Okay, so I installed the Rancho 2" Progressive Sport lift a few weeks ago, and then later installed the Rancho Geo Correction Brackets to fix the terrible handling on the highway. The flighty feeling is gone and it seems to be driving much better now. However, it had a slight pull to the right after the lift, so this past weekend, I decided to get an alignment since my steering wheel was off center as well. I paid 80$ for an alignment at a shop local to me, and it seems like nothing has changed. It sill pulls to the right, and it almost seems like it's just as bad, if not worse, at slower speeds. The only thing that I have done differently is replace the left rear tire with the spare after the tire/wheel originally located there came off driving down the road. I don't think anything was damaged, as the hub caught the inside lip of the wheel and just scarred the wheel really badly. I jacked up the rear axle and put it in drive to see if anything looked wobbly or bent. It all checked out. Any ideas on what the problem could be? It's a pretty hard pull, and I don't want to have to deal with it. Also, all 4 tires are ~31psi and the spare was only a few thousand miles newer than the tire it replaced. Thanks for the help! I have attached a pic of the alignment results!
Did you get new tires after the lift? Larger tires tend to follow road grooves/road crown. When you say it pulls, does it always pull to the right? I thought mine pulled right but i realized it is likely the road crown as it pulls to the left when driving one way streets in the left lane.
No, it still has the same tires that were on it before the lift. When I bought the Jeep, it had brand new Mastercraft Courser MXT tires on it (285/70r17). It rode great before the lift. And yes, it always pulls to the right, even in parking lots.
The place I take my vehicles to is old school, no fancy printout, instead they just do an alignment and jot down a few numbers on my work order. I wonder sometimes if some of these high-tech shops even have people that know much more than just pushing a few buttons on a computer.
Unfortunately, the only thing adjustable on a Wrangler is the front TOE. Unless you have added aftermarket adjustable components. You do have geo brackets and caster is good. I like front total toe to be closer to .16.
I always negotiate the price down to about $60 since I'm really only paying for them to put it on the rack...
Your drivers side caster is higher than passenger which is opposite of normal. I know, mine is the same way only more than yours. It is the source of my slight right pull. Yours is almost even which I don't believe is causing your pull.
Now the question... When the lift was put on, were all 16 control arm bolts and all 4 track bar bolts loosened and then re-torqued with the Jeep sitting on the ground at ride height?
When I installed the lift, I did not touch the front track bar or any of the control arms. I only messed with the front control arms when doing the geo brackets, and I did those with the Jeep sitting on the ground. Even though I did not mess with the front track bar, should I still go ahead and loosen and re-torque it?
Per suggestions by @kjeeper10 @Pressurized@jadmt, I went ahead and loosened/retorqued all control arms, tracks bars, and everything else I touched when installing lift. I still had a really bad pull to the right. I took it back to the alignment shop and they said there was nothing they could do, so I was just going to deal with it until I read in the forums about swapping tires to see if it gets rid of it. I tried that last night. I swapped the two front tires and to my amazement, it no longer pulls to the right. Now, it pulls to the left cwhack: It was the tire all along. Is there anything to do about that? Would swapping it to the rear get rid of the pull to either side? I would think that it would push the rear out the same way that it's doing the front, but I am clearly no expert lol. Thanks for the help!
Per suggestions by @kjeeper10 @Pressurized@jadmt, I went ahead and loosened/retorqued all control arms, tracks bars, and everything else I touched when installing lift. I still had a really bad pull to the right. I took it back to the alignment shop and they said there was nothing they could do, so I was just going to deal with it until I read in the forums about swapping tires to see if it gets rid of it. I tried that last night. I swapped the two front tires and to my amazement, it no longer pulls to the right. Now, it pulls to the left cwhack: It was the tire all along. Is there anything to do about that? Would swapping it to the rear get rid of the pull to either side? I would think that it would push the rear out the same way that it's doing the front, but I am clearly no expert lol. Thanks for the help!
I had a similar problem due to uneven tread wear. When the culprit tire was mounted on the front side it pulled more than when it was mounted to the rear. It helped me to keep it mounted on the rear axle but ymmv. For me it pulled less.
Any chance you have a warranty on your tires? Sorry I may have missed it mentioned in the thread somewhere.
a steering stabilizer, such as fox, can cause it to pull to one side or the other. take it off and see if that helps. if that solves the problem replace with a bilstein or put the other one back on. it will, over time, stop pulling as the stabilizer breaks in.
All advice is spot on as usual. Loosen & retorque all CA bolts. If you're still drifting right drive without a steering stabilizer for a day or two to see if that makes a difference, pull might be a 'push' if you're running a gas-charged stabilizer. Your alignment specs are good.
EDIT: Saw your update. Sounds like you might need to get the wheels/tires rebalanced. I'd still run for a day with the SS just to see if it drives the same and eliminate it from the equation.
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