Just ordered four new General Grabber HTS tires for my sons 2001 K1500 Suburban. Upon installation, should we get a four wheel alignment or does this vehicle only require a two wheel alignment?

Tonight is its first oil/filter/air filter change since we got it the other day. Our next plan is to change all the diff fluids and transfer case gear oil and tranny fluid and filter.

I'm wondering if we should also change the coolant???? We are putting a new serpantine belt on also.

Gee, guess that's about if for now. Thanks everyone.

 

well, my '95 tahoe had leaf springs in the back, so u can not change anything with the rear axle.... so the only thing you can do is change some of the angles of the front, the toe in/out / etc

I've seen people pay for 4 wheel alighments on wranglers... I laugh at them... even sears told me there are 'some' adjustments. I said on a TJ.. there is ONE adjustment. Toe in and Toe out. THAT'S IT. (and technically wheel position). they ripped off this guy there, but he didn't look like a true Jeep man, so I kept my mouth shut. I don't think he would know toe angle from a leaf spring... (the TJ uses control arms)...

GeT your LEARN on:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete...e.jsp?techid=4

http://www.optimabatteries.com/optim...wtop/index.php

 

According to the TireRack link, he would need a thrust angle check to make sure there's been no frame damage.

If the TJs have control arms, why can't you do caster and camber adjustments? Was there no provision for shims at the attachment points?

Remember when Ford trucks had the Twin I-beam front ends? You could see big camber changes as it went over a bump or in a hole. Always wondered it that would tend to eat the edges of the tires.

 

No shims what so ever. Unless you count the first 1/2 of the 1997 model year. They dropped that quickly.

Off road abuse has the tendancy to destroy anything like a 'shim'.

Yea the old ford split axle thing! how did they not flip over ALL the time, such a stupid idea... watching them work was funny looking!

 

Yeah, I would imagine that the castor can be adjusted on the four links (front and rear), and that if a person didn't know what they were doing, the axle could be shifted to the side during adjustment. I'm not a TJ owner, so I',m guessing based on my knowledge of other link style suspensions.
Also, on some straight axles, I believe that some camber adjustment is possible if they have adjustable ball joints.

Sorry to get off track! On a standard rear leaf sprung rig, I would not recommend anything above a thrust alignment. That's just a front alignment that makes sure the front is squared off of the rear.

 

the TJ uses a factory 5 link setup 4 control arms and a trac bar that centers the axle left/right. it is not adjustable in any fashion.

The after market kit I put on my TJ that used solid steel control arms, a 3 link front w/trac bar and triangulated rear... had adjustments on EVERY piece... alighment guy hated it lol, but even with 5.5" of lift and 35" tires you could adjust EVERYTHING. you actually had to remove bolts to make changes, ensuring that once you set it, it's SET.