Since it seems that the ATS A-Arms are not fully understood. I have added a section to my site that further attempts to explain exactly what they do and how the vehicle is affected.

I also go into detail so you can determine if your vehicle was correctly aligned after the arms were installed.

Finding a shop that actually has a technician who is knowledgeable enough to align the modified vehicle may prove to be your biggest challenge. Hopefully this additional info helps.


http://www.fastq.com/~sschaefer/ats.html

 

I think the key also is to have the guy performing the alignment start by bringing the lower arms all the way out - this is where the job needs to start, then slowly bring the lowers in to get the right numbers.

 

You might want to post this over on 4x4wire, Ryan Taylor is still having problems with his alignment and the ATS arms.

 

steve doesnt post over there anymore but it obvious this post was intended for me.

thanks steve, gonna check it out later tonight.

 

Scott at ATS verified with me that taco and 4R arms are IDENTICAL. about the time steve got his first set of arms, ATS shortened the arms a small fraction of an inch for better adjustability, but there is no difference between the taco and 4R arms made today.

 

heres a pic: gonna get a better shop to do an alignment and then report back...

 

I can see from your photo that the lower arm cams are not adjusted all the way out. They look like they are in the stock position to me. Which would indicate that your camber was even slightly off with the stock arms as well after your lift.

Look for a shop that specializes in 4WD vehicles, this my be hard to find in Georgia. Like Curt said, move the arms all the way out and start back in to fine tune it. He had his alignement re-done in Arizona at the "place" as well.

Hopefully you will find a knowledgeable aligner and them be sure to re-post back that the arms are a fine quality product as Gadget and Myself have stated.

 

I have no clue what it is about alignment shops, because this is quite a simple thing to understand, but I found it impossible to get a shop to do this. It was like it was rocket science and I was the only one who understood what had to be done. In the end I had to adjust my cams all the way out myself because no one seemed to get it. I don't understand how you can take your junk in for an alignment and get it back clearly unaligned, but it happened to me twice, and I got tired of arguing with them...

 

How is (measurable) additional travel achieved with these? If the lower arm is still the same length, and the upper arm is only a 1/4" longer, then how can the arc of travel really be effected that much? Just curious. I can see how moving the arms out further from the center of the vehicle will give a wider stance (an inch overall?) but the distance from the pivot point (at cam adjustment) to the lower spindle attachment has not changed, so how is more travel achieved? If so, were you able to actually measure the difference in travel?

 

I hear you. These arms help a bit but don't expect miracles. I think the real gains are as follows.

1. Wider stance, 2" overall.
2. Much better ball joint angle with the lift.
3. More tire/rim clearance, no arm shaving.
4. 1" of additonal droop assumeing you have a shock that will allow this.
5. They look cool with the ProComp stlye crinkle powdercoat.

Think of them as a $300 piece of gingerbred to compliment the Sway-A-Way Race Runners. Alot like the PanHard drop bracket for a 4Runner, nice but not a show stoper.

 

That's the summary I was looking for. Thanks

I didn't realize it was 2" wider. That's pretty nice.

Definitely something I would consider, as I would like to get wider, but don't really want wider tires.

 

This is the only reason that I bought them. After a couple of conversations with ATS arm owners and sitting on the ground studying my stockers, it drove me up the wall to see that severe (at least I consider it severe) angle.

Additionally, my initial alignment was not absolutely correct after the ATS arms. It was close, but noticably not perfect. A couple of things that I learned after having the "guru" align my truck.

1. Just because it's the latest technology in alignment systems doesn't make it the best. It has an awful lot to do with the mechanic performing the work. All the years of being around automated machine tools has made me spoiled and I lost touch with the "experience" factor.

2. If the mechanic doesn't drive the rig around the block for a real world feel, leave that shop and don't go back. How can the mechanic truly get the feel for what's happening up front there?

Finally, the ATS arms do have a certian "cool" effect. It's kind of fun to park next to a bone stocker and watch the stock guy owner walk around a few times, look at all the red / gray / yellow components and scratch his head. Most soccer mom's don't even give it a second look though...

Mike

 

i didnt notice the stance being any wider. i anticipated something noticable, but got nothing. maybe its because of my alignment tho

 

You will not see any of the extra width until you get those lower arms moved out. That is where the width comes from.

 

alignment this morn, prob solved.

the guy saw exactly what was wrong and fixed it by maxing out the lower control arms. thanks for the help guys.

 

Where can I find info on these arms???? I tried a search for ATS & there's too many to look thru. Thanks. Later...

 

Check out Steve's website - it will be a good start.

http://fastq.com/~sschaefer/

 

They are only for 1996-2002 4Runners and 1995.5-2003 Tacomas.