Front Control Arm Geometry Correction Brackets Alter Steering Center?

[JeepOfTheseus]

Just installed the Teraflex brackets to bring my control arms back closer to horizontal. Initial impression is positive: it does seem to reduce road shock going directly to the frame. My issue is the alignment. I know they say whenever you do this kind of stuff, you have to get a professional alignment...but what doesn't make sense to me is it seems to have shifted the entire axle passenger side. The center of my steering wheel is now a good 10-15 degrees of center.

Having changed nothing else, why would this be the case? The control arms re-installed very easily...I did have to use some lever action to get the bolts in, but I didn't adjust the length of the arms at all.

Sponsored

 

[WILDHOBO]

Just installed the Teraflex brackets to bring my control arms back closer to horizontal. Initial impression is positive: it does seem to reduce road shock going directly to the frame. My issue is the alignment. I know they say whenever you do this kind of stuff, you have to get a professional alignment...but what doesn't make sense to me is it seems to have shifted the entire axle passenger side. The center of my steering wheel is now a good 10-15 degrees of center.

Having changed nothing else, why would this be the case? The control arms re-installed very easily...I did have to use some lever action to get the bolts in, but I didn't adjust the length of the arms at all.

When the axle moves up or down, even just from rotation, the track bar pulls or pushes the axle. You first need to adjust the trackbar to get the axle centered. Very small adjustments. If the axle is 1/2” to one side, adjust by 1/4” to center it. Don’t bother trying to fix the steering wheel until the track bar is centered, as it’s going to alter it again.

The power steering on these makes it tricky to get the wheel straight. Not that tricky I guess. It just sometimes takes a couple of tries. Find a FLAT area like a parking lot and point your wheels straight. Not the steering wheel. Leave it wherever it is. Drive straight for 50 - 100 feet. Then leave it running, get out and adjust the drag link until the wheel is straight. Tighten drag link and drive around to see if you hit it right. If not, try again.

 

[JeepOfTheseus]

When the axle moves up or down, even just from rotation, the track bar pulls or pushes the axle.

I think that’s the part that confused me. I guess rotation would change the distance. Just didn’t expect it to be this drastic, considering how easy it was to get the arms back in.

 

[WILDHOBO]

I think that’s the part that confused me. I guess rotation would change the distance. Just didn’t expect it to be this drastic, considering how easy it was to get the arms back in.

You realize it when you go to correct the drag link and straighten the wheel. The wheel moves a lot with small adjustments. Surprised me the first time as well.

 

[WanderingTrail]

When I installed my JKS geometry correction brackets I had to reset the adjustable arms to stock length and reinstall them into the bracket. They lined up perfectly, no other adjustment needed. Didn't affect steering at all. Keeping it simple, springs, trackbar, and the drag link are the items that affect your steering angle. So, if you installed the brackets and didn't reset your arms the only thing that would really be affected to a degree would be your caster angle on the axle. Which makes for crappy steering and road manners. The springs lift the vehicle and pull the trackbar more towards driver side because of swing arc. That is why we need to have an adjustable front track bar to recenter the axle under the vehicle at the new ride height. This recentering of the front axle pulls on the drag link connected to the pitman arm at the steering box which causes your steering wheel to be off center. Extending the drag link to recenter your steering wheel fixes that issue. The new steering systems have computers that monitor steering angle, wheel slippage, braking, etc.... That's why you see "get a professional alignment" on almost every one's installation instructions, it puts the burden on you and removes the liability from them, because somewhere out there is an individual who said, "Well they never told me to." The good shops can read your steering angle digitally and set it to zero to match the wheels. I thought I had mine at zero, it drove perfectly straight, no warning lights, but I had one hill by the house that I drove up and down and almost every time I would get warning lights, turned out that while I was seeing zero steering angle (offroad pages), I was actually off just enough that the off camber turn going downhill would set off the safety nannies in the computer. Aligned it to zero and everything is good. Hope that helped.

Ron

 

[JeepOfTheseus]

When I installed my JKS geometry correction brackets I had to reset the adjustable arms to stock length and reinstall them into the bracket. They lined up perfectly, no other adjustment needed.
...
Hope that helped.

Ron

Yep, good info. I've definitely had issues with the computer even with being slightly off-center. Usually takes a few miles/speed for it to "realize".

As for the lengths, I guess I naively assumed that the brackets are just drop-brackets and nothing else (i.e. doesn't push/pull). However, I just chatted with Teraflex and he confirmed that they likely did push the axle out due to them being designed for stock length.

 

[Rusty PW]

I have the Teraflex geo brackets. You have to adjust the arms back to stock length.

 

[GuzziMoto]

As someone who runs geometry brackets and adjustable control arms, you would normally adjust the control arms to stock length. If the arms are adjusted to correctly, adding the brackets would not change the caster or move the axle forward. And if the caster is the same and the axle is not further forward or back, the geometry of the draglink would be the same. That said, if you did not set the control arms to the right length to keep all those things the same, that could easily change the geometry of the draglink, and that could throw your steering out of adjustment.
But while you may need to re-adjust your steering, the draglink and/or the tie rod, that is something the average person should be able to do themselves. A professional alignment shop is not required for that.

Having both geometry brackets and adjustable control arms allows you to fine tune the caster, and it should give you better joints for your control arms vs the stock control arm joints. But it is overkill for most.
When I added geometry brackets I already had the adjustable control arms and had them adjusted to give me the caster I wanted. To install the geometry brackets I did one side at a time and re-adjusted the lengths of the control arms so they fit with the brackets leaving the axle in the same position it was already in, since I was not a that time trying to change my axle geometry. That made the addition of the geometry brackets seamless.

 

[JeepOfTheseus]

Yea, I regret not double-checking prior. Oh well. It is turning into a whole thing, though. I shortened the lowers as much as possible, but I'm still having clearance issues with the Fox 2.5 reservoirs at full turn. What's baffling me is it only seems to be an issue with the driver side when turning passenger. Passenger side when turning driver seems to clear it.

I also shortened the uppers, but with those as short as possible, my caster seems to be 9* (if my Gyraline measurements are right). So now I have to push the uppers back out a little.

Part of me wants to order the new Fox sway bar disconnects which require steering stop spacers...then I wouldn't be able to turn as far anyways.

Sponsored