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Front Wheel Alignment question 2011 Overland

17K views 29 replies 8 participants last post by  Ratchet 
#1 ·
I have a right pull when driving. I took my 2011 GC Overland in for an alignment and they adjusted the rear but said the front caster can't be adjusted. The camber can, but it was Ok. My numbers were 5.2 front left caster and 4.9 front right, which if I remember correctly will give a slight right pull. Does anyone know if the caster can be adjust on my vehicle? It has the quadralift suspension. What should the numbers for caster be?
 
#4 ·
And don't let them sell you any parts. There is PLENTY of camber and caster adjustment in our WK2's. I've had to adjust quite a few of these here lately.

For curiosity, what was your camber spec on the front?
 
#5 ·
Do the quadra lifts have to be in sport mode also when checking alignment?
I have front tire feathering since new and dealer told me alignment out of specs in the "auto" but comes within specs in sport, lowered mode where Chrys says to set them. I dont really understand why to set them in the optional sport mode when vehicle defaults to auto mode whenever started? Do you know if this is correct?
 
#6 ·
Yes, vehicles with the QL have to be in sport mode before any measurement or adjustmets are performed. The main reason I can see for selecting sport mode for alignments is that the vehicle won't attempt to make any automatic ride height adjustments while in said mode.
 
#8 ·
I can't give an honest answer on that. I haven't had much time to study exactly how much the QL system adjusts wether it be equal amounts simultaneously with front and rear axles or, how much variation there is between front/rear on different modes.
 
#9 ·
Doing the alignment in Sport mode is probably due to the fact that even when in "Auto", it automagically lowers to "Aerodynamic Ride Height" over a certain speed. That "Aerodynamic Ride Height" is what it goes to immediately and stays when in Sport mode. So I guess they assume that most of our miles are highway miles.

It looks to me like changing the height of the suspension has to change the suspension geometry at least a little.
 
#10 ·
My camber was either .3 or -.3 on both sides. I don't quite remember, but I think it was .3.
You say lots of room for caster adjustment? Is it correct that you just loosen the A arm bolts and pry the arm over or back? Other vehicles I've owned always had some kind of cam bolt.
 
#11 ·
HammFist, I agree. A change in ride height generally affects alignment. As I said earlier, I'm not sure exactly how much each mode will affect our Jeeps though.

Andy, yes, you can change both front camber and caster angles by adjusting the lower arm. Our WK2's don't use ecentric cam bolts like some vehicles. The lower control has 3 bolts that must be loosened. 2 of the bolts are in slots which allow for the adjustment if needed.
 
#13 · (Edited)
This should clear up any confusion.
 

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#15 ·
I just tried to have mine aligned while getting new tires and they told me that the caster could not be adjusted. At the time I let it go assuming they knew more about it then I did. They also used alignment specs for the WK instead of the WK2 and said it was because alignment specs for the WK2 had not been released. Like the OP my caster was set at 5.2 and 4.8 for the front left and right respectively.
 
#17 ·
Dealer alignment isn't necessary as long as you find a shop with a respectable alignment tech and an up to date alignment console.
 
#22 ·
Appears they used a Hunter alignment console...which is good! :) Looks like your biggest issues was with toe only. However, your right front camber is still a bit negative, but within limits. Both of your front wheels could use a lil tweaking. As long as you don't notice any tread feathering, I wouldn't do any adjusting on it. Personal pref, I like my camber to have a very close cross spec.
 
#23 ·
Well after driving it for a few days I notice that it seems to be pulling slightly to the right and when the Jeep is going straight the steering wheel bottom spoke is off to the left a bit and not straight down.

I am sure it was not that way before the tire rotation and alignment changes.
 
#24 ·
It's possible you have a "radial push/pull" You could switch your front tires with each other to see if the pull to the right gets better or worse.

Vehicles generally pull to side where caster is lowest. Yours is about .4 degrees lower on the right. From what I've seen on WK2's, the *almost* half degree difference can cause a very slight drift. However, with the amount of negative camber on the same side side that has the lower caster, it would almost counter the lack of caster.

The left side caster is a wee bit positive for my liking. I'd decrease that to get it closer to spec along with freshening up the negative camber. Camber should be around -0.5 degrees on both front axles.

For the steering wheel being off center, I'd go back and raise hell. If the tech was using an up to date Hunter machine, which it appears he was, there is a piece of software on those machines called "WinToe" which is awesome for centering steering wheels. Just take the print out back up there with you and explain to them you are experiencing a drift to the right and your wheel is not centered.

Last but not least, your WK2 doesn't have adaptive cruise does it?
 
#26 ·
In the group of photos I posted previously, there IS a specific series of additional steps that must be taken on vehicles with ACC. Same goes for any other vehicles equipped with steering angle sensors or other variations of electronic stability control. On the newer Hunter alignment systems, there is normally a note included on the measurement printout that shows the ACC or steering angle sensor has been recalibrated.

Even with a truly prefect spec alignment, the steering wheel WILL be off center if one or more of the recalibrations are not performed.
 
#29 ·
Well after three trips to Goodyear where I bought my tires I finally gave up on them and took it to the dealer for an alignment check.

They checked it and re-aligned it and now it goes straight down the road and the steering wheel was aligned as it should be.

Thanks for all the info.
 
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