FREE ALIGNMENTS FOREVER - Stop Paying For Crappy Work 

I love that DIYer math. I saved $100… by spending $600. I do that all of the time but it sure has helped me build up a pretty decent tool cabinet in the garage and shed.

Crap work and arguments with “front desk guys” are the main reason I have takin to doing everything myself. Buy the way I used to work for a company that ran multiple top level race programs. We aligned cars with string and tape measures, it’s just math shops don’t have some kind of magic you can’t figure out.

The amount of Firestone alignments/suspension work I've had to fix over the years is mindblowing

The best alignment is still on a set of turn plates, using a measuring tape. It's more accurate than any alignment rack. I worked as a shop mechanic. I did a lot of alignments on a rack with a computer and sensors that set the shop back $250,000 or so. It's faster on the rack, especially if you have to replace parts, but anything you add like the wheel position sensors detracts from accuracy. A tape measure is still the most accurate. Also, if you wanna be the most accurate on your toe and camber, you need to put weight in the seats where people gonna be setting, at least the driver's seat as there's always a driver. On light two door sports cars, it's a necessity. They're so lightweight that there's a huge camber and slight toe difference with someone in the seat vs not. We were pretty particular with how we did our alignments, so we'd stick someone in the driver's seat on the smallest cars when we were doing an alignment. There was a pretty great crew where I worked at though. A lot of places just don't give a shit.

Wanna know some facts. I used to work at Firestone as a tech before i quit. One of the guys training me on the alignment rack (Hunter Rack). If they were lazy, they would quickly punch the tire to get it to bounce into spec on the computer and quickly run over and hit the "save" button on the computer for the print out results to "show the customer". Just food for thought guys. I didnt work with Firestone for long, maybe a month. I went into being a mobile mechanic because I wasnt taught to do shaddy work. My grandpa taught me that you do the job right the first time because you don't get paid twice. Be honest, I dont know everything but I'll tell you what, if i don't know. I will tell you that i don't know and I'm not very trained in this specific brand/model. Honesty goes a long way, it really does.

Raising and lowering the height will change camber,always adjust after height is set

@1:04 It's technically called 4 wheel "Thrust line" alignment. The front wheels are aligned to the rear wheels.

I'm sixty eight years old. Been around vehicals from a hands on point like your son. Helping Dad, uncles and older brothers. I can remember the tyre/tire guys having basic gear just like you were using with a few little differences, they also had a book with reference numbers and make their adjustments, if you were still having problems they would apply experience, they would ask a bunch of questions and adjust to what their experience told them, they were usually spot on. These days most of the guys don't really understand what they are trying to accomplish and would not be able to do the job if there wasn't a computer attached. Good show.

I've been doing my own wheel alignment with 4 laser levels, magnetic clamps, a long straight edge and tape measure. Piece a cake. You can use the old trick of sandwiching two vinyl floor tile squares with some wheel bearing grease in between to slip under the tires to allow them to turn easily.

I'll go with 9 alignments from an experienced mechanic using professional equipment before paying the same for this kit. Thanks for the show and tell.

RE: 4-wheel alignment requirement - rear thrust angle is required to set your steering wheel angle. For example: presume your wheels and steering wheel are perfectly aligned, then adjust your rear beam axle position (i.e. left tire forward, right tire backward). Now your vehicle dog-tracks and you must counter-steer to drive straight down the road. Now, your steering wheel is mis-aligned. Thus, rear axle measurement matters for setting the steering wheel angle.

While the shop is wrong about being able to adjust the rear of your truck, the machine needs all 4 alignment heads setup to measure thrust line (center line). It then compares the center line of the vehicle to each wheel to make sure the adjustments made on toe\camber\caster don't push it out of center alignment. If only the front was measured, then there's no way to know if the rear is aligned with the front and the vehicle doesn't crab down the road. Yes, the front can be aligned separately but without measuring the rear and thrust line, your truck may not go down the road straight. FYI

I’m dealing with shop not aligning my truck correct at this moment, second TIME, while I watch your vid. Great explanation of just what goes into an alignment and it drives me nuts my steering wheel not straight as well. New subscriber because as a DIY for most things vehicles I am learning more about all the time and it’s save me big money so far doing it myself.

I haven't been to a Firestone store since about 1981. I took a Dodge Aspen to the one at Weatherly Road and Memorial Parkway in Huntsville, Alabama, for alignment and a grease job. I waited in the waiting area until they got done and paid them. Going home, the car still pulled to the left, so I suspected that they hadn't done anything. I checked the grease fittings. Some were still covered in dirt. None had been touched. I took it back to them, and they did the grease job. But since I couldn't trust them anymore to do something as important as alignment, I took it to another place for that and haven't been back to Firestone for anything since. My advice is that no one take ANYTHING to them, ever.

Most shops do free alignment checks. Would have been interesting to see a print out from one of the machines to compare measurements and see how well it came out.

Just listened to your Costs and "The Wife's" look on her face. Epic.

Back in my racing days, I fabricated my own brackets to check camber with an angle finder and use fishing string to adjust toe. The caster would be adjusted to full positive. For the turning plates, 2 pieces of 12x12 vinyl tile, with a dab of oil between them, for each wheel.

i worked as an alinement and drivability tech. constantly worked on stuff other guys got wrong and bought a similar set on amazon. i was kinda nervous to watch you as i dont trust people to do alignments anymore. good job.

I'm a little flustered at this video... I have literally made a pretty identical alignment tool to that along time ago. I honestly now wish I had patented it. I've had people tell me I can't align a vehicle without an alignment rack. Well I've been aligning my own and friends/ families vehicles for years pretty much like this. They all drive straight with straight steering wheels and no excess of tire wear. Mine is a pretty identical tool too be honest. I used to use a buble level, only recently use a bubble level and a digital angle finder And I've always settled on 1/16 of toe in.

When I used to do alignments I did them with the vehicle running so the alignment is set with the power steering pump running. An alignment with the pump off vs pump can make a big difference in steering wheel placement and alignment.

I have started doing my own alignments and found that my cars were never properly aligned. There is no point in having a super-accurate machine if it's not used properly. Even with an expensive machine on a 4-post, the operator still needs patience, care, and attention.

Every home mechanic needs a helper, and looks like you have one of the best! :) Oh, nice DIY as well!

Keep in mind your also buying common sense and knowledge. Most tire stores don't care and they are repetitious. You care and love learning. I bought a 2013 Toyota Highlander, the salesman said you have brand new tires on this... 7 months later, including 3 tire balancing and 1 4 wheel alignment I was still getting alot of road noise, it road rough and just not good. I finally said the heck with it and bought a set of Falken Wildpeak. The sales guy asked are you sure you want such an agressive tire and not an all season. I asked him if he wanted my business. He also had a really cool tool that read the serial number on my current tires and they were 2 years old. So, the dealership I bought this 2013 from put a set of NEVER driven 2 year old tires on my Highlander. Nice... These dang so called agressive Falkens drive smoother than any highway tire I have ever had and they are quiet. And it drives straight.

Drop a plumb-bob from the centerline of your car at the front and rear axle, pull fishing line down each side measured from the centerline, measure distances top and bottom for camber and front and back for toe. If you can measure plus or minus 1/32" on a 17" wheel you can get accuracy plus or minus 0.08 degrees.

Pro tip, recheck all angles after setting toe, changing toe by large amounts will change camber, especially on vehicles with high caster numbers. I always set toe first then caster/camber. then reset toe and verify cam/cas hasn't moved after. The reason for checking the rear on a straight axle design, 4-wheel alignment, is to verify the thrust angle of the rear is in tolerance, ensure frame is not offset, also helps in setting toe so the steering wheel is straight, i.e. if rear thrust angle favors the right, and you ignore the rear angle your steering wheel will appear to turn right while driving straight. I would still verify accuracy of wheel alignment attachment, jack up wheel and check three equal points of wheel to see if all three camber points on wheel the same camber reading before doing actual alignment, if it is off the least little bit, alignment can eat tires or pull after adjusting alignment angles to perfect numbers.

I love you're swift process. no blabla, no loud music, no unnecessary talk. (not that it's all bad but during a "how to" it gets in the way) sweet knowledge.

Your jr. mechanic is great and show a lot of potential.

Your common sense surpasses your thriftiness. Kudos to you for learning how and when to pick your fights haha.

There is usually at least one reputable shop with good honest techs and staff in any given area you just may have to do some asking around. As a tech who specializes in driveability/diagnostics I know how hard that can be. I am constantly fixing cars that have been to multiple shops with horror stories that turn out to be something simple that any competent tech should’ve found. Cars are becoming more and more complex and sadly there are a lot of guys out there that just refuse to put forth the effort to keep up with modern technologies yet want to stay in the industry. Ask around and look for a shop that cares enough to send their techs to training and stands behind their work. Sometimes it may seem more expensive at a shop like this but I assure you that you’ll save money in the long run as they’ll diagnose and fix your car right the FIRST time instead of throwing parts at the problem and making excuses for why they had to change it and the problem still exists. The amount of knowledge required and the amount of investment in equipment required to be a great technician who works on all makes and models would surprise a lot of people.

I bought the lifetime alignment package from pep boys for $200. They've been great. Now I get 2 alignments per year for free.

Go to an independent shop with a hunter machine. Stay away from chain stores.

If toe is in a bit you won't be able to tell by driving down the road, eventually you'll realize it's of when you get a tire wear.

If you were to use a piece of string. Cross both back tires and then up to the front on both sides. Center the steering wheel and adjust the fronts to touch the string evenly. It would be straight. Relative to the rear.

When the guy who installed an aftermarket suspension brings his truck to the mechanic to be aligned…. Firestone is just as happy that you did it yourself.

I love how Firestone tries to say brand new parts are worn out

4 wheel alignment aligns front wheels with the rear wheels as reference.

If you have a bent wheel you're going to have bad alignment alignment shops don't check that and if you get this tool make sure you check your wheels it's very important

Your technical information is outstanding and impressive but more impecable is your kid side by side learning from the very beginning the knowledge required in the industry, " CONGRATULATIONS " ", that is very wise approach in life, at my 71 years of age and been born and raised in the mechanical field on gasoline and diesel I can tell how important that is, your wonderful kid is gathering what's required to become a highly knowledgeable person can become, blessings to you and your love ones, from the endless summer paradise Puerto Rico Jesus Torres.

I wanted to say I love the videos! Thanks for introducing me to AWE exhaust!!! I put it on my trail boss and I love it!!!

I had replace my both lower control arms,both upper control arms, both struts, both ball joints, and i took my suv to big 0 tires for aglinment and they didn't know what a camber bolts means, my camber are underneath my suv theres three bolts and it's injustabled, big 0 tires was trying to spam me with sum camber bolt that cost $129 and that two bolts doesn't go anywhere on my sepension, there also trying to charge me $600 all together with aglinment, i was like am going to Firestone and they know what a camber was and camber bolts, they injust my camber perfect and cost me $130 for aglinment, but after Firestone finish my aglinment, i took my torque wrench and i torque specs my lower control arms bolts ,195 lbs, but Firestone did better then big 0 tires, great video man 👍🏻

If you can't afford turn plates.. For each side cut 2 tin plates using grease in between. Cut plates big enough to extend a few inches all around bottom of tire that is on the floor.

As a former Firestone tech who did do alignments I can confirm everything with a straight axle rear that doesn’t use some sort of multi-link system to align the axle does not need an alignment in the rear. If it is fucked enough in the rear to be mis-aligned it needs parts replaced and that’s much more expensive depending on what it is. But I think this is more a store policy/computer issue. I don’t think there’s an option in the computer to just align one axle.

You can get a Alignment rack with the computer and lasers for $10k, might have to look into one of those alignment tools. I'm at the point where I'm getting tired of having to double pay for things due to other peoples errors. I can never find someone around me who I would love to constantly take stuff to, plus when your constantly going in and some sort of suspension work or work that requires suspension to be disconnect it sucks to have to repay for alignment afterword's. and after having to train a tire shop on how to deal with my special Icon Rebound Pro rims and getting charged extra per wheel for mounting I'm considering looking into the tire changing machines with the mount and balance combo for $3k. Cause then I would have unlimited balances and rebalances for free plus be able to set the weights correctly for clearance of the caliper. (life of a 17" on a 16" brake 😆)

Fewer headaches to leave your trucks all stock and a lot safer and cheaper to maintain.

Wife's reaction around 13:30 was accurate in my experience. :)

The Tire Discounters in my area offers wheel alignments for a one and done or you can get a 3 or 5 year wheel alignment package. I recently purchased the 5 year wheel alignment package for a little under 200$ and I had the 3 year package but it expired in May of this year. Awesome tool you got there! Also very nice garage and setup!

cool video. going to get an alignment in the next week and wish I had something like this but I agree with your review on it that it seems too expensive and could be built to measure more reliably.

Nice build man. When you swap to 37 i suggest a steering brace. Stay safe! 🤙

I did alignmemnt years ago and used both Bear and Hunter equipment. No matter how sophisticated your equipment is, it is no better that the operator. Also, customers will hit 3 speed bumps and 6 potholes before they have driven 5 miles from the shop and wonder why their new alignment doesn't drive good.

The Alignment machine aligns the front by comparing the front to the back axles. The rear axles can move. The little stud on the springs doesn’t fit tight. I went to the Hunter Alignment School I’m not just guessing. This tool looks great

Great vid. I don't want to do my own alignments but Im looking into it now. I typically bolt on new arms, coli-overs, etc and took it in but over the past couple years I can no longer find an honest shop or you need to jump from shop to shop because they are no longer honest but this other guy is running an honest shop, for now. Nice garage, I wish I could fit my truck in my Garage.

Longacre Racing makes good alignment products. They are not cheap, but they are good products.

I ended up doing exactly the same thing. Bought laser alighmrnt kit for 1400 GBP, plus turn plates, steering wheel level, camber and caster measuring tool, all because local garage only adjust toe. Not chamber or caster. It's a real problem in England with all the potholes, knocking out the tracking on cars and garages avoiding doing the work properly as they don't want to spend the time on it.

I pretty much did the same thing when I was a truck mechanic.Nice

I'm doing a front end suspension rebuild currently on my 2008 Silverado 3500hd 4x4 DRW to include new hubs. The nearest alignment shop is some 50 miles away and down hill some 3,000 feet here in the Colorado Rocky's. Alignment job is approximately $100 and the round trip is about $60 in gas (6.0L engine) along with, a guy that seems "sketchy" doing the job. lol I'm glad your channel came up as a recommendation! It's cheaper to rebuild a dually than to buy another!

I hate paying people to do things that I can or should be able to do myself - so I love this - much rather pay for a tool like this to DIY alignments than pay for Firestone's lifetime alignment that never gets done right anyway

Not plugging Firestone but I get free lifetime alignment, tire rotation and tire repair. The truck is you have to go to a manager or upper person and ask to make sure it's all done well. As he said sometimes you don't get the brightest person. They have been super good to me though, also saved me 600 bucks for something another garage was 1700 and I only ended up paying 1100 at fire stone in the end

Great video and good on you for having a go. If you are "playing" with suspension, wheel track or base, and/or wheel diameter then a wheel alignment is needed. As you do do these changes, having you alignment gear makes sense. Also you can experiment what works best for your setup. Old school alignment (done 1000's this way). That is exactly how I did alignments back in the 70's except no digital levels, just level bubbles. Pro tip: Due to camber in the road (road off side is normally lower to let water run off the road) the off side (passenger side) should have 1/2 degree more CASTER. The big trick is to try to ensure your work space is as level as possible. Also check your wheel base front to back on each side (wheel center to wheel center). As your rear suspension is not alignable, any difference from side to side can mean: worn bushes, bent axle housing, bent chassis, bent front control arms, worn ball joints, etc. Allowable in my opinion is about an 1/8 inch (be lucky to be less in a new vehicle from the factory). If you have a difference I seem to remember that more cast may be required on the short side to compensate for the crabbing. As you make changes there are some things that may require alignment tweaks (away from manufacturers specs). As you widen the front wheel track the camber may need to change (and sometimes not as you think), also the toe in may need to change. I've done a bit with race and modified vehicles. I still have the turn tables in storage ........... I think. 🙂

Same adjustment points as my 1960 Mopar cars. With the wishbone upper control arm, you have the two bushings with eccentric cams which move each end in and out laterally. With those two variables, you can set both camber and caster. We get the most caster possible (rear side in max) and even then need special Moog offset bushings to get enough caster for radial tires (old bias ply would deflect backwards when driving). Camber is more of a driver's choice, as witnessed by the extreme neg camber in some tuner cars. Factory spec for mine was actually slight pos camber (tops lean out) but I set a slight neg camber. Not all cars allow adjusting both caster and camber using adjusters, and might require shim plates. Toe-in setting is the most critical for handling and to avoid tread wear. If the front and rear tracks are the same, you can quickly check toe-in by holding a straight-edge along the front tire and sight at the rear tire. You want the sight hitting ~1" off the rear tire for RWD and ~1" inward for FWD (easier, at 1st tread channel in my minivan). For exact, use a tape measure on fwd and aft side of front tires, as shown, but can just use the channels in the tires rather than the bolt on fixtures. The purpose of setting any toe-in is to account for play in the suspension. You need less if all parts (bushings and ball-joints) are new and tight.

Hell yeah man always makes my day to see a video from you. And yeah I was absent blown away by Kens death,he truly was a visionary. KB43VER

For race cars they have a tow gauge and they make a magnetic caster camber gauge also. All real simple to use. Old school 😊

Minor note, alignments are normally off so that you will veer away from oncoming traffic in the event you fall asleep at the wheel.

I feel your pain on finding a competent alignment place. Try getting an alignment on my Trailblazer SS and get told there is no camber adjustment. Then I have to show them how to do their job. Most places set toe and send it out the door unfortunately.

I used to think Firestone was a great deal for alignments since they actually have the special gear to handle my car...until the dude decided having negative camber wasn't needed and I ended up rubbing and then creasing my front fender. I take it to a race shop now. They are still decent for oil changes and the Penzoil Platiinum is a respected good brand.

Can’t believe they wanted to charge you a 4 wheel alignment. When a thrust angle alignment is the best that is offered. That’s Firestone for you. They’ll also align your vehicle without checking the suspension as well. Who knew?!!

when your are a professional fabricator or machinest measuring to 0.015 of an inch is no problem ...its routine...more than accurate for an alignment ...its all geometry, if you know what your doing you can be very accurate..you dont need a kit either ...use scrap aluminum ect and clamps ect

great job on the video- I learned plenty. I also learned that unless you change your suspension every other week, spending $900 is hard to justify. On the other hand, doing it yourself is why most of us are even here. I'll stick with my tape measure and string. Anyway- great video- well done.

I have personally aligned trucks in my past and the Firestone employee is correct. Though it is atypical to require a rear end alignment on a truck, lifted trucks do need the rear end to be aligned. Some blocks aren't installed completely square and can cause the rear end to dog track and need the block locator pins to be ground out to create a slot so the rear end tracks straight.

You're not wrong. The majority of talented techs are worth more in industrial maintenance, A&P, etc. The felons n dunce caps are the wrenches in automotive, cutting corners on flatrate...

I sell used tires, always wanted to do allinement but not gonna see me buy an expensive machine. But with a set like this. I can see myselve do it. Here in thirdworld half of the cars are twistedup garbagebins with no law that inforces anything so people litterly driving around in deathtraps. Thanks for the video im gonna dive.in this.

I purchased the lifetime alignment from Firestone ($299) for our 2002 Landcruiser. I've found that each store has had different results. They are minute; however, it definitely pays to find the best one in your area.

Videos like this crack me up. It's always guys like this that want a $100 alignment on their aftermarket suspension that will require a several hour adjustment and then call out shops that don't wanna touch that truck with a ten foot pole. Bring it to my shop for whatever you need, but be ready to pay if it's not stock. 20 years running a shop, and I wouldn't touch that trucks alignment for less than a grand. Thank God you found a way to adjust it yourself.

love ur videos keep up the great work

Great video bud! I've been having issues findinga a spot where they do an accurate alignment shiii you gave me ideas😎🤠🦁

It still baffles me that an 18 yr old with zero experience/schooling can work at Walmart changing tires. No shade to the 18 yr old. Its just wild to know that something so vital can be done by people with zero experience/skill.

You don't need drive on plates. A heavy duty outdoor plastic trash bag or similar thick plastic drop cloth material. Two pieces with oil or grease in between. Drive right onto them, tires will turn just as easily.

Most shops don’t offer a two wheel alignment anymore. They are going to hook up all four sensors regardless. Even though there’s no adjustment for the rear you’re still getting the measurements on the entire suspension. You could have a sheered center pin that would be caught by a better alignment machine. But yes, don’t go to Firestone.

LOL 0:34...a True Firedstoner moment I am sure.

I got to Hibdon tire to get my Tacoma aligned. They do good work and offer a 6 month warranty on their alignments

first!!! love the videos man! so inspiring

A 4 wheel alignment is not just for adjusting the rear it is to align the centerline of the vehicle so both front and back are going in the same direction, a 2 wheel alignment is a toe alignment so both front tires go in the same direction but all new vehicles use a steering angle sensor and the ABS, Cruise control and traction control all use it to know where the front tires are pointed so if you only do a 2 wheel alignment you may have issues with everything else.

very good job , loved the video

Remember that style set up being used for alignment back to the 1970s

That's what some people don't get...I (and others) only have a nice car because we do all the work ourselves....they don't see the nights spent on the ground pulling the transmission out

Awesome video !!

I've done damn good alignments with an aluminum step ladder, a level and a tape measure.

Love the Hawai'i Monarchy Flag you have! Mahalo.

Nice work!

i see you one of the smart ones and moved out of hawaii thanks for showing us this product.

Great video !

Cool video, I agree if you change your ride height often it's prob worth the effort.

My GMC dealer does a free alignment check with a printed readout. I bring the readout home and make the adjustment in my driveway.

Yummy truck and tips... cheers!

This is exactly what I’m looking for, the tools. I shipped my truck from El Paso, TX to Germany and I’m about to lift my truck. I like doing things on my own as well. Much mahalos.

AWESOME VIDEO! Dude, you are doing to recover your $600 in short order. Well Done! Those wheels are smokin' hot.

Yes its true that you can't align the rear but with readings from the rear you can adjust the fronts to no only wear correctly but also drive straight. If the rear is tweaked a little bit and you only put sensors up front you could end up with the vehicle pulling and or a crooked steering wheel

Lol wow you’re in my home town I moved hear 1972 when I was 12 done alignments for years we got bumps hear, I started working on forklifts back in 2011, I miss working on cars and trucks you got a nice truck

so what you are saying, is you don't know what a four wheel alignment really is. I know this because you understand that is putting the FOUR wheels in LINE! With old cars we loosened the steering wheel so that we could put it back on in the straight position out on the road, that can not be done with cars of today. People don't realize that what we were doing in the 80's and 90's with the light beam alignments was aligning the front wheels with the rear wheels ( a four wheel alignment ). I performed tens of thousands of them with light beams or the old rod method for more years than I care to remember. But you are right about finding someone to do a proper alignment, most of what you get is a set the toe and let it go, that you can do in your dirt driveway with a tape measure. The alignment doesn't make money, it's the repairs that do so shops don't want the proper amount of time spent on the alignment. The faster you can get it down and out, the more money you make. Speed is king.

I do alignments for a living. When i am using a torch, cheater bars and sledgehammers as well as replacing cam bolts it's worth it. My shop charges $130 for an alignments. And you are very correct, you don't align the rear end on a Silverado.

Watching this, makes me wanna take my truck to an alignment shop.....lol...