Axle re-centering after lift

[f33d]

Now to be honest I should have put a new adjustable track bar to readjust. I’m running 37s and a 2 inch aev lift. I’ll prob get a adjustable track bar and have it installed to fix this.

My questions are

1 does this look super off to the side?
2 Will an adjustable track bar did this?
3. What issues will this cause driving this way and how much of a priority should this be to get updated?

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[Rubi-Zero]

No one will be able to tell from that picture. You need to take a measurements.
make sure your steering wheel and tires are straight. Try and take a tape measure from your frame to the outside of the tread of your tire and then go to the other side and try and measure from around the same location and about the same tread. They will either be the same or a bit off. If it’s off, an adjustable track bar will fix it to where the measurements are the same.

 

[Casique]

The OEM track bar is adjustable already!

 

[DocMike]

adjust track bar.
This is from Clayton. Note stock vs change in dimensions.
Mine aligned perfectly after install

 

[LostWoods]

The OEM track bar is adjustable already!

Track bar is the only of the three up there that isn't adjustable - it's the one from the driver frame to the passenger knuckle.


@f33d The chart above is probably your best starting point but depending on your setup you might need to adjust since lift will vary based on your weight. If "good enough" is good enough, you can just eye the tire to fender and that'll be close enough. If you want perfect then you need to find your axle centerline with a tape measure, mark it, then find center between the frame rails and mark that too.

 

[f33d]

Thanks folks. To confirm until changed. Will running a non centered axle affect anything negatively?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

The OEM track bar is adjustable already!

No. Track bar on a stock JT isn't adjustable. It's fixed.
The track bar is what keeps the axle centered in place under the truck. Any lift means the track bar swings down in an arc and moves the axle off-center. The amount of that move totally depends on the change in curb height after the lift.

 

[Arcticelf]

Thanks folks. To confirm until changed. Will running a non centered axle affect anything negatively?

It's not good for handling. You want the trackbar as close to parallel with the axle at ride height as possible.

You want the vertical motion of the suspension to cause minimal horizontal motion in the axle, because that pulls the truck side to side.

 

[Geoarch]

Track bar is the only of the three up there that isn't adjustable - it's the one from the driver frame to the passenger knuckle.


@f33d The chart above is probably your best starting point but depending on your setup you might need to adjust since lift will vary based on your weight. If "good enough" is good enough, you can just eye the tire to fender and that'll be close enough. If you want perfect then you need to find your axle centerline with a tape measure, mark it, then find center between the frame rails and mark that too.

So is 0.3", about 7.5 mm (front LCA and front track bar) enough to cause a problem (with a 2.5" lift), I assume less with the Mopar 2" lift? The other suspension shifts are less than 0.3". I'm not sure with a 2" lift you can even measure a shift accurately. Certainly on the 3.5" lift or more, yes, but a 2" I'm not sure.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

So is 0.3", about 7.5 mm (front LCA and front track bar) enough to cause a problem (with a 2.5" lift), I assume less with the Mopar 2" lift? The other suspension shifts are less than 0.3". I'm not sure with a 2" lift you can even measure a shift accurately. Certainly on the 3.5" lift or more, yes, but a 2" I'm not sure.

I could tell on mine with Rubicon front springs and Daystar .75" spacers. Not even 2" and it was measurable. Not a whole lot, but it could be measured. It was enough to throw the steering wheel off center. That's a good way to know if the axle shifted - if the wheel WAS centered before the lift but is not centered after the lift, then the axle shifted to the left.

 

[Geoarch]

I could tell on mine with Rubicon front springs and Daystar .75" spacers. Not even 2" and it was measurable. Not a whole lot, but it could be measured. It was enough to throw the steering wheel off center. That's a good way to know if the axle shifted - if the wheel WAS centered before the lift but is not centered after the lift, then the axle shifted to the left.

Ok, when I install the lift, I'll check, thanks.

 

[LostWoods]

So is 0.3", about 7.5 mm (front LCA and front track bar) enough to cause a problem (with a 2.5" lift), I assume less with the Mopar 2" lift? The other suspension shifts are less than 0.3". I'm not sure with a 2" lift you can even measure a shift accurately. Certainly on the 3.5" lift or more, yes, but a 2" I'm not sure.

The list above is Clayton who is a bit generous on their lifts. If I understand it correctly, Clayton 2" gives 2" at the rear which means with leveling, the front is similar to a 3-3.5" lift measured at the front. With less of a lift you need less to adjust so Mopar 2" is probably on the shorter side of .250 longer than stock.

But you will definitely see what @ShadowsPapa talked about... wheel off and a light pull being the obvious ones that you need to re-center the axle.

 

[@californiajeeping]

Buy the adjustable track bar and measure from coil tower to outside edge of tire. Adjust your track bar 1.5 turns at a time until the distance is even. You will need a partner to jump on the bumpers or push the truck around to get the bolt back in.

You need to do this for any lift over 2". Mine was 1" off front and .75" R with my metal cloak lift. I had to adjust both using the process above.

 

[DocMike]

Your rig....but I would advise doing it correctly the first time.
@Clayton Off Road is generous as @LostWoods states. I threw their chart in as a starting point. Those numbers look small but you will notice. Bunch of engineers way smarter than me did the math.
I went with Clayton over Mopar as there has been some discussion about how the Mopar lift could benefit from adjustable track arms and control arms.

Mine rides great with the lift, adjustable control arms, track bar, and the shocks. Installed the lift, torqued it all to spec, got it close, then took it immediately to get aligned at a pro shop. Took me two days to do lift and wire the shocks up. Felt like I lifted heavy for those two days.
Then drive it a bit and recheck your torque.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Your rig....but I would advise doing it correctly the first time.
@Clayton Off Road is generous as @LostWoods states. I threw their chart in as a starting point. Those numbers look small but you will notice. Bunch of engineers way smarter than me did the math.
I went with Clayton over Mopar as there has been some discussion about how the Mopar lift could benefit from adjustable track arms and control arms.

Mine rides great with the lift, adjustable control arms, track bar, and the shocks. Installed the lift, torqued it all to spec, got it close, then took it immediately to get aligned at a pro shop. Took me two days to do lift and wire the shocks up. Felt like I lifted heavy for those two days.
Then drive it a bit and recheck your torque.

The calculations would be pretty simple.
The stock track bar is xx" long. It pivots on the left side. That's the axis - the left end. Knowing the length of the track bar, you can figure the size of the arc or swing. If it was perfectly level or parallel with the ground, the math would be extremely simple - drop 2" and you know how far the right end will move.

The track bar (horizontal black line, length indicated by blue lines) is a known length. That gives us a specific circle diameter.
We can figure with a little geometry when the right end moves down xx" (green), it will move horizontally yy" (red)

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