put on new front shocks?

 

Not that I'm aware of.

 

not unless you really wanna spend the extra money on it...

 

No you don't

 

if the new shocks affect the 'at rest' height of the suspension, then yes you should get an alignment.
if the new shocks did nothing to make the truck sit any higher or lower than it was when the last alignment was done, then no.

 

on the other hand it could'nt hurt and might save you money down the road... $70 or so for an alignment is cheaper than $250+ for new front tires.

 

and 150 for a lifetime alignment from Firestone is cheaper than whatever down the line.

 

no you dont. And shocks don't change the height of our trucks Abec

 

Some do depending on what gets installed. I knew a guy years ago who bought and installed some shocks meant for a 6" lift on a stock rig (different make than ours) looking for the "lift" the shocks provided, yeah he wasn't very smart, and it jacked up the alignment on his rig a whole lot. I'm not saying th OP intends this but folks do strange things sometimes....

 

So he installed a shock meant for a lift... so in otherwords he installed a longer shock than could fit? So my guess is it bottomed out prematurely. Even with a shock hitting bottom, not sure how this effects alignment.

Bad shocks, or ones bottoming out because theres no travel (ie this moron you speak of) would effect how the truck handles but not its alignment.

Still, shocks don't effect alignment on our rigs.

 

some shocks, particularly ones with a 'pre-charge' can affect the ride height, and consequently the alignment.
yeah, okay.

 

I got nitrogen charged OME shocks. If you can collapse the shocks by hand, then they certainly aren't going to affect your ride height. I've never seen a shock personally that is charged enough to lift the truck

 

Short and simple: No.

All gas shocks are pre-charged. But shocks do not carry weight. Once in their normal operation range, the pressure they exert is less than 30lbs... certainly not going to affect your alignment.

 

the shocks on my 91, though meant for the 3.5" lift installed, raised the truck about 1/2" above the non-shock height when I installed them. the shocks were the last thing I installed and it set higher after I put them in... so?

 

so the point being- if the shocks installed affect the ride height (like I alluded to) an alignment should be done.

 

I suppose we can argue all we want, if you all would like.

so, don't get an alignment, or get one.

 

now these effect ride height



In action:



but these...



do not.




I was kinda thinking. If my shocks lifted my truck with such little force they undeniably exert. Should I go get an alignment everytime someone sits in my rig... or when its just me? ... hmm what about a load of firewood, or when I take my spare tire out to fill the back with recycle and garbage? Hey.... this all does effect the ride height. So.... oh what about a Full tank vs when she's empty? =/ ...hrmm....

 

"...and 150 for a lifetime alignment from Firestone is cheaper than whatever down the line..."

IF, the Firestone Store is still there tomorrow... ;-)

The real lifetime alignment is learning to do it yourself!

 

Except that in my case it's $250 per side. Let's just say anytime I do anything at all to either my front end, or the rear end I go get a $59 computerized alignment done. I can't afford to take chances with my tires...

 

IF you decide not to align, which you may or may not need, you buy the tires, so you are responsible for them. At the very least, keep an eye on the tread wear, and rotate your tires every other oil change, unless you run amsoil, then you may need to rotate more often, maybe every 6 months.