I put my OME coils and shocks/struts on this weekend and it looks great, but I went to go get my alignment done and we couldn't figure out what specs to align it to. I told them go ahead and do the factory specs, but that wouldn't be correct....right? Anyone have a clue what would be the best specs to align to?

(98 2wd Sr5 runner)

 

c'mon people...did you align to factory specs or what?

 

Align to factory specs or as close to it as you can.

 

thanks!

 

which coils did you use and how much lift did that give you?

have a pic?

 

I'll post a pic when I get my tires, my truck looks anemic with the stock tires.

I went with OME 891 & 882 firm springs. I didn't measure the lift, but I would estimate 3.5-4" in the back and about 3" upfront. It looks very nice, I'm just pissed I can't find tires bigger than a 32 to fit on my 15" wheels.

 

You MUST use a Panhard rod drop bracket to position the rear axle properly after lifting.

The panhard rod locates the rear axle left to right. When you lift it, a stock legnth panhard will pull the rear axle to the right.

In a typical alignment the rear tires are used as a reference point and the fronts are lined up with them. if the rear axle is sticking out a few inches to the right its impossible to get it lined up correctly.

Legnthen your panhard rod or use a drop bracket equal to your ammount of lift and it will line up just fine.

 

Mine seems to be fine the way it is, it was just a real bitch to get it back in place. Where would I find one of those? Is it absolutely necessary?

I noticed when my car was on the lift the axle leaned to one side, I'm guessing thats why...

 

Steve Schaefer (on here as "sschaefer3") is the one that's making them:

http://www.fastq.com/~sschaefer/store.html#Panhard

I don't have a comment on if they're _absolutely_ necessary, but it made enough sense to me that I ordered one to be installed when I do my lift.


Mark

 

"the rear axle is sticking out a few inches to the right its impossible to get it lined up correctly"- I'll have to disagree on this point- it ends up being closer to about a half an inch at the most, someone has done the math on an old thread using the ol' pythagorean theorum. Nonetheless, it does make alignments harder to get done properly. With that said, it can't hurt to put the pan hard bracket on, not only for alignment purposes, but for increased articulation and minimized rubbing with larger tires.

ilikebeer, you might also want to check those rear coils. ARB typically mislabels the coils for use in the U.S. If you looked at the height before installation, the longer coil should have gone in on the drivers side, this would have been the spring labeled "PS." Measure the distance between the ground and your fender on each side, and make sure that the vehicle is level or nearly level. If its 1/2" inch off (higher on the passenger side) you may need to swap the springs.