Alignment Questions

I just finished the front end lift in my XJ, (2 inch OME coils, 1 3/4 spacers) after this I installed a new adjustable trac-bar and all new tie rods and ends. To get an initial alignment setting, I used the tape measure trick. Looking at my front wheels, they do not look in correct alignment. It looks as though they are toed out, but measuring they are 1/16 inch toed in on the front. I wonder if my eyes are playing tricks, when I look at the tires in comparison to the fender lines??

SPSERG said:

I just finished the front end lift in my XJ, (2 inch OME coils, 1 3/4 spacers) after this I installed a new adjustable trac-bar and all new tie rods and ends. To get an initial alignment setting, I used the tape measure trick. Looking at my front wheels, they do not look in correct alignment. It looks as though they are toed out, but measuring they are 1/16 inch toed in on the front. I wonder if my eyes are playing tricks, when I look at the tires in comparison to the fender lines??

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The fender line comes in a bit, which becomes more obvious with lift. Rely on your tape measure. 1/16" toed-in is excellent. Of course, these measurements are much more reliable with bigger tires as you get a greater radius from axle centerline.

Nay

Currently, I am just running 30's which I had installed before the lift. I noticed they had started to feather on the outer edges, but the tire edge seemed to visually run along with the fender. It would make sense that they started to feather due to too much toe in. Right?

SPSERG said:

Currently, I am just running 30's which I had installed before the lift. I noticed they had started to feather on the outer edges, but the tire edge seemed to visually run along with the fender. It would make sense that they started to feather due to too much toe in. Right?

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Probably due to the infamous 55MPH shimmy. Too much toe-in may contribute to the shimmy as would those loose parts you just threw away.

Trust me in saying that the XJ should not have any toe in at all. You want 0*. I know some that even run the slightest toe out with great results.
Have you checked your caster at all?
Do this as well like is shown on this site. www.go.jeep-xj.info

Gojeep said:

Trust me in saying that the XJ should not have any toe in at all. You want 0*. I know some that even run the slightest toe out with great results.
Have you checked your caster at all?
Do this as well like is shown on this site. www.go.jeep-xj.info

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Ideally, you want your front tires to be perfectly parallel when driving down the road. As suspension and steering parts wear over time, the resulting slop in front end components can turn a static 0 toe setting into a slight amount of toe-out. To compensate, it is common to set a slight amount of static toe-in, usually around 1/16" to 1/8". You would never want a static setting that would result in toe-out.

The factory steering geometry, plus changes in tire height, backspacing and whether or not the front axle is engaged (driven) will dictate your static toe setting.

Incorrectly set castor doesn't typically result in tire wear problems, but should be correct for other reasons. After a ~3" lift, adding a 4mm shim behind each of the lower control arms should get your castor back to a reasonable setting. Go-jeeps site shows you how to check and set your castor using a method originally shown here on . Changes in castor will also affect pinion angle, so you will have to find a compromise that suits your Jeep.