Did a string toe alignment on my truck almost 6 years ago. Took it to have it checked and it was within spec. Alignment guy admitted half their guys can't even get them that good with the machine and said that was pretty damn good. Still no tire wear issues. I felt pretty good leaving that place.
This method certainly works, the problem is that unless your rear wheels are in perfect alignment the "methods" you used will never work correctly. You need to have a decent understanding of geometry and vehicle suspension design to accomplish this if the rear wheels are not at 0 degrees toe, or better yet your old truck frame is is bent. So here it goes, you first need to research your vehicle and figure out your wheel base and track width front and rear, then any factory rear toe built in. (i run a 2.5" wider front track on my race car and boy will you get some funny results if you use the methods you probably tried.) the only guaranteed accurate "method" is to build a square box ( you don't need a bar like others have mentioned but it is easier.) Start at the end with the wider track width (if same it doesn't matter) measure from the CENTER of the wheels to the string and make them the same on both sides, I use a calibrated metric scale to get this down to the mm. Now measure your string to string distance at that end, write it down! Move to the other end of the vehicle and measure the string to string distance to figure out how much you need to adjust in total, measure from the center of the wheel to the string on the both sides and adjust the strings in or out until both sides read the same number (will not be the same at both ends if you don't have a square track width.) at this point measure the string the string distance again, it should be the same as the number you wrote down earlier, if not start over and check your work. Go back and verify the end you started on by measuring the center of wheel distance again, it doesn't need to be the same as it was just equal side to side. Keep doing this until the front two wheels and the rear two wheel are reading the same, and the front and rear string measurements are the same. You now have a square alignment frame to make toe adjustment. A set of toe plates is also nice to have for sanity checks but certainly not needed. This process is tedious and not fast by any means but is critical to ensure your have a known zero reference to set toe off of. There are a few good videos and write ups out there using this method, follow those. As a side note we are talking about 1-2 mm toe adjustments here so "close enough" won't cut it. If done correctly this can take hours start to finish. Also lock down your steering wheel before you start. Again some cars you get lucky on and they have zero toe and and square track width and the simple "short" methods will work on them just fine. When you use the around the back tires and other methods your are truly only aligning the front wheel to the rear wheel and not side to side. My guess is that your rear alignment was off from the modifications and you had no chance at getting the fronts correct. I would suggest you try the alignment box method and see how it compares to the printout from the shop then make another video about it but please don't say this method doesn't work, it is extremely accurate if the user knows what they are doing.
I feel you. I believe that 99% of people looking on how to DIY their alignment are actually after a good alignment, not aiming at saving $100. If alignment shops all did the job correctly, there would not be so many videos on DYI alignment...
@@gustavette8487 most chumps in the alignment shops would be completely lost without the computer telling them how to do it lol. There are some good shops out there, especially if you go somewhere specialising in motorsports, but most alignment shops cant beat the stringline.
If you don’t know what you’re doing...this may not work. I work on the NASCAR team and I use the string method before every race to get the car spot on for over 200 miles an hour. Better keep your day job bud🚀
Does he not understand it only works for Toe? On a level surface? Seems I remember him saying he didn't understand what he was doing. Sorry Dude, you're still talking and I'm done typing my 2cents
Done properly you can get your vehicles alignment just as good as a alignment rack but it all depends on you and your abilities, remember vehicle alignment is 3 dimensional so if you are off on one you will be off on the rest.
"I want it done right" uses a pipe wrench to knarl up parts, otherwise he has interesting videos and speaks clearly, seems to research projects good and I'm real jealous of the rust free trucks,
If he were gnarling up a nut or bolt that would be one thing but that was a pretty benign area to rough up, if anything adding a little traction to that area would be of benefit
The tie-rods hang out in the weather and road muck. The factory sleeve has NO feature to put a wrench on. About the only time they are adjusted is when the shop replaces a rod end. What would you suggest? The small pipe wrench is a great choice.
I did the string alignment on my 82 range rover, workes like a charm. No professional alignment shop in my area ever got it this amazingly. So i don't know what happened with you, it worked great with me. Anyways regards from Lebanon and keep up the good videos!!!
As you said the string line method is for setting up your toe. If your front caster and/or camber was out after you'd installed the kit (as you alluded to) , you can have made exact toe measurements yet as you found it'll pull one way or the other. There is nothing wrong with the string method, its just that you were expecting straight tracking when other things were out but at that point hadn't been attended to. Also did you have skid plates under your front tyres. They can be 2 nylon table place mats on top of each other with baby powder between them under each wheel, two sheets of aluminium with grease between them etc. If your tyres were on the ground and you were adjusting the tie rods for toe, there would have been so much binding that you wouldn't have gotten an exact measurement. A tip for the front - just use toe plates and tape measures. On the front end each wheels angles relative to a datum is not really relevant. Just have the wheel straight, set the front toe for the TOTAL toe measurement you need and then go for a drive. The fronts will obviously find their equilibrium. If the steering wheel is in the centre then that's a win. If it say left hand down well next time you drive into the garage, again have the wheel straight. You know the tyres are then pointing out to the right. So go say 1/2 a turn on BOTH sides tie rods. You wont be changing total toe if you do them together and equally but you'll be straightening up the tyres relative to the steering wheel. As seen in the vid though you need to know your camber and caster are ok for this to hold true.
Okay, so you're saying supercup teams that compete and use this in-between laps to tune are inept? You are the inept one, you need a bar to regulate jack width, there is nothing to do with wrapping the tires to align. It sounds like your strings weren't parallel and given you had no bar to measure between left and right I can almost guarantee that. Laughable.
I tested your feelings today. I did an alignment on a 4 wheel adjustable sedan and it is the best alignment this car has had and the first one I have done on this car. This car tracks great and feels great. Used 4 identical jack stands and thin twine and a HF caliper. Used a ratchet strap on the steering wheel to keep it straight and car drives well. About a year ago I took it to a shop in my area that specializes in frame repair and suspension work and they could not get it right after taking it back twice. The owner did the alignments and his helper told me that it did not matter if steering wheel is off center as you drive straight. I told him he shouldn’t be in the industry if he believes that. I have not been back and posted a 2 star review online.
Yep, just because OP couldn't do it doesn't mean it doesn't work. I've been doing string alignment for all 8 of my vehicles at home and got them checked on a hunter machine...just fine
I remember going racing with family friends who had Formula Vees - they'd just line them up with a home made tool. Some vehicle width long square stock with a couple clamp on attachments that you could use to reach past the tires and touch the edge of the rims. Measure front and back for toe and adjust until the tool showed the same distance between the rim edges front and back. Nothing more to it.
@@jo300hn And how good and/or clean the turn plates are. And the fact that that still doesn't guarantee they're not sticking. Considering all that, its no surprise this guy couldn't get it close with string.
I believe I know where you went wrong. See, string alignment relies on the center point of the front and rear axles being centered. That is, even if the track is a different dimension, the difference in track is the same on both sides. Now, most straight axle suspensions (as is the rear end on your SUV) utilize a Panhard rod, that is a track bar going from one side of the vehicle to the opposite side of the axle, at a set length to keep the axle center at standard ride height. When you install a suspension lift, that dimension changes, and unless you adjust the length of this rod, the center of the rear axle will never match the center of the front suspension, if only by a small amount, specifically in the case of a vehicle with a live rear axle and an independent front suspension. Once that dimension is incorrect, you will be unable to make the strings dimensionally even with the front and rear of the car and also straight. Therefore, your alignment will LOOK straight but both tires will actually be pointing to one side. This was your mistake, and this is why your alignment could never have turned out accurately. Now, this situation is only possible IF the vehicle has a Panhard bar on a straight rear axle AND an independent front suspension. This setup is common on most modern light truck chassis. A double Panhard setup (such as a Jeep) or a double independent suspension (most cars) will have the same dimension no matter the ride height. String alignment is very accurate when performed correctly using the correct tools, and is used by race teams the world over. Suspension itself is a geometric mind trip, but once you understand how things move when they move, the methods themselves can be adjusted for accuracy.
The toe being out will not cause a pull. So you can adjust toe with your string and make it perfect you're never going to fix a pull. It's usually a camber issue. Caster has to be off a bunch to cause a pull. 20 year ASE certified auto tech.
The key to accurate alignment with the string method is to make sure the string is exactly parallel to the wheel at the back wheels. If not, the error will be highly magnified at the front wheels. For example, if the measurement error is 1/16" at the back wheel, it will be 6.3/16" error at the front wheel. This would throw the adjustment way out of tolerance for most vehicles.
Not quite perfectly stated, but close. The strings MUST be parallel. If toe is out the wheel cannot be parallel. The center of the wheels (front or rear) should be used to start with. A braided 30 pound fishing line is a little more accurate than ordinary string.
@@escargod thats half the issue with stringline method. A lot of videos assume the rear toe is perfect 0. If you set up a square using equal distance off the front and rear hubs allowing for track difference you cant go wrong, and you will be able to align the rear this way too.
Next time you're at a race track, be sure to stop by each team's tech crew and inform them that the string method doesn't work. They'll certainly all be surprised and, no doubt, grateful to you for stopping by to share this priceless wisdom with them. ;)
Well the method works, but you forgot to put the plastic bag underneath the front tire. Reason being the friction from the tire and the ground, the plastic bag will make the tires move freely.
Now it is aligned, check it with the string method to see what a right reading is like. I did the string method like half a dozen times to finally get it right. It is doable, but there are some details that are hard to pin down in the first few times.
I aligned my toe on a 69 GTX using two 4 foot levels. I attached 1 to each front wheel and then measured the distance in the front and the back of the wheel. I dont know if it worked. Ill visit the alignment shop today and see how I did. I also used the level on the wheel to check camber and try to center the bubble. I have a few videos on my page but nothing on the alignment.
You need 2x 30+ inch 4x4"s. Lay them along side the front tires, on nice flat, level cement, butted up tight so that the 4x4's stick out just enough front and rear of the front tires to measure the distance between the 2 4x4's. It's easier to measure from outer edge to outer edge. Adjust the tie rod until the 2 distances are equal. This is plenty good enough to get to the alignment shop.
She looks great Jimmy. I was going to try this "string theory" on my Burb. I just finished doing the head gaskets and 3" lift on my 2wd 1999. Was looking to put 33" tires on her but it looked like overkill. Going to just replace my 31x10.5x15s. nice to find a fellow Burb lover and diy guy. Subbed and liked!
Replaced upper & lower control arms, tie rods, front half shafts, etc. on my son's 2008 4x4 Ranger. Used the string method with me under the truck and him measuring (and supposed to ensure the steering wheel was straight). Only did toe. Worked perfectly except for the crooked steering wheel.
Next time you should try to explain why you couldn’t do the string alignment rather then just saying you couldn’t do it. Do be able to do the string alignment you front and track width must be the same which your is not, when you crank the torsion keys, it doesn’t only push the front tires down, but also out so there’s no way you could properly align the front to the rear unless you go spacers for the rear
Chris Clark negative, only an inch wider from factory, when you crack your keys the amount this guy has, then it’s 3 inches wider. I have 8 GMT400 trucks, 5 of which being k-series, from completely stock to a 8inch lift, my only truck that has a 3inch width different are my lifted and cranked one.
As others have said, the string method works. It's been a while since this video was made, but take your truck to the shop, make sure the tracking (especially toe in/out) is still in spec, if it's not, get it done, if it is, great! Then come home, drive in straight and onto a couple of decent plastic bags (because that truck is heavy and you need to remove some of the resistance between the tires and the garage floor surface), then set out your strings and try out that method again, this time with the knowledge that your vehicle is in spec, that you won't be making any adjustments so you should get the 'in-spec' answer in your numbers. If you figure it out great, but if not, video what you are doing, your setup, measurements, how your steering wheel is locked, do some walk around, even measure between the insides of the rear tires and the insides of the front tires so the viewers can see everything etc, because it is annoying and frustrating when lots of people say it works and you're still there unable to get it to work, and there is no reason why it shouldn't work for you. Like another commenter said, do a video and lets see if we can help you solve this mystery. NB: The reason the mechanic was working one side then the other, then back to the first is likely because where it was so far out, adjustments on one side have to be compensated for on the other so there is roughly equal number of threads showing on the tie/track rod ends or you would end up with steering that would turn too far in one direction such that the tire could rub against the wheel-arch, and in the other direction may not turn far enough such that you could end up in the land of on coming traffic, so checking the number of threads when you're adjusting the toe is good practice.
Most likely had issue with tire friction moving the steering rack while adjusting toe causing opposite wheel to move making it look like the adjusting wheel not moving enough. Small adjustments to tie rods, move car back and forth to settle, straighten steering wheel and re setting strings. Mainly the reason all race teams use on car string setups to be able to move the car around without messing with strings. And also toe is one of the major effects of steering pull, but not the only one. Caster and camber can have a pulling effect on steering even if toe is perfectly zero. I do string alignments and haven’t been to a alignment shop in close to 10 years. It’s not rocket science, but it does take a little bit to be accurate and if done right can be more accurate than what you’d get a run of the mill alignment shop.
"Here's why (insert anything here) sucks!" (Proceeds to do it wrong) "See! This sucks!" You should have done a video on how you did it so your audience could have told you where you went wrong. If your strings weren't level or parallel that could have done it. Wrapping the string around the rear tires definitely didnt help either. Most people use a bar or pipe that sits on the jack stands in the front and back so you can measure between them front and rear to make sure the width is the same. You aren't trying to make sure the string is the same distance from the front wheels as the back because the track width on vehicles are different front and rear, the front being wider.
I too have tried this method with my 96 k1500. Instead of string i just get 2 straight pieces of metal (unistrut for mounting conduit on walls) and mount each piece to each wheel, about center, and horizontal with ground using a bungee chord through the wheel. I use a measuring tape from one side to the other. measuring front and back of the tire I can get it extremely close to dead even. I have noticed doing this method and not adjusting the CAMBER will make the truck pull to one side, even with wheels dead even. camber can be done with bubble level or degree tool on level ground. found your channel because of the 95 suburban in the snow. we all love offroad snow videos.
My first string alignment was around 2005 on my 93 F150. I had just replaced the all the ball joints and tie rods and just wanted to get the alignment close so I wouldn't shred the tires on the way to the alignment shop. The alignment tech said it was well within spec, but still happily took my $90. Where you went wrong is you assumed your rear wheels were perfectly aligned with the vehicle. rear wheels usually have toe too. I made that mistake before as well. A string alignment isn't done by just running a string down the side of the vehicle and getting it the same distance to the front and back wheels. To start, you need to know your vehicle's front and rear track widths. They usually aren't the same. The vehicle must be on a fairly level surface, and you should bounce the front and rear to make sure it's settled. Then you need to run your strings perfectly parallel to each other, and measure to the center of the wheels, while taking into account the difference in track widths. So, if your rear track width was 1 inch wider than the front, then your string on each side would be 1/2 inch closer at the rear than the front. Once you do that, then you can accurately measure and adjust your toe. After making adjustments, you should again bounce the front and rear, make sure your measurements to the wheel centers are still the same, and then double check your toe measurements.
With a solid rear axle there is no toe to adjust. If there is some toe, the axle housing is bent, and should be replaced. You can check/adjust the thrust angle thou.
@@DanMcD80 That's not exactly true, and neither are these comments harping on about track width. Firstly, you can get solid axles that have cambered and toed hubs. Secondly. What matters is making sure the car is square side to side. Different widths have nothing to do with that. It doesn't matter if the widths are 100, 200mm different F&R, what matters is if the measurements at both sides of the wheels front and rear are equal SIDE TO SIDE of the car. A blind man would soon tell if you're getting wildly different measurements that the widths are obviously different, and need to be matched side to side - not front to rear. The dick move OP did is doing one side at a time. The whole point of a string line is to connect BOTH sides of the car to make sure they are the same. Good enough for billion dollar F1 teams. Surely the arrogant yank has to find issue that it's not good enough for him.
@@dons1932 the vid is specifically for the gmt400 which has NO toe adjustment to the solid axle so that is 100% correct on oem. On the rear there is no camber or caster adjustment. With shims you can adjust pinion angle. F1 CARS are also 4 wheel independant suspension which is wildly different than the gmt400. Whos the arrogant yank again ..... lol.
@@DanMcD80 My comment went right over your head, entirely. It does not matter the type of vehicle, suspension type or wild differences in setups. From a shopping trolley to GMT400 to F1. If you measure all four points of wheel contact, on both sides, and make them equal side to side, the car will be DEAD straight with a perfect alignment. No matter if it is cambered, toed, solid, independent, anything. String is the most accurate consistent perfect alignments there are. The only thing that will fail it is user error. Nothing to do with car type. That is the point of why, no matter how expensive or complicated the design, string is always used to align. FYI NASCAR and V8 Supercars with solid axle housings use both cambered and toed hubs. Most solid axle race cars do. You don't need IRS.
4:15 Well, there's your answer. String method wont work on alignment so "Out of whack". It's for factory aligned cars that needs to be adjusted slightly. Sounds like yours was all over the place on all 4 tires.
This method works only for small cars with no camber and caster adjustments, for a lifted car you need all adjustments correct to make it go straight... Good video
Jimmy I live in California, LA to be exact, I have a 1995 GMC Yukon 2dr and thing you have to keep in mind about our trucks is that it is an In betweener, it has the engine set up of a 92-94 the interior of a 96-99 and a suspension that's a mixture of both the 92-94 and the 96-99 and an electrical and engine harness that are only for the 95 Yukon. Silverado and Suburban with the TBI setup, those are the only cars that are directly compatible with ours, so if it says to knock a whole out for 92-94 it's almost safe to assume it means your 95 too
Thanks man. I just assume that a company like Rough Country should also fully know and consider this stuff too. They simply need to update their instructions!!
The DIY is just to get you to the shop safely. Also, pulling is a camber issue and the string method doesn't fix that, only toe in/out. You can get it close at home and make it quit pulling if you know what you're doing.
I had the mechanic say the little knock out tabs needed to be knocked out before a proper alignment. Get to alignment shop and they locked at it and said a previous owner did it already. I lucked out on labor. They did a perfect alignment. Steering wheel dead straight. 1996 Tahoe 4x4
Most of these shops will refuse to do 'custom' alignments. They only care about getting them in the 'green' zone and calling it day. They also don't like the fact you only come to their shop for alignment, or you're not referring other people (no just looking for alignments) to them.
I have a 96 K1500. I got new KO2s (Same 2657516) and wanted to change the rims. I also changed control arm bushings and all steering components from the steering box on down. New ball joints, rotor, calipers, wheel bearings the whole nine yards. I used string method on (no cement near me, the country) and my truck drove great. I even adjusted camber the best I could with a torpedo level. Got rims with about 1,000 miles before shop alignment, and I wasn't too far off. When you lifted, the whole thing is going to be off and when on pavement the CROWN of the road will make you veer a little to the right so you will never be perfect. So it does work and only as a temporary solution until you get to a professional shop.
the jury is out for me on the string method. I've done some suspension component replacements (including tie rods) on multiple vehicles and utilized the string method "until" I can get a professional alignment. I've noticed that the string seems to move on its own and that it seems nearly impossible to get it lined up with the rear tire and as others mention, the more off it is in the rear, it's exponentially off in the front, plus if the steering wheel moves at all because of the force exerted on the tie rods, then you're going back and forth trying to get perfect
The wild card is the alignment technician and the amount of time the shop allocates to the alignment. I got sick of paying for alignments and still being unsatisfied and so I went for diy methods for one of my older cars. It's been fine since, and I have the freedom iterate on it and perfect the result. You need to set up an accurate square reference box. If you do, you'll be pretty darn close with your toe measurements. The specification for my car's total front toe is 0 +/- 2mm. So that's a 4 mm tolerance window. That's easily within the tolerance of what can be measured using diy methods. When carpenters frame a house they are easily within 1/16 of an inch over an eight foot measure. That's 1.5mm precision, measured and cut by human using a tape measure and a pencil. Camber is very easy to measure with a cheap diy bubble gauge or a digital level. Caster can at least be compared side to side to determine if they are equal because it's a simply a camber measurement with the wheel turned. Many modern cars don't even have camber and caster adjustment. So if you car is out of spec the alignment shop may just shrug and tell you "nothing we can do". The reality, however, is that maybe your subframe is shifted a bit, or some other resolvable problem exists. My experience, is that I have to figure it out on my own or the car never gets sorted out.
it does work, it matter of knowledge not method, in olden days there was no computer alignment, all was done with manual measurements, strings and measurement tape, and I have learned and done in college! and I just did on my suv almost perfect!
I have a 98 Tahoe and I'm doing the exact same lift kit but I'm using the add leaf set up add a little bit more articulation in the rear Axel for better ground clearance.
It works for solid front axles. I took a wild stab at it on my 2001 ram without even UA-cam instruction and it was near perfect when they checked it when I got new tires.
That method wont work on the GMT400 K series, because the front wheels are about 3 inches further out than the rear. That would mean that you were adjusting your wheels towed out.
Sorry to hear Bro.... My string alignment worked fine... I went through a whole set of tires with even wear on the front... Drove straight NO ISSUES!!!
Ive never used a string, but ive used levels and measuring tapes to ball park vehicles to get them to an alignment shop after a complete front end rebuild and ive never had a problem getting them close enough to drive without damaging your tires, just because this guy may have had issues, doesnt mean that 40 years of doing something myself has been wrong .
I, just like you went thru the same steps, however the car I was working on was a 300 dollar car. I replaced the front end suspension. I did the string method and it worked for me. I understand it doesnt adjust anything else but I can say that I was happy with the results. I also understand it's just a step better than eye balling with either method isnt accurate at all but I've been driving this car for a few months and I have no tire wear, vibrations nor anything funny. So based on my experience I'd say I'd try it again on another cheap car. Nothing replaces professional equipment, but its usually more than 100 bucks.
String method is only a temporary fix for those that cannot afford the full alignment price up front. It does not correct it 100% but gets it pretty close if done right till money is saved for the shop price.
I'm a professional mechanic. I have never heard of aligning a vehicle using strings and jack stands. I have however hung a plumb bob from the fender in order to set camber. Hang the plumb bob with a string using masking tape and then adjust the camber so that you have the same tape measure measurement from the string to the sidewall of the tire at both the top and bottom of the tire. Once you have the camber set, lock the steering wheel in the dead straight ahead position and tape measure from the outside of the center rib of the tire on the front of the tire and on the back of the tire. Using the back tires as a guide adjust your toe until both the front and back of the front tires measure the same, make sure the steering wheel doesn't move while you're doing this. This method should get you close enough to drive the vehicle to the alignment shop without scrubbing the tires off of it, but should never be a final setup, always use an alignment shop and real alignment machine for final setup.
You are a professional mechanic that doesn't work with a alignment machine then. An alignment machine is good for an OEM alignment if you change the right height and this can not be done correctly with a machine because it changes more then just camber cast and toe when you change these things and the machine does not know this and you can not add these inputs. That's why professional race teams all the way up to formula one uses the string method cause they can get it more accurately then a machine could ever imagine.
@@701garage I've got many many hours of successfully aligning all sorts of lifted trucks and lowered cars. On most alignment machines (hunter, john bean, snap on, whatever other big name you want to throw in there) you can key in your own specs or you can pick a vehicle and it will give you pre programmed specs. On custom stuff you can alignment to whatever measurements you want, all the alignment machine is is a fancy measurement device. Rules of thumb are on rear wheel drive lowered stuff like mini trucks etc. There will always be more positive caster but you want to set everything else as close to factory as you can. Likewise if you have something like a v8 fiero you want to dial in more negative camber due to the added weight in the rear of the car. This way when the car is moving and the rear end is squating and the front end is in the air everything will be where its supposed too be and the car will drive straight and not eat the tires off of it. A good technician is smarter than his equipment. You mean to tell me that a 9000 dollar or more machine is less accurate than a piece of string and a tape measure? Yes there is more too it than camber, caster and toe there is also steering axis inclination, total toe, thrust angle, and more. You couldn't begin to measure any of that with a string and a tape measure. Formula one teams get away with it because it's alot gdx aster of a process and more portable, and they're not trying to make a $1000 set of truck tires last 50,000 miles. If they scrub off the tires who cares as long as the car is controllable.
@@Dumbass_mechanic I work for hunter you can not change anything it is all set to the OEM spec of the car you can not change the geometry of how the computer thinks how it should be. You should probably not be doing alignments if you somt know that when you change ride height you change how the car works and you can not change how these are doen with an alignment machine.
So your telling me that you you can align a car just as good with out a machine you know these machines have not been around that long 1947 to be accurate. What did they do before that.
@@701garage yeah... I probably shouldn't be, I'll call everyone I've done an alignment for for the last 30 years and refund their money since you've just convinced me that I'm completely clueless. Yeah, you can align a car with a tape measure and a plumb bob, or a piece of string and some tape even. Being that you work for hunter you should know darn well that it isn't nearly as good as doing a proper alignment on a machine. It's good enough to get by, but it isn't "just as good".
todmay11 that’s because you should be using turn plates under the front tires to allow for proper tire movement without friction from the tires on the ground.
So you did part of the toe alignment. You also have to measure where the center of the truck is, then measure from the center to the front and rear of the wheel. the difference then needs to be put into percentage and then you have yourself your toe percentage. I did this on my corolla after I had to replace a inner tie rod and it drove straight after.
If you can't align it based on how it feels pulling in one direction, and how it appears just looking down the side of the truck no amount of string and jack stands is gonna help you. First figure out your problem. If you're toed out pull in the toe on the side that isn't pulling. You're pulling right so you tighten the left in small increments. If you're toed in, adjust both out until you get wheels straight with rears than feel the pull and adjust the opposite side like before, basically just toe your steering out over tolerance on purpose and work it back based in which side pulls. This isn't a valid criticism of home alignments just because you didn't comprehend the geometry behind it. The fact that it boggled you that adjusting one side would affect the other is proof enough that you lacked the knowledge to do this. What's common sense for some is completely foreign to others and I'm just glad you got it done right and are driving safely now man.
2.42 hard to tell but it looks like all you’re doing is moving the adjustment unit up both sets of threads so you’re not actually changing the length of the rack but just moving the position of the adjustment piece if that makes sense. Looks like there’s a coupe of 13mm’ish nuts that have both been loosened. If you ever have another go at it just loosen one of them so you’re only moving 1 side in or out. Could be wrong, looks like a slightly different setup to what I’ve done so I could be totally wrong but though it was worth a mention.
did you lock in the steering wheel? I had to use a ratchet strap. took me awhile to figure that out. Got it very close to get it to an alignment shop. I used paracord attached to the hitch ball and ran the cord along the back tires to where it was barely touching. adjusted the front to a little toe in. Worked.
Measure with seperate lines on each side. Measure string to centre of the rim till equal on all 4 tires. Then measure using same tread spots on each front tire. Front of tire to front of other front tire. Then tread to tread on rear of the front tires. Then adjust tie rods till the space between both front facing treads are equal to both rear facing treads. More accurate then wrap around measurements. Measure the rear tire tread to tread differences as well.
Most of the video was just ragging on the string alignment, I think a video of you actually setting up and doing the string alignment would be beneficial to both you and your viewers. Perhaps someone would have spotted something awry in the setup. I know you said the i's were dotted and t's were crossed, but there is a reason people wrench on cars with their friends, it's good to have a second pair of eyes :)
You tried it on one car and failed, however, why not try it on a couple other cars? There are so many people who swear by the string method and then they take it to the shop and is perfectly aligned
Did you have a video on putting new foam strips in the door seals to make them close like new? I wish I could find that and what products to use... Thanks
You probably assumed the front & rear axles are the same width (track width)... this is rarely the case. You must square the string off the vehicle's centerline and/or whichever track width is wider (be it front or rear).
100% agree...take your car/truck to the alignment shop. We can’t reliably make 1-degree caster adjustments in the driveway...it’s not worth shredding your tires
Home alignment is useful after installing new suspension parts, do it all the time. But, it’s temporary till I get it to the shop for a pro alignment. Not work it to ruin suspension and tires to save few dollars. Keep on man.
Aligned my 94 K1500 myself at home. Used fishing line instead of string. Drives straight. I have over 8k miles on my front tires, wearing evenly. No pulling at all while cruising down the road. As another person said, gotta use common sense. Small adjustments go a long ways don’t start going crazy turning the tie rod adjusting sleeves. Little bit at time and recheck the distance from string to rim.
You did good bro. Not to knock you, but you forgot to calculate for caster, camber, and steering angle inclination. There's a math equation to do all that but it take way to long. Can be done if you want to save or spend the money to do it.
Yeah steering angle inclination, learned that one in school and forgot the name. Still remember the diagram I think that's the distance between the ground, load bearing balljoint and the outside top edge of the tire.
Most people just use the string method to make the truck “driveable” as in just be able to drive it to the alignment shop safely after doing your own suspension work. It gets the wheels close enough to make the vehicle safe on the road for a few miles.
It's easy. You center the steering wheel by turning left and right sleeves the same amount in opposite directions. Then measure across front and back of tires and go 0-1/16 wider at rear turning both sleeves same direction (in or out) 1/4 turn at a time..
Was the steering wheel straight when you aligned it? lol I've had good luck with the string method oh, I usually have a friend hold it against the back Tire
It may have been mention in other comments (have not read all) but to me an obvious issue is that you were replacing control arms...unless you got the adjustment cams or shims put back exactly the way they were caster (longitudinal relationship angle of upper and lower control arms - will pull toward side with most negative caster,if I recall) and camber (lateral relationship angle of control arms) will likely be way off. Incorrect caster will cause pulling to one side.Incorrect camber will cause eneven tire wear but not as fast as if toe is off.
i don't know too much about string alignments, but bisforbuild has used metal plates called alignment toe plates, they go on the outside of the tire then you put 2 tape measures on both sides of the tire and measure. when it is the same measurement, they are aligned. but not sure how this works for all wheel alignments or aligning front wheels to back wheels.
The string technique to correct the toe works only with small cars and some usv that doesn't have how to correct the caster and camber but if the car had a bend frame forget about it 😅
The video is literally titled "Here's Why THE DIY STRING ALIGNMENT SUCKS!!" however the quote from the 7 min video of this guy shaking his head around frantically is... get ready... "for some reason... it just didn't work"
For more than 20 years I use DIY wheel alignment and always is OK you just have to know how to do that for example you must know what is your front and rear wheelbase and a few more trick maybe you skip something cheers from POLAND
I found the GM tool that is made to easily pop out those tabs for alignment !! It was at a pawn shop ! I got it for $5.00 !! they didn't know what it was and didn't care !! I only recognized it because of the other video ! "control arm knock out tool !! thanks buddy !
@Tobias YES !! THE GM part # is J38794A and Mine is made by "SPX" "OTC" No. 7491C And the packaging the tool is in says "Service Solutions" That's for "FYI"
Took my truck for an alignment. Came back 3 hours later and they told me I need to replace alot of things it would equal to 4000. I went home watched a video and did it myself. Truck driver straight as a whistle. This guy is just paid by shops to make this video.
I have some observations. Wouldn't string alignment work if fromt and rear tires evenly protrude to outside of vehicle to exact measurements? Should this have been done so that the difference have to be halved and added/subtracted on the string measurements?
The logic is that you use the rear tires square up the strings down the sides of the truck as the rear end is "supposed to be" square to the rest of the vehicle. If it is, then the string is the reference point that you measure the front wheels off of. If the axle is tweaked or out of square for some reason, then you can not square the string, and therefore, all your measurements will be wacko. Which, leads me to have to wonder if his Suburban's rear axle was square to the frame.
I have no problem on using the strings to adjust toe, I use a Fishing line because it’s so thin and strong and you can stretch it to make it a perfect straight line when you put it on the stands, so the first thing you need is to make sure your rear wheels are aligned first on other words first align your rear camber Ann’s toe, because you’ll be using the rear wheels as a reference to adjust the front wheels toe angle. I May be wrong but I just don’t trust the wheel alignment shops, I just feel they’ll do a half done job because they have so many cars to align and it’ll be like next, next and so on, I like doing it and I’ve taught myself how to do it but I’m sure on some cars like your truck it may not be as easy as on my SUV
That won’t work on an old style front end due to steering box play. I am a 21 year automotive tech. You have to lock the wheel and you need the tires on rotating plates. You can’t do it flat on the floor. The tire must be able move freely. If you don’t understand how camber caster and toe works you won’t make the right adjustments.
String allignment will only fix your toe. With the lift, you needed camber and caster allignment as well, that is why the shop took longer as usual to get it straight. Simple as that. Now that camber and caster is set, your toe can be done by string amd will be a walk in the park.
Did a string toe alignment on my truck almost 6 years ago. Took it to have it checked and it was within spec. Alignment guy admitted half their guys can't even get them that good with the machine and said that was pretty damn good. Still no tire wear issues. I felt pretty good leaving that place.
This method certainly works, the problem is that unless your rear wheels are in perfect alignment the "methods" you used will never work correctly. You need to have a decent understanding of geometry and vehicle suspension design to accomplish this if the rear wheels are not at 0 degrees toe, or better yet your old truck frame is is bent.
So here it goes, you first need to research your vehicle and figure out your wheel base and track width front and rear, then any factory rear toe built in. (i run a 2.5" wider front track on my race car and boy will you get some funny results if you use the methods you probably tried.) the only guaranteed accurate "method" is to build a square box ( you don't need a bar like others have mentioned but it is easier.) Start at the end with the wider track width (if same it doesn't matter) measure from the CENTER of the wheels to the string and make them the same on both sides, I use a calibrated metric scale to get this down to the mm.
Now measure your string to string distance at that end, write it down! Move to the other end of the vehicle and measure the string to string distance to figure out how much you need to adjust in total, measure from the center of the wheel to the string on the both sides and adjust the strings in or out until both sides read the same number (will not be the same at both ends if you don't have a square track width.) at this point measure the string the string distance again, it should be the same as the number you wrote down earlier, if not start over and check your work.
Go back and verify the end you started on by measuring the center of wheel distance again, it doesn't need to be the same as it was just equal side to side. Keep doing this until the front two wheels and the rear two wheel are reading the same, and the front and rear string measurements are the same. You now have a square alignment frame to make toe adjustment. A set of toe plates is also nice to have for sanity checks but certainly not needed. This process is tedious and not fast by any means but is critical to ensure your have a known zero reference to set toe off of. There are a few good videos and write ups out there using this method, follow those. As a side note we are talking about 1-2 mm toe adjustments here so "close enough" won't cut it. If done correctly this can take hours start to finish. Also lock down your steering wheel before you start.
Again some cars you get lucky on and they have zero toe and and square track width and the simple "short" methods will work on them just fine. When you use the around the back tires and other methods your are truly only aligning the front wheel to the rear wheel and not side to side. My guess is that your rear alignment was off from the modifications and you had no chance at getting the fronts correct. I would suggest you try the alignment box method and see how it compares to the printout from the shop then make another video about it but please don't say this method doesn't work, it is extremely accurate if the user knows what they are doing.
well said Tanner.
Word.
Heard.
Respect.
👍
3 different alignment shops and my truck still pulled, 30 mins with string straight as an arrow
I feel you. I believe that 99% of people looking on how to DIY their alignment are actually after a good alignment, not aiming at saving $100. If alignment shops all did the job correctly, there would not be so many videos on DYI alignment...
@@gustavette8487 most chumps in the alignment shops would be completely lost without the computer telling them how to do it lol. There are some good shops out there, especially if you go somewhere specialising in motorsports, but most alignment shops cant beat the stringline.
@@GeneralNOH Exactly...
90% of shops alignment "specialist" probably only know how to do the toes.
If you don’t know what you’re doing...this may not work. I work on the NASCAR team and I use the string method before every race to get the car spot on for over 200 miles an hour. Better keep your day job bud🚀
You need to be smarter than the string.
LMAO...too funny...I think he needs to study string theory...
Well, it's a fact that lack of knowledge of basic things will always lead to "it does not work".
Does he not understand it only works for Toe? On a level surface? Seems I remember him saying he didn't understand what he was doing. Sorry Dude, you're still talking and I'm done typing my 2cents
You gotta be smarter than the string you're using!
String method is to get you to the alignment shop did it on my Wrangler and works pretty darn great
Done properly you can get your vehicles alignment just as good as a alignment rack but it all depends on you and your abilities, remember vehicle alignment is 3 dimensional so if you are off on one you will be off on the rest.
"I want it done right" uses a pipe wrench to knarl up parts, otherwise he has interesting videos and speaks clearly, seems to research projects good and I'm real jealous of the rust free trucks,
If he were gnarling up a nut or bolt that would be one thing but that was a pretty benign area to rough up, if anything adding a little traction to that area would be of benefit
The tie-rods hang out in the weather and road muck. The factory sleeve has NO feature to put a wrench on. About the only time they are adjusted is when the shop replaces a rod end. What would you suggest? The small pipe wrench is a great choice.
I did the string alignment on my 82 range rover, workes like a charm. No professional alignment shop in my area ever got it this amazingly. So i don't know what happened with you, it worked great with me. Anyways regards from Lebanon and keep up the good videos!!!
As you said the string line method is for setting up your toe. If your front caster and/or camber was out after you'd installed the kit (as you alluded to) , you can have made exact toe measurements yet as you found it'll pull one way or the other. There is nothing wrong with the string method, its just that you were expecting straight tracking when other things were out but at that point hadn't been attended to. Also did you have skid plates under your front tyres. They can be 2 nylon table place mats on top of each other with baby powder between them under each wheel, two sheets of aluminium with grease between them etc. If your tyres were on the ground and you were adjusting the tie rods for toe, there would have been so much binding that you wouldn't have gotten an exact measurement. A tip for the front - just use toe plates and tape measures. On the front end each wheels angles relative to a datum is not really relevant. Just have the wheel straight, set the front toe for the TOTAL toe measurement you need and then go for a drive. The fronts will obviously find their equilibrium. If the steering wheel is in the centre then that's a win. If it say left hand down well next time you drive into the garage, again have the wheel straight. You know the tyres are then pointing out to the right. So go say 1/2 a turn on BOTH sides tie rods. You wont be changing total toe if you do them together and equally but you'll be straightening up the tyres relative to the steering wheel. As seen in the vid though you need to know your camber and caster are ok for this to hold true.
Okay, so you're saying supercup teams that compete and use this in-between laps to tune are inept?
You are the inept one, you need a bar to regulate jack width, there is nothing to do with wrapping the tires to align. It sounds like your strings weren't parallel and given you had no bar to measure between left and right I can almost guarantee that.
Laughable.
You are correct. 1Road is a clueless tool.
I tested your feelings today.
I did an alignment on a 4 wheel adjustable sedan and it is the best alignment this car has had and the first one I have done on this car. This car tracks great and feels great. Used 4 identical jack stands and thin twine and a HF caliper. Used a ratchet strap on the steering wheel to keep it straight and car drives well.
About a year ago I took it to a shop in my area that specializes in frame repair and suspension work and they could not get it right after taking it back twice. The owner did the alignments and his helper told me that it did not matter if steering wheel is off center as you drive straight. I told him he shouldn’t be in the industry if he believes that. I have not been back and posted a 2 star review online.
Why'd you give them 2 stars?
@@potatopie1696 Because these fucks that send out your car with the steering wheel jacked half way dont deserve any better.
Maybe now that every thing is in its proper alignment caster camber&toe the string might work. Set it up again and see how it looks.
You know formula one uses the string method and almost every professional racing team.
Yep, just because OP couldn't do it doesn't mean it doesn't work. I've been doing string alignment for all 8 of my vehicles at home and got them checked on a hunter machine...just fine
I remember going racing with family friends who had Formula Vees - they'd just line them up with a home made tool. Some vehicle width long square stock with a couple clamp on attachments that you could use to reach past the tires and touch the edge of the rims. Measure front and back for toe and adjust until the tool showed the same distance between the rim edges front and back. Nothing more to it.
Alignment shop is only as good as the operator and the last time the machine was calibrated, laser or not!
@@jo300hn And how good and/or clean the turn plates are. And the fact that that still doesn't guarantee they're not sticking. Considering all that, its no surprise this guy couldn't get it close with string.
Is that really true - that's crazy!
I believe I know where you went wrong.
See, string alignment relies on the center point of the front and rear axles being centered. That is, even if the track is a different dimension, the difference in track is the same on both sides.
Now, most straight axle suspensions (as is the rear end on your SUV) utilize a Panhard rod, that is a track bar going from one side of the vehicle to the opposite side of the axle, at a set length to keep the axle center at standard ride height.
When you install a suspension lift, that dimension changes, and unless you adjust the length of this rod, the center of the rear axle will never match the center of the front suspension, if only by a small amount, specifically in the case of a vehicle with a live rear axle and an independent front suspension. Once that dimension is incorrect, you will be unable to make the strings dimensionally even with the front and rear of the car and also straight. Therefore, your alignment will LOOK straight but both tires will actually be pointing to one side. This was your mistake, and this is why your alignment could never have turned out accurately.
Now, this situation is only possible IF the vehicle has a Panhard bar on a straight rear axle AND an independent front suspension. This setup is common on most modern light truck chassis. A double Panhard setup (such as a Jeep) or a double independent suspension (most cars) will have the same dimension no matter the ride height.
String alignment is very accurate when performed correctly using the correct tools, and is used by race teams the world over. Suspension itself is a geometric mind trip, but once you understand how things move when they move, the methods themselves can be adjusted for accuracy.
He doesn't have a panhard bar/track bar.
The toe being out will not cause a pull. So you can adjust toe with your string and make it perfect you're never going to fix a pull. It's usually a camber issue. Caster has to be off a bunch to cause a pull. 20 year ASE certified auto tech.
The key to accurate alignment with the string method is to make sure the string is exactly parallel to the wheel at the back wheels. If not, the error will be highly magnified at the front wheels. For example, if the measurement error is 1/16" at the back wheel, it will be 6.3/16" error at the front wheel. This would throw the adjustment way out of tolerance for most vehicles.
Not quite perfectly stated, but close. The strings MUST be parallel. If toe is out the wheel cannot be parallel. The center of the wheels (front or rear) should be used to start with.
A braided 30 pound fishing line is a little more accurate than ordinary string.
@@escargod thats half the issue with stringline method. A lot of videos assume the rear toe is perfect 0.
If you set up a square using equal distance off the front and rear hubs allowing for track difference you cant go wrong, and you will be able to align the rear this way too.
That's how we all learn "trial and error". Keep passig on the knowledge!
Next time you're at a race track, be sure to stop by each team's tech crew and inform them that the string method doesn't work. They'll certainly all be surprised and, no doubt, grateful to you for stopping by to share this priceless wisdom with them. ;)
Well the method works, but you forgot to put the plastic bag underneath the front tire. Reason being the friction from the tire and the ground, the plastic bag will make the tires move freely.
True
Now it is aligned, check it with the string method to see what a right reading is like. I did the string method like half a dozen times to finally get it right. It is doable, but there are some details that are hard to pin down in the first few times.
I aligned my toe on a 69 GTX using two 4 foot levels. I attached 1 to each front wheel and then measured the distance in the front and the back of the wheel. I dont know if it worked. Ill visit the alignment shop today and see how I did. I also used the level on the wheel to check camber and try to center the bubble. I have a few videos on my page but nothing on the alignment.
This should be called, "I just couldn't get it right. My alignment guy says bring it to him."
You need 2x 30+ inch 4x4"s. Lay them along side the front tires, on nice flat, level cement, butted up tight so that the 4x4's stick out just enough front and rear of the front tires to measure the distance between the 2 4x4's. It's easier to measure from outer edge to outer edge. Adjust the tie rod until the 2 distances are equal. This is plenty good enough to get to the alignment shop.
says the guy with a pipe wrench. next
Too funny...So he changes the suspension and its rolling geometry and load with a lift kit... and using a monkey wrench too....yup....next
She looks great Jimmy. I was going to try this "string theory" on my Burb. I just finished doing the head gaskets and 3" lift on my 2wd 1999. Was looking to put 33" tires on her but it looked like overkill. Going to just replace my 31x10.5x15s. nice to find a fellow Burb lover and diy guy. Subbed and liked!
Basically I touch the square tubing along the back tires on the sidewall and used that as my reference for the front
Replaced upper & lower control arms, tie rods, front half shafts, etc. on my son's 2008 4x4 Ranger. Used the string method with me under the truck and him measuring (and supposed to ensure the steering wheel was straight). Only did toe. Worked perfectly except for the crooked steering wheel.
Next time you should try to explain why you couldn’t do the string alignment rather then just saying you couldn’t do it. Do be able to do the string alignment you front and track width must be the same which your is not, when you crank the torsion keys, it doesn’t only push the front tires down, but also out so there’s no way you could properly align the front to the rear unless you go spacers for the rear
Front and rear track width^*
The GMT400 K series is 3 inches wider in the front than the rear from the factory.
Chris Clark negative, only an inch wider from factory, when you crack your keys the amount this guy has, then it’s 3 inches wider. I have 8 GMT400 trucks, 5 of which being k-series, from completely stock to a 8inch lift, my only truck that has a 3inch width different are my lifted and cranked one.
Well I hope you did try the "Lazy Susan" method. It help the tires rotate so that you don't over or under adjust the toe
Great info Jimmy. I have done a few at home that drove OK to the shop then let the guys with the proper equipment get it right.
As others have said, the string method works. It's been a while since this video was made, but take your truck to the shop, make sure the tracking (especially toe in/out) is still in spec, if it's not, get it done, if it is, great! Then come home, drive in straight and onto a couple of decent plastic bags (because that truck is heavy and you need to remove some of the resistance between the tires and the garage floor surface), then set out your strings and try out that method again, this time with the knowledge that your vehicle is in spec, that you won't be making any adjustments so you should get the 'in-spec' answer in your numbers. If you figure it out great, but if not, video what you are doing, your setup, measurements, how your steering wheel is locked, do some walk around, even measure between the insides of the rear tires and the insides of the front tires so the viewers can see everything etc, because it is annoying and frustrating when lots of people say it works and you're still there unable to get it to work, and there is no reason why it shouldn't work for you. Like another commenter said, do a video and lets see if we can help you solve this mystery. NB: The reason the mechanic was working one side then the other, then back to the first is likely because where it was so far out, adjustments on one side have to be compensated for on the other so there is roughly equal number of threads showing on the tie/track rod ends or you would end up with steering that would turn too far in one direction such that the tire could rub against the wheel-arch, and in the other direction may not turn far enough such that you could end up in the land of on coming traffic, so checking the number of threads when you're adjusting the toe is good practice.
Most likely had issue with tire friction moving the steering rack while adjusting toe causing opposite wheel to move making it look like the adjusting wheel not moving enough. Small adjustments to tie rods, move car back and forth to settle, straighten steering wheel and re setting strings. Mainly the reason all race teams use on car string setups to be able to move the car around without messing with strings. And also toe is one of the major effects of steering pull, but not the only one. Caster and camber can have a pulling effect on steering even if toe is perfectly zero. I do string alignments and haven’t been to a alignment shop in close to 10 years. It’s not rocket science, but it does take a little bit to be accurate and if done right can be more accurate than what you’d get a run of the mill alignment shop.
If done right it is very accurate. It's been done at race tracks for ever. you need to level the floor
"Here's why (insert anything here) sucks!" (Proceeds to do it wrong) "See! This sucks!"
You should have done a video on how you did it so your audience could have told you where you went wrong.
If your strings weren't level or parallel that could have done it. Wrapping the string around the rear tires definitely didnt help either. Most people use a bar or pipe that sits on the jack stands in the front and back so you can measure between them front and rear to make sure the width is the same. You aren't trying to make sure the string is the same distance from the front wheels as the back because the track width on vehicles are different front and rear, the front being wider.
When you lifted the truck you threw the suspension geometry off
that's what I was thinking. If the camber was way off it will affect the distance between the edge of the rim and string.
Exactly !
I too have tried this method with my 96 k1500. Instead of string i just get 2 straight pieces of metal (unistrut for mounting conduit on walls) and mount each piece to each wheel, about center, and horizontal with ground using a bungee chord through the wheel. I use a measuring tape from one side to the other. measuring front and back of the tire I can get it extremely close to dead even. I have noticed doing this method and not adjusting the CAMBER will make the truck pull to one side, even with wheels dead even. camber can be done with bubble level or degree tool on level ground. found your channel because of the 95 suburban in the snow. we all love offroad snow videos.
I did my own with a tape measure
My first string alignment was around 2005 on my 93 F150. I had just replaced the all the ball joints and tie rods and just wanted to get the alignment close so I wouldn't shred the tires on the way to the alignment shop. The alignment tech said it was well within spec, but still happily took my $90. Where you went wrong is you assumed your rear wheels were perfectly aligned with the vehicle. rear wheels usually have toe too. I made that mistake before as well. A string alignment isn't done by just running a string down the side of the vehicle and getting it the same distance to the front and back wheels. To start, you need to know your vehicle's front and rear track widths. They usually aren't the same. The vehicle must be on a fairly level surface, and you should bounce the front and rear to make sure it's settled. Then you need to run your strings perfectly parallel to each other, and measure to the center of the wheels, while taking into account the difference in track widths. So, if your rear track width was 1 inch wider than the front, then your string on each side would be 1/2 inch closer at the rear than the front. Once you do that, then you can accurately measure and adjust your toe. After making adjustments, you should again bounce the front and rear, make sure your measurements to the wheel centers are still the same, and then double check your toe measurements.
Great explanation!
With a solid rear axle there is no toe to adjust. If there is some toe, the axle housing is bent, and should be replaced. You can check/adjust the thrust angle thou.
@@DanMcD80 That's not exactly true, and neither are these comments harping on about track width.
Firstly, you can get solid axles that have cambered and toed hubs.
Secondly. What matters is making sure the car is square side to side. Different widths have nothing to do with that. It doesn't matter if the widths are 100, 200mm different F&R, what matters is if the measurements at both sides of the wheels front and rear are equal SIDE TO SIDE of the car. A blind man would soon tell if you're getting wildly different measurements that the widths are obviously different, and need to be matched side to side - not front to rear.
The dick move OP did is doing one side at a time. The whole point of a string line is to connect BOTH sides of the car to make sure they are the same. Good enough for billion dollar F1 teams. Surely the arrogant yank has to find issue that it's not good enough for him.
@@dons1932 the vid is specifically for the gmt400 which has NO toe adjustment to the solid axle so that is 100% correct on oem. On the rear there is no camber or caster adjustment. With shims you can adjust pinion angle. F1 CARS are also 4 wheel independant suspension which is wildly different than the gmt400. Whos the arrogant yank again ..... lol.
@@DanMcD80 My comment went right over your head, entirely. It does not matter the type of vehicle, suspension type or wild differences in setups. From a shopping trolley to GMT400 to F1. If you measure all four points of wheel contact, on both sides, and make them equal side to side, the car will be DEAD straight with a perfect alignment. No matter if it is cambered, toed, solid, independent, anything. String is the most accurate consistent perfect alignments there are. The only thing that will fail it is user error. Nothing to do with car type. That is the point of why, no matter how expensive or complicated the design, string is always used to align. FYI NASCAR and V8 Supercars with solid axle housings use both cambered and toed hubs. Most solid axle race cars do. You don't need IRS.
4:15 Well, there's your answer. String method wont work on alignment so "Out of whack". It's for factory aligned cars that needs to be adjusted slightly. Sounds like yours was all over the place on all 4 tires.
This method works only for small cars with no camber and caster adjustments, for a lifted car you need all adjustments correct to make it go straight... Good video
You dont know what your talking about do you the string method is used by every professional racing team all the way to formula one.
Jimmy I live in California, LA to be exact, I have a 1995 GMC Yukon 2dr and thing you have to keep in mind about our trucks is that it is an In betweener, it has the engine set up of a 92-94 the interior of a 96-99 and a suspension that's a mixture of both the 92-94 and the 96-99 and an electrical and engine harness that are only for the 95 Yukon. Silverado and Suburban with the TBI setup, those are the only cars that are directly compatible with ours, so if it says to knock a whole out for 92-94 it's almost safe to assume it means your 95 too
Thanks man. I just assume that a company like Rough Country should also fully know and consider this stuff too. They simply need to update their instructions!!
The DIY is just to get you to the shop safely. Also, pulling is a camber issue and the string method doesn't fix that, only toe in/out. You can get it close at home and make it quit pulling if you know what you're doing.
I had the mechanic say the little knock out tabs needed to be knocked out before a proper alignment. Get to alignment shop and they locked at it and said a previous owner did it already. I lucked out on labor. They did a perfect alignment. Steering wheel dead straight. 1996 Tahoe 4x4
I've string aligned multiple cars and everything went great, never perfect but enough to drive around enough to get to a shop without dieing
Most of these shops will refuse to do 'custom' alignments. They only care about getting them in the 'green' zone and calling it day. They also don't like the fact you only come to their shop for alignment, or you're not referring other people (no just looking for alignments) to them.
I have a 96 K1500. I got new KO2s (Same 2657516) and wanted to change the rims. I also changed control arm bushings and all steering components from the steering box on down. New ball joints, rotor, calipers, wheel bearings the whole nine yards.
I used string method on (no cement near me, the country) and my truck drove great. I even adjusted camber the best I could with a torpedo level.
Got rims with about 1,000 miles before shop alignment, and I wasn't too far off.
When you lifted, the whole thing is going to be off and when on pavement the CROWN of the road will make you veer a little to the right so you will never be perfect. So it does work and only as a temporary solution until you get to a professional shop.
the jury is out for me on the string method. I've done some suspension component replacements (including tie rods) on multiple vehicles and utilized the string method "until" I can get a professional alignment. I've noticed that the string seems to move on its own and that it seems nearly impossible to get it lined up with the rear tire and as others mention, the more off it is in the rear, it's exponentially off in the front, plus if the steering wheel moves at all because of the force exerted on the tie rods, then you're going back and forth trying to get perfect
The wild card is the alignment technician and the amount of time the shop allocates to the alignment. I got sick of paying for alignments and still being unsatisfied and so I went for diy methods for one of my older cars. It's been fine since, and I have the freedom iterate on it and perfect the result. You need to set up an accurate square reference box. If you do, you'll be pretty darn close with your toe measurements. The specification for my car's total front toe is 0 +/- 2mm. So that's a 4 mm tolerance window. That's easily within the tolerance of what can be measured using diy methods. When carpenters frame a house they are easily within 1/16 of an inch over an eight foot measure. That's 1.5mm precision, measured and cut by human using a tape measure and a pencil. Camber is very easy to measure with a cheap diy bubble gauge or a digital level. Caster can at least be compared side to side to determine if they are equal because it's a simply a camber measurement with the wheel turned. Many modern cars don't even have camber and caster adjustment. So if you car is out of spec the alignment shop may just shrug and tell you "nothing we can do". The reality, however, is that maybe your subframe is shifted a bit, or some other resolvable problem exists. My experience, is that I have to figure it out on my own or the car never gets sorted out.
it does work, it matter of knowledge not method, in olden days there was no computer alignment, all was done with manual measurements, strings and measurement tape, and I have learned and done in college! and I just did on my suv almost perfect!
I have a 98 Tahoe and I'm doing the exact same lift kit but I'm using the add leaf set up add a little bit more articulation in the rear Axel for better ground clearance.
It works for solid front axles. I took a wild stab at it on my 2001 ram without even UA-cam instruction and it was near perfect when they checked it when I got new tires.
That method wont work on the GMT400 K series, because the front wheels are about 3 inches further out than the rear. That would mean that you were adjusting your wheels towed out.
It will work on the C series trucks though. They have the same spacing as the rear.
Well... have you put into account maybe having different track widh front to rear? If you factor that in, it works perfectly fine.
Honestly the best way to do this is only for stock suspension. The best way to do without going to the shop is measure tape.
Sorry to hear Bro.... My string alignment worked fine... I went through a whole set of tires with even wear on the front... Drove straight NO ISSUES!!!
Seems like it should work just fine but didn’t for me. Maybe I have to try again sometime.
You can also get an alignment and then make a jig based off your alignment sheet as a reference
Ive never used a string, but ive used levels and measuring tapes to ball park vehicles to get them to an alignment shop after a complete front end rebuild and ive never had a problem getting them close enough to drive without damaging your tires, just because this guy may have had issues, doesnt mean that 40 years of doing something myself has been wrong .
I, just like you went thru the same steps, however the car I was working on was a 300 dollar car. I replaced the front end suspension. I did the string method and it worked for me. I understand it doesnt adjust anything else but I can say that I was happy with the results. I also understand it's just a step better than eye balling with either method isnt accurate at all but I've been driving this car for a few months and I have no tire wear, vibrations nor anything funny. So based on my experience I'd say I'd try it again on another cheap car. Nothing replaces professional equipment, but its usually more than 100 bucks.
I used to ride motorcycles and never had a problem with the string method. It was more accurate than the marks on the swingarm
String method is only a temporary fix for those that cannot afford the full alignment price up front. It does not correct it 100% but gets it pretty close if done right till money is saved for the shop price.
I'm a professional mechanic. I have never heard of aligning a vehicle using strings and jack stands. I have however hung a plumb bob from the fender in order to set camber. Hang the plumb bob with a string using masking tape and then adjust the camber so that you have the same tape measure measurement from the string to the sidewall of the tire at both the top and bottom of the tire. Once you have the camber set, lock the steering wheel in the dead straight ahead position and tape measure from the outside of the center rib of the tire on the front of the tire and on the back of the tire. Using the back tires as a guide adjust your toe until both the front and back of the front tires measure the same, make sure the steering wheel doesn't move while you're doing this. This method should get you close enough to drive the vehicle to the alignment shop without scrubbing the tires off of it, but should never be a final setup, always use an alignment shop and real alignment machine for final setup.
You are a professional mechanic that doesn't work with a alignment machine then. An alignment machine is good for an OEM alignment if you change the right height and this can not be done correctly with a machine because it changes more then just camber cast and toe when you change these things and the machine does not know this and you can not add these inputs. That's why professional race teams all the way up to formula one uses the string method cause they can get it more accurately then a machine could ever imagine.
@@701garage I've got many many hours of successfully aligning all sorts of lifted trucks and lowered cars. On most alignment machines (hunter, john bean, snap on, whatever other big name you want to throw in there) you can key in your own specs or you can pick a vehicle and it will give you pre programmed specs. On custom stuff you can alignment to whatever measurements you want, all the alignment machine is is a fancy measurement device. Rules of thumb are on rear wheel drive lowered stuff like mini trucks etc. There will always be more positive caster but you want to set everything else as close to factory as you can. Likewise if you have something like a v8 fiero you want to dial in more negative camber due to the added weight in the rear of the car. This way when the car is moving and the rear end is squating and the front end is in the air everything will be where its supposed too be and the car will drive straight and not eat the tires off of it. A good technician is smarter than his equipment. You mean to tell me that a 9000 dollar or more machine is less accurate than a piece of string and a tape measure? Yes there is more too it than camber, caster and toe there is also steering axis inclination, total toe, thrust angle, and more. You couldn't begin to measure any of that with a string and a tape measure. Formula one teams get away with it because it's alot gdx aster of a process and more portable, and they're not trying to make a $1000 set of truck tires last 50,000 miles. If they scrub off the tires who cares as long as the car is controllable.
@@Dumbass_mechanic I work for hunter you can not change anything it is all set to the OEM spec of the car you can not change the geometry of how the computer thinks how it should be. You should probably not be doing alignments if you somt know that when you change ride height you change how the car works and you can not change how these are doen with an alignment machine.
So your telling me that you you can align a car just as good with out a machine you know these machines have not been around that long 1947 to be accurate. What did they do before that.
@@701garage yeah... I probably shouldn't be, I'll call everyone I've done an alignment for for the last 30 years and refund their money since you've just convinced me that I'm completely clueless. Yeah, you can align a car with a tape measure and a plumb bob, or a piece of string and some tape even. Being that you work for hunter you should know darn well that it isn't nearly as good as doing a proper alignment on a machine. It's good enough to get by, but it isn't "just as good".
I found that rolling the truck back 10-15 feet, then back forward after each adjustment showed the best results on my 1977 F150 4x4. Thanks
todmay11 that’s because you should be using turn plates under the front tires to allow for proper tire movement without friction from the tires on the ground.
So you did part of the toe alignment. You also have to measure where the center of the truck is, then measure from the center to the front and rear of the wheel. the difference then needs to be put into percentage and then you have yourself your toe percentage. I did this on my corolla after I had to replace a inner tie rod and it drove straight after.
you probably forgot step 1: lock steering wheel into straight position with specialty tool, ratchet strap, or seatbelt.
If you can't align it based on how it feels pulling in one direction, and how it appears just looking down the side of the truck no amount of string and jack stands is gonna help you. First figure out your problem. If you're toed out pull in the toe on the side that isn't pulling. You're pulling right so you tighten the left in small increments. If you're toed in, adjust both out until you get wheels straight with rears than feel the pull and adjust the opposite side like before, basically just toe your steering out over tolerance on purpose and work it back based in which side pulls. This isn't a valid criticism of home alignments just because you didn't comprehend the geometry behind it. The fact that it boggled you that adjusting one side would affect the other is proof enough that you lacked the knowledge to do this. What's common sense for some is completely foreign to others and I'm just glad you got it done right and are driving safely now man.
2.42 hard to tell but it looks like all you’re doing is moving the adjustment unit up both sets of threads so you’re not actually changing the length of the rack but just moving the position of the adjustment piece if that makes sense.
Looks like there’s a coupe of 13mm’ish nuts that have both been loosened. If you ever have another go at it just loosen one of them so you’re only moving 1 side in or out.
Could be wrong, looks like a slightly different setup to what I’ve done so I could be totally wrong but though it was worth a mention.
did you lock in the steering wheel? I had to use a ratchet strap. took me awhile to figure that out. Got it very close to get it to an alignment shop. I used paracord attached to the hitch ball and ran the cord along the back tires to where it was barely touching. adjusted the front to a little toe in. Worked.
people generally use this method to get TO the alignment shop lol
Don't tell the NASCAR boys string alignment doesn't work.
Measure with seperate lines on each side. Measure string to centre of the rim till equal on all 4 tires. Then measure using same tread spots on each front tire. Front of tire to front of other front tire. Then tread to tread on rear of the front tires. Then adjust tie rods till the space between both front facing treads are equal to both rear facing treads. More accurate then wrap around measurements. Measure the rear tire tread to tread differences as well.
Most of the video was just ragging on the string alignment, I think a video of you actually setting up and doing the string alignment would be beneficial to both you and your viewers. Perhaps someone would have spotted something awry in the setup. I know you said the i's were dotted and t's were crossed, but there is a reason people wrench on cars with their friends, it's good to have a second pair of eyes :)
Very good point.
You tried it on one car and failed, however, why not try it on a couple other cars? There are so many people who swear by the string method and then they take it to the shop and is perfectly aligned
Did you have a video on putting new foam strips in the door seals to make them close like new? I wish I could find that and what products to use... Thanks
You probably assumed the front & rear axles are the same width (track width)... this is rarely the case. You must square the string off the vehicle's centerline and/or whichever track width is wider (be it front or rear).
I know right everybody knows that the rear track is always narrower on big trucks this guy supposed to be a mechanic he’s an idiot
Awesome Jimmy the trucks looking real good
100% agree...take your car/truck to the alignment shop. We can’t reliably make 1-degree caster adjustments in the driveway...it’s not worth shredding your tires
Home alignment is useful after installing new suspension parts, do it all the time. But, it’s temporary till I get it to the shop for a pro alignment. Not work it to ruin suspension and tires to save few dollars. Keep on man.
Your camber and caster are way out of wack because u lifted the truck- your toe in and out may be good but u need the caster and camber aligned
Aligned my 94 K1500 myself at home. Used fishing line instead of string. Drives straight. I have over 8k miles on my front tires, wearing evenly. No pulling at all while cruising down the road. As another person said, gotta use common sense. Small adjustments go a long ways don’t start going crazy turning the tie rod adjusting sleeves. Little bit at time and recheck the distance from string to rim.
You did good bro. Not to knock you, but you forgot to calculate for caster, camber, and steering angle inclination. There's a math equation to do all that but it take way to long. Can be done if you want to save or spend the money to do it.
Yeah steering angle inclination, learned that one in school and forgot the name. Still remember the diagram I think that's the distance between the ground, load bearing balljoint and the outside top edge of the tire.
Most people just use the string method to make the truck “driveable” as in just be able to drive it to the alignment shop safely after doing your own suspension work. It gets the wheels close enough to make the vehicle safe on the road for a few miles.
It's easy.
You center the steering wheel by turning left and right sleeves the same amount in opposite directions. Then measure across front and back of tires and go 0-1/16 wider at rear turning both sleeves same direction (in or out) 1/4 turn at a time..
Was the steering wheel straight when you aligned it? lol I've had good luck with the string method oh, I usually have a friend hold it against the back Tire
It may have been mention in other comments (have not read all) but to me an obvious issue is that you were replacing control arms...unless you got the adjustment cams or shims put back exactly the way they were caster (longitudinal relationship angle of upper and lower control arms - will pull toward side with most negative caster,if I recall) and camber (lateral relationship angle of control arms) will likely be way off.
Incorrect caster will cause pulling to one side.Incorrect camber will cause eneven tire wear but not as fast as if toe is off.
The string method alone does not work because is not a full wheel alignment.
When tightening the lower control arm alignment cams, is that supposed to be torqued to spec with the Vic on the ground?
i don't know too much about string alignments, but bisforbuild has used metal plates called alignment toe plates, they go on the outside of the tire then you put 2 tape measures on both sides of the tire and measure. when it is the same measurement, they are aligned. but not sure how this works for all wheel alignments or aligning front wheels to back wheels.
Done my xtrail with string, after i put new track rod ends on it drove straight, took to have it have a proper alignment,,guy said it was ok
The string technique to correct the toe works only with small cars and some usv that doesn't have how to correct the caster and camber but if the car had a bend frame forget about it 😅
The video is literally titled "Here's Why THE DIY STRING ALIGNMENT SUCKS!!" however the quote from the 7 min video of this guy shaking his head around frantically is... get ready... "for some reason... it just didn't work"
For more than 20 years I use DIY wheel alignment and always is OK you just have to know how to do that for example you must know what is your front and rear wheelbase and a few more trick maybe you skip something cheers from POLAND
Thanks for the input!
I found the GM tool that is made to easily pop out those tabs for alignment !! It was at a pawn shop ! I got it for $5.00 !! they didn't know what it was and didn't care !! I only recognized it because of the other video ! "control arm knock out tool !! thanks buddy !
@Tobias YES !! THE GM part # is J38794A and Mine is made by "SPX" "OTC" No. 7491C And the packaging the tool is in says "Service Solutions" That's for "FYI"
I've been battling that string method myself
Took my truck for an alignment. Came back 3 hours later and they told me I need to replace alot of things it would equal to 4000. I went home watched a video and did it myself. Truck driver straight as a whistle. This guy is just paid by shops to make this video.
I have some observations. Wouldn't string alignment work if fromt and rear tires evenly protrude to outside of vehicle to exact measurements? Should this have been done so that the difference have to be halved and added/subtracted on the string measurements?
The logic is that you use the rear tires square up the strings down the sides of the truck as the rear end is "supposed to be" square to the rest of the vehicle. If it is, then the string is the reference point that you measure the front wheels off of. If the axle is tweaked or out of square for some reason, then you can not square the string, and therefore, all your measurements will be wacko. Which, leads me to have to wonder if his Suburban's rear axle was square to the frame.
I have no problem on using the strings to adjust toe, I use a Fishing line because it’s so thin and strong and you can stretch it to make it a perfect straight line when you put it on the stands, so the first thing you need is to make sure your rear wheels are aligned first on other words first align your rear camber Ann’s toe, because you’ll be using the rear wheels as a reference to adjust the front wheels toe angle. I May be wrong but I just don’t trust the wheel alignment shops, I just feel they’ll do a half done job because they have so many cars to align and it’ll be like next, next and so on, I like doing it and I’ve taught myself how to do it but I’m sure on some cars like your truck it may not be as easy as on my SUV
That won’t work on an old style front end due to steering box play. I am a 21 year automotive tech. You have to lock the wheel and you need the tires on rotating plates. You can’t do it flat on the floor. The tire must be able move freely. If you don’t understand how camber caster and toe works you won’t make the right adjustments.
String allignment will only fix your toe. With the lift, you needed camber and caster allignment as well, that is why the shop took longer as usual to get it straight. Simple as that. Now that camber and caster is set, your toe can be done by string amd will be a walk in the park.
All you need is a paint stick a putty knife and a tape measure .. you also need a assistant to hold the other end of the tape measure