Hello, I have a 2005 F150 4x4. I had an leveling kit(2.5"autospring) placed a few months back. I had an alignment done as well. Since I don't drive my truck very much and the alignment shop was not far away i did not notice any problems,But I went on a 60 mile trip and noticed that my vehicle drifts to the right. I had an alignment re-checked and expressed the concern to the auto shop. They said that the vehicle was IN-SPEC. After I drove the vehicle I noticed that it was not different and so I took it again. The tech said that I needed to put shims to get the adjustment perfectly but that he could not do it at that moment and so he said he would set it as close as he could to compensate for the drifting to the right. Well, this morning, after 6 hours and 236 dollars later, I finally drove the vehicle and it is doing the same thing even after the shims. The alignment guy says that it was perfect and that if I had problems with it; it would not be due to alignment.It still drifts to the right. Now I realize that there is a crown on the road that causes this at times but I don't believe it happens when you let go of the steering wheel and in all situations and road surfaces. I called Les Schwab again and they seemed pretty upset since i have been there 4 times for the same issue. I don't think they want to see me anymore but I don't feel like paying for another alignment somewhere else. So could this be a tire problem? Could the shop that installed the autospring have damaged something on the right side?(ball joint, Spring?) or would the adjustment have to be corrected out of spec?? anyone with this type of situation?? Thanks

 

Something you can try on your own is to swap the two front tires side to side. If the pull or drift changes direction then the tires would be the cause. If there is no change then it is in the alignment. Just because it is in "SPEC" does not mean it is going to cure problems. I would suggest a better alignment shop. A good alignment shop will set-up the truck to drive correctly, with good tire wear no matter what thoes "SPECS" say. The caster can be stagered to compensate for the pull. In Michigan here we have an aggressive road crown, and when I do an alignment I offset the caster for the road crown. With a fully adjustable front end, good tires, and a tight front end (on an '05 there should be no problems) there is no excuse for it not driving straight (except an idiot doing the alignment).

 

Thank you sincerely for your input. I will definitely do that and give it a try. If not i will pay for someone else to fix it as long as it is DONE RIGHT. Thanks.

 

That is a major problem with les schwab tire stores. They will only set the alignment to exactly what the book says. They will not compensate for crown or any other factors(lift, tires, offset wheels, ext....). If you cannot get them to correct the problem ask for a refund and go to a more user friendly shop.

 

Thats the problem with corporate owned stores. All you need is some little privately held good ol boy shop, and they'll set it to whatever you want. If it pulls to the right, tap it out to the left a thread or two!