DIY Alignment Tools

[Zhehan]

I needed a front end wheel alignment for a couple of reasons:

1. The outer edge of the right front tire was showing some wear and feathering. Looking at that wheel/tire from the front of the truck showed it was tilting outward at the top a little bit, so Positive Camber was a problem.

2. The steering wheel wasn't centered.

Any shop willing to touch my truck with all the aftermarket parts on it wanted $130-$170 to do the alignment. Luckily, our front suspension is pretty simple and the rear isn't adjustable without aftermarket adjustable arms. I had done alignments professionally decades ago, so I had that experience to rely on as well. I planned to rotate the tires while I was at it since it was time.

I bought a set of Wheel Toe Alignment plates, a Camber/Caster measuring tool and a Steering Wheel Holder.

Here's what I got:

Amazon.com - Toe Plates

Amazon.com - Camber/Caster tool

Amazon.com - Steering Wheel Holder

They all worked as advertised and made the job pretty simple. My steering wheel is now straight, the Camber and Toe are correct, the truck drives straight and the steering feels great. All told, I paid $85.59 for the tools and I can use them on more than just the 4Runner.

There a plenty of videos out there on how to use these tools. The instructions that come with the Toe Plates aren't that great. The only real downside to the Toe adjustment job is that you have to remove the front wheels to use the Toe Plates.

My wheels are kind of deep, making it a bit difficult to read the Camber gauge, but I still got the job done. I was right and there was at least 1* of positive Caster which was causing the outer edge of the tire to wear. I

It was worth it to me to save money and do the job myself.

That is all. Carry on.

 

[2TH4IST]

Sounds good. I too will probably have to do this as I can't find a competent shop that can work with the spc upper front control arms. I have cam eliminators on the lower arms.

 

[Zhehan]

A LOT of shops are just "Toe n Go" when it comes to alignments. Additionally, shops nowadays don't want to work your vehicle if you worked on it yourself or have custom parts. Liability, I suppose? It's really f*cked. Pay a lot of money for a crappy job, or get outright refusal to do the work. There are shops here who work on modified vehicles, but you have to pay for that privilege.

Good luck with your alignment if you decide to go the DIY route.

 

[KD5NRH]

You fancy lads never cease to post stuff that threatens my budget. What ever happened to a couple of strings and a machinist rule?

Are you able to Photoshop it on like they do in the Amazon listing, or do you actually have to get stuff out of the way first?

 

[Zhehan]

As I mentioned in my original post, you have to remove the wheels in order to install the Toe plates. That's the downside. The upside is that they seem to be well made and include 2x tape measures. Metric tape measures, but that's not a big deal to me. The Camber/Caster tool does not require you to remove the wheels and it's probably better if you don't.

Here's a video on using Toe plates that are similar to mine: https://youtu.be/BkYpgKhfMV8?si=AyGr_jbx6N3oVqXK

Here's an entertaining video of how to use the Camber/Caster tool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQy_OwtrRsk

 

[3bears]

thanks for sharing this, I will be doing mine soon

 

[Zhehan]

YW. Hope it goes well!

 

[KD5NRH]

As I mentioned in my original post, you have to remove the wheels in order to install the Toe plates. That's the downside.

Where exactly are you putting the jack stands for this? I'm assuming you're keeping the suspension loaded, but where's the most stable spot for that on the RWD 3rd gens?

 

[Zhehan]

For the Toe alignment, you don't need the suspension loaded, so I'm just supporting the truck on the frame rails. I made the Camber adjustment with the wheels on the ground. The alignment cams are easy to move if they aren't rusted in place, even with the weight of the truck on the wheels. That's how it's done in the shop, but they have the advantage of movable wheel pads. You can also buy those if you want to get real fancy. Without those the only thing you need to do is cycle the suspension to check your adjustments. So, either jack it up to lift the wheels off the ground, and then drop it back down, or move the steering wheel back and forth whilst also moving the truck.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

 

[3bears]

so looking at my calipers the other day while switching to winter wheells/tires and thinking of doing a self alignment in a month or so...and looking at the tools listed,,,does the toe plates clear the calipers ? running tbu if that makes a difference.
also a lot of specs list degrees, how do I change that using tape measure to inches...or do you just go with getting both tapes to read the same ?

next time you do it take pictures.

 

[Zhehan]

so looking at my calipers the other day while switching to winter wheells/tires and thinking of doing a self alignment in a month or so...and looking at the tools listed,,,does the toe plates clear the calipers ? running tbu if that makes a difference.
also a lot of specs list degrees, how do I change that using tape measure to inches...or do you just go with getting both tapes to read the same ?

next time you do it take pictures.

The Toe Plates will probably not clear your Tundra calipers.

0.1* = 1/16"

1/16" = 1.58mm

It's not very much toe-in, but you want the front measurement to be the smaller of the 2. It's easy to read the markings on the tape measures this system comes with. They are metric. So, a little less than 2mm's toe-in is what you're shooting for.

This isn't the only way to do this at home. There are ton of tutorials on other methods. The Camber/Caster tool is pretty handy though.

 

[AuSeeker]

The Toe Plates will probably not clear your Tundra calipers.

0.1* = 1/16"

1/16" = 1.58mm

It's not very much toe-in, but you want the front measurement to be the smaller of the 2. It's easy to read the markings on the tape measures this system comes with. They are metric. So, a little less than 2mm's toe-in is what you're shooting for.

This isn't the only way to do this at home. There are ton of tutorials on other methods. The Camber/Caster tool is pretty handy though.

Just to be clear, is that 1/10th of a degree or 1 degree = 1/16"??

 

[Atimm693]

I have a similar set and have used it with success. It's a pain to schedule an alignment and wait around for hours.

I have used it both with the wheels on the ground, indexing the toe plates off of the lip of the wheel, or with the wheels off indexing on the rotors. The former is more difficult to adjust, but I believe it's always best to do the toe adjustment at ride height. No matter how you place your jack stands, I've found it pretty much impossible to get the suspension at the same height on them versus with the wheels on.

 

[3bears]

The Toe Plates will probably not clear your Tundra calipers. .

crap

 

[Zhehan]

Just to be clear, is that 1/10th of a degree or 1 degree = 1/16"??

1/10 of a degree = 1/16" concerning the Toe adjustment

 

[3bears]

The Toe Plates will probably not clear your Tundra calipers.

0.1* = 1/16"

1/16" = 1.58mm

It's not very much toe-in, but you want the front measurement to be the smaller of the 2. It's easy to read the markings on the tape measures this system comes with. They are metric. So, a little less than 2mm's toe-in is what you're shooting for.

This isn't the only way to do this at home. There are ton of tutorials on other methods. The Camber/Caster tool is pretty handy though.

with all the mods you have done...listed...your still running stock 3rd gen rotors and calipers ?

 

[Zhehan]

with all the mods you have done...listed...your still running stock 3rd gen rotors and calipers ?

Yes. Truck stops just fine.

EDIT: To add to this, I didn't need to do brakes on this truck until 147,000+ miles. This was with 33" tires and lots of wheeling for years. I didn't see a need to upgrade.

 

[NachesPass4x4]

I have a question about the toe plates. I see alot of good companies selling these but none of them are long enough to match larger tires. To get an accurate toe setting for a 37" tire don't you need a 37"+ tow plate, or am I missing something? If you want 1/8" tow and measure with a 30" plate, I would think it would be off a fair bit at 37".

My experience is all with solid axle trucks, so the IFS stuff is new to me. I'm pleased to see it can be aligned at home.

 

[Zhehan]

These types of Toe plates require you to remove the wheels. Put the front of the truck on jack stands. Let the suspension droop. Make sure the truck is level front to back and side to side. Once you've done that, mount the plates to the hub. You don't need to be at ride height to set Toe. Camber can be done without being at ride height as well, but it's better to do those measurements and adjustments with the tires on the ground. Caster needs to be measured and set with tires on the ground.

 

[phattyduck]

You don't need to be at ride height to set Toe. Camber can be done without being at ride height as well, but it's better to do those measurements and adjustments with the tires on the ground. Caster needs to be measured and set with tires on the ground.

Whoa there, bump steer is a thing, and camber changes with suspension bump/droop when you have unequal length non parallel a-arms. I would only adjust suspension settings at ride height on an IFS vehicle. You can set toe on a solid axle up in the air though...

-Charlie