay, i have 1990 jeep cherokee i just bought new set (4) 33 toyos in may.
i took jeep to les schwab to get them rotated. Then to find out that my front 2 tires need to be replaced in month :tears:because my alignment is so bad that it shredded half of the tread on my front tires and the rear tires are still brand new,so i asked them can i get alignment they told me they have to do do this before i get an alignment :

replace track bar bushing : $ 115.62
replace track bar bracket : $100.00
tie rod x2 $ 80.00
thurst alignment : $55.00
alignment labor : $90.00

Is it just me or is that very expensive!
Should I just buy the parts myself and find a someone to do it?
i want to get the alignment done of course, so i dont have to buy bew tires every 6mos ,but wow this is way expensive! any suggestions? thanks

Click to expand...

you bought new tires in may and didnt notice that the fronts were wearing considerably faster than the rears? first off, pay more attention. second, those prices better be labor included with parts. id ask WHY does your track bar bracket need to be replaced first off.

- if you dont have an adjustable track bar, get one now. dont spend that kind of money. for $215 you can go to IRO and get an adjustable double sheer track bar... SHIPPED! its 6 bolts, dont pay anyone to do it. if you have an adjustable track bar thats in need of replacing, contact the manufacturer.
- i replaced all 4 of my TREs for $80, lifetime warrenty from autozone. spend another 20 on a 24 pack and have a buddy help you align it. all you need is a tape measure, some wrenches, channel locks, and patience.
- they cant adjust your thrust angle without some serious modification... its the alignment of your rear axle which has no adjustability. it would involve reworking the spring perches and such. hard to believe that they would be willing to do it for $55 but it costs $100 to replace a track bar bushing. also, all your thrust angle will do is make the jeep "crab" down the road, it probably wont even be noticeable to anyone behind you, and it will not wear your tires faster. do not pay for this. they are F'ing you.
- a lot of places do free alignment if you buy tires... take it elsewhere, $90 is too much. if you dont have adjustable control arms, there isnt much you can do anyway... max out the castor, you have no say in camber unless you have adjustable ball joints, all thats left is your toe in which should be set between 1/16"-1/8". do it when you replace your TREs.



this is all assuming you have relatively stock parts. what lift components do you have?

everything youve listed can be done in a day with minimal tools. why are you paying these guys? if you must, i say take it elsewhere. get all your stuff replaced, its pointless to get an alignment before replacing all of those parts. if you must, get just a front end alignment done afterwards for piece of mind.

VAhasnoWAVES said:

- they cant adjust your thrust angle without some serious modification... its the alignment of your rear axle which has no adjustability. it would involve reworking the spring perches and such. hard to believe that they would be willing to do it for $55 but it costs $100 to replace a track bar bushing. also, all your thrust angle will do is make the jeep "crab" down the road, it probably wont even be noticeable to anyone behind you, and it will not wear your tires faster. do not pay for this. they are F'ing you.

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A thrust angle alignment doesn't mean correcting your rear thrust angle ... it just means putting the optical equipment on all 4 wheels, and matching your front wheels to the thrust angle of the rear wheels. I agree with you that this is overkill and that he could easily do all of this work himself.