Howdy, All,

At last the day has come: tomorrow I'm having my absolutely horrible stock shocks replaced with Rancho RS5000s at Sears (got a decent price and I'm in a rush).

However, Sears is telling me that I need an alignment when replacing the shocks. I've heard this is true for cars w/ struts, but I've never heard this for trucks.

Can anyone shed any light here? Is it in fact necessary to get an alignment when replacing shocks? Other than the new shocks, the truck shows no signs of requiring alignment (tread wear is even, no pulling in steering, drives true as an arrow, etc.). The truck has 34K miles on it.

So, is Sears trying to jab me for more money, or are they correct? The alignment job pushes me over the budget I've been given by the Better Half, but if I need it, I'll pay the price (if you know what I mean).

Thanks so much for the help everyone.

-TXJHawk

 

Your instinct is right. You do not need an alignment when installing new shocks. If they were a coilover design that supported the weight of the vehicle and caused a change in ride height, the alignment would be affected. However, if you have 34,000 miles and the alignment has never been checked, it would be a good idea.

 

No alignment needed.....

 

Thanks very much for the info y'all. The Better Half was unfazed by the extra cost, so I think I'll go ahead and have the alignment checked while they're at it.

Thanks again. These message boards have never failed me. Lots of knowledgeable and helpful folks...a rare combination!

-TXJHawk

 

You are right in the fact that you do not need an alignment if you are just replacing shocks. Shocks do not support the vehicle, unlike struts, so they are pretty much remove and replace.

As far as doing the alignment for the sake of doing one, I would say this. If your tires have no signs of abnormal wear, the truck drives straight on a flat surface, and there's no unusual tendency for the truck to drift to one side or the other, than save your money. All the alignment tech at Sears is going to do is set your toe anyways. If your tires are wearing fine then I would bet that your toe is within or close to within spec. Toe that is out of spec will wear tires pretty aggressivly. Have them install the shocks for you and then take that $60-$70 bucks they were going to bang you for the alignment and go have a nice dinner with your wife!

 

GDDYUP, you just tipped the scales the other way. My wife most definitely deserves a nice dinner out. Thanks very much for the input.

A friend whose brother runs a shop and who knows a lot more about these matters than I said the exact same thing, that the shocks and the alignment in the truck have no relationship (unlike struts in cars).

I'm so stoked! Finally, good shocks! I love my truck, but the only thing worse than the General tires that came on it were these awful shocks. I'll bug y'all about tires sometime next year :-)

Thanks again everyone.

PS GIDDYUP: If you care to expound, what's a 'toe?'

 

I agree with GDDYUP, have them install the shocks and take they wife out, or install them yourself in about 2 hours and buy her something nice for Christmas and give it to her while you're getting ready to eat that steak dinner.

 

That's a very nice thought, suds5.4, and she definitely deserves it, but trust me: She'd much rather do w/o the gift than a: buy the tools for the job, and, b: listen to me cuss and rant and rave while I figured out what to do with them. (Nonetheless, one of my New Year's resolutions is to change my own oil, which would be an accomplishment along the lines of the first moon walk.)

Anyway, I have no regrets about foregoing the alignment; thanks very much for all the advice. Still true as an arrow.

By the way, the RS5000s are awesome! What an amazing improvement. I researched shocks to death on this web site, and I'm very glad I did. What an incredible resource this place is. Thanks again everyone.

-TXJHawk

 

No problem TXJ! Glad to help a fellow F150 owner! I've been married for 7 years and believe you me, I know what happens when you're trying to get something done that involves any kind of money!!!! LOL!

Anyways, "toe" is the measurment, in tenths of a degree, that the individual front tires are positioned either pointed towards the centerline of the truck, or towards the opposite from the centerline. Your tire is in one of three states : pointed towards the center of the truck (positive toe), towards the opposite of center or pointed out from the truck (negative toe), or absolutley straight in the chassis (neutral toe). Toe is the most important alignment angle when tire wear is involved.

Here is a decent link that will give you some background about alignment stuff....

Alignment angles and what they mean to you!