Plumcrazy

Recently purchased 2015 JK 2dr, 37" tires, not sure size of lift but it's fox. Put a new dual SS and wanna get it aligned now. Wondering if there are any different specs I should tell my mechanic to align it to. If standard specs work, I'll go with that then just checking ..

resharp001

Factory components only allow them to adjust toe and recenter the steering wheel. Caster adjustment would require adjustable control arms or control arm brackets with various mounting options, but even most places don't include that in the base cost of an alignment. The number you're really shooting for is caster up over 4*....depending on lift size most of us shoot for 4.5 to 5 degrees (factory is 4.2). You can google "jk factory height" and find images on where to measure around the front shock tower to compare your actual lift height to factory specs. You can also take several pictures of the front end and we can help identify things you have or don't have. Most of us would advise a dual SS is not necessary and actually a bit counterintuitive. If there are issues causing someone to think they need more stabilizer support then the root cause of the issue need to be fixed more than covered up.

Sv_dude

Adding a steering stabilizer doesn’t require an alignment.

Is your Jeep driving weird that makes you feel like it needs an alignment?

As far as specs, you can tell your mechanic to put caster at 6(ish) degrees and you’ll be good. That’s assuming that you have adjustable control arms. Keep in mind, the more caster you have, the steeper your drive shaft angle is going to be.

67ray

How about toe? I'm running 35x12.5s and think the toe in isn't enough

resharp001

There are all sorts of YouTube videos that will walk you through doing an at-home adjustment to get 1/16 to 1/8 toe. I must be a complete idiot because I am about the only person that has never had great success achieving that. Even when I thought I had it right I was a good ways off when getting an actual alignment. It really does stink to pay for an alignment though when that is about all they can adjust (if you have no means of adjusting caster). Most alignment shops will scan your vehicle and then present you with the current specs and get your approval to adjust whatever. You typically then can decline service and drive away with no-charge. If they scan your jeep and the toe isn't far out of spec......or even if it is, you could go home and make an adjustment on your own knowing how far off you were. Years and years ago I got a lifetime alignment at Firestone. I think it was ~$140 at the time. It has sure paid for itself over the years as axles changed a couple times with some different caster adjustments. Even so, I don't pay them to adjust my control arms but I will use the scanned specs to make adjustments myself at home.

Plumcrazy

Death wobble when I bought it was pretty bad. The SS fixed it but want to align it to make sure there is nothing else to worry about. No remaining issues.

resharp001

SS's don't fix anything. If you had/have wobble issues you really need to pinpoint the bad joint or loose bolt and address it. That SS is just covering up symptoms. The problem with covering things up is that these things don't tend to fix themselves or get better over time. Worn joints just deteriorate further. Did you address the wobble issues and the jeep was driving perfectly BEFORE you added that SS, and maybe that is just peace of mind for you, or is the SS a bandaid?

Plumcrazy

Drove jeep (38k miles on the clock) home 250 miles no issues. Week later the wobble started. Brought it to a shop that does a ton of jeep work. Had them look over the complete front end and found only the SS was questionable. Replaced it and it's fine now. I'll be getting alignment done for piece of mind and at the same time I will have the shop (different shop) go over the front end as well. I'll replace absolutely anything on it as my wife drives it mostly.

resharp001

First thing most people have to realize is that dealers are worthless, and most "shops" aren't worth their salt. They don't make much money "troubleshooting". Wobbles are caused by worn joints and undertorqued bolts. Wobbles are not caused by worn steering stabilizers. Many of us drive with no SS at all. The absolute best thing any wrangler owner can do IMO is get intimately acquainted with your steering system and components because this is one of those things that could lead to a fatal accident. It should be taken very seriously especially when it's a spouse or a young driver that is using that as a DD. I'll step off my soapbox and you can choose to agree or disagree, but the root of your problem still exists if that is all they did/found.

Plumcrazy

Well I'll have my normal mechanic go thru it again. I appreciate all the info. Not much more I can do.