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Alignment question after leveling kit/wheel and tire install

T_Rod25

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I recently had a readylift 2” leveling kit installed along with 285/60/20 open country a/t3’s and some fuel rebel wheels in 20x10 with a -18 offset. The guy who did the install for all of that also handled getting the alignment done with a local tire shop. After receiving the truck everything looked perfect and the tires fit with basically no rubbing (minor rub in reverse at full lock which I was ok with).

After driving the truck for a day I realized the alignment was off and the truck was pulling to the right slightly. I texted the guy who did the install for me and he said no problem I’ll send you back to the tire shop to get it fixed. The shop did the realignment and this resulted in a severe rub issue. I then texted my install guy again to to let him know what happened and find out if there were some special specs the truck had to be aligned to. He then sent me a picture of recommended alignment specs that readylift says to use after the install of their kits. I provided this to the tire shop and they realigned the truck to those settings, but there was still a rub issue.

The tire shop guy then told me since neither the standard specs they use for aligning ram trucks or the specs provided by readylift were working, it would be guess and check from here on out to play with the numbers to see what would work. Since this would take an extended period of time to work on I had to make another appointment and am set to go back there on Monday. So for now they put the truck back to the original alignment they had it set at after install.

So my question is if they are able to play with the alignment and somehow get the truck to run straight with no rub, is there any reason I should be concerned since they wouldn’t be using readylift’s recommended specs? Or if the truck runs straight does that mean there shouldn’t be any issues with uneven tire wear or stress on other parts of the suspension? I’m not an expert in this field so forgive me if it’s a stupid question.

I was just curious if anyone else ever had to play with their alignment like that to get things to work right.

I also am aware modifying the wheel well is an option to make larger setups fit as outlined in another thread. So I could attempt to do that and then see if readylift’s recommended alignment specs would work with no rub. However I’d rather not have to do any modifying. C14DA107-DF7B-4D91-8948-3289409B4BED.jpeg D3E79F75-75F4-48E0-9D17-EF9D29682033.jpeg
 

Biggiehorn

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I recently had a readylift 2” leveling kit installed along with 285/60/20 open country a/t3’s and some fuel rebel wheels in 20x10 with a -18 offset. The guy who did the install for all of that also handled getting the alignment done with a local tire shop. After receiving the truck everything looked perfect and the tires fit with basically no rubbing (minor rub in reverse at full lock which I was ok with).

After driving the truck for a day I realized the alignment was off and the truck was pulling to the right slightly. I texted the guy who did the install for me and he said no problem I’ll send you back to the tire shop to get it fixed. The shop did the realignment and this resulted in a severe rub issue. I then texted my install guy again to to let him know what happened and find out if there were some special specs the truck had to be aligned to. He then sent me a picture of recommended alignment specs that readylift says to use after the install of their kits. I provided this to the tire shop and they realigned the truck to those settings, but there was still a rub issue.

The tire shop guy then told me since neither the standard specs they use for aligning ram trucks or the specs provided by readylift were working, it would be guess and check from here on out to play with the numbers to see what would work. Since this would take an extended period of time to work on I had to make another appointment and am set to go back there on Monday. So for now they put the truck back to the original alignment they had it set at after install.

So my question is if they are able to play with the alignment and somehow get the truck to run straight with no rub, is there any reason I should be concerned since they wouldn’t be using readylift’s recommended specs? Or if the truck runs straight does that mean there shouldn’t be any issues with uneven tire wear or stress on other parts of the suspension? I’m not an expert in this field so forgive me if it’s a stupid question.

I was just curious if anyone else ever had to play with their alignment like that to get things to work right.

I also am aware modifying the wheel well is an option to make larger setups fit as outlined in another thread. So I could attempt to do that and then see if readylift’s recommended alignment specs would work with no rub. However I’d rather not have to do any modifying. View attachment 100206 View attachment 100208
Do you know exactly where the rub is originating from? Chances are it’s the plastic mud guards behind the front wheels. At least I’m assuming that’s where you’re experiencing the issue. In my case, the alignment and truck shop notified me that they could not get the alignment dialed in completely with the tire catching that plastic guard so I had to remove it and bend the metal bracket tab out of the way. I have the same fuel rebel wheels and I think the -18 offset is coming into play regarding your rub issue. For reference, im on their 3.5” lift kit with 35” tires so I know we are not comparing apples to apples but im guessing the issue could be resulting from the same culprit. I’m not an expert here either so I can’t provide clarity to your alignment questions but I can say that it was a relatively simple process to get resolved in my case.

nice truck by the way!
 
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T_Rod25

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Do you know exactly where the rub is originating from? Chances are it’s the plastic mud guards behind the front wheels. At least I’m assuming that’s where you’re experiencing the issue. In my case, the alignment and truck shop notified me that they could not get the alignment dialed in completely with the tire catching that plastic guard so I had to remove it and bend the metal bracket tab out of the way. I have the same fuel rebel wheels and I think the -18 offset is coming into play regarding your rub issue. For reference, im on their 3.5” lift kit with 35” tires so I know we are not comparing apples to apples but im guessing the issue could be resulting from the same culprit. I’m not an expert here either so I can’t provide clarity to your alignment questions but I can say that it was a relatively simple process to get resolved in my case.

nice truck by the way!
Thanks for the response!So did you bend the metal tab and then remount the mud flap? Or just leave it off? And yea I believe that’s where my rub is coming from also. I just don’t wanna cut/bend that metal tab if I don’t have to. I

I’ll see how bad I rub tomorrow and then I’ll have to make the decision if I want to order new wheels or not. Long story short the guy who did the leveling kit install talked me out of getting 20x9 rims with a +1 offset and suggested these. So he’s aware it’s his fault they don’t fit and is willing to order me the +1’s for free if I want. Problem is now that I’ve seen these I like the look and kinda wanna keep them! Lol
 

Richard320

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Before they spend a whole lot of time twisting alignment eccentrics, I would suggest the front tires get switched side to side. See if it still pulls right or does it start pulling left. If the right pull persists, then worry about alignment. If the pull moves, you know it's a tire problem.

Rubbing is the last thing to worry about.
 

5thGenLoco

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Once you lift, all bets are off with the alignment. Not to say it cannot be aligned, you just need to find someone experienced with lifted trucks. I wouldn't sweat not using the RL specs, just get it driving straight with proper tire wear.
 

Biggiehorn

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Thanks for the response!So did you bend the metal tab and then remount the mud flap? Or just leave it off? And yea I believe that’s where my rub is coming from also. I just don’t wanna cut/bend that metal tab if I don’t have to. I

I’ll see how bad I rub tomorrow and then I’ll have to make the decision if I want to order new wheels or not. Long story short the guy who did the leveling kit install talked me out of getting 20x9 rims with a +1 offset and suggested these. So he’s aware it’s his fault they don’t fit and is willing to order me the +1’s for free if I want. Problem is now that I’ve seen these I like the look and kinda wanna keep them! Lol
That’s funny. The place I ordered from strongly recommended the 20x9 +1 offset and I opted for the 20x10 with the -18. It looks so much better in my opinion. Basically yes, I just had the tabs bent upward and back and reinstalled the wheel liner. You can’t even tell a change was made honestly. I left the mud guard off but I have seen people trim and reinstall them afterwards.
 

dbooks25

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I recently had a readylift 2” leveling kit installed along with 285/60/20 open country a/t3’s and some fuel rebel wheels in 20x10 with a -18 offset. The guy who did the install for all of that also handled getting the alignment done with a local tire shop. After receiving the truck everything looked perfect and the tires fit with basically no rubbing (minor rub in reverse at full lock which I was ok with).

After driving the truck for a day I realized the alignment was off and the truck was pulling to the right slightly. I texted the guy who did the install for me and he said no problem I’ll send you back to the tire shop to get it fixed. The shop did the realignment and this resulted in a severe rub issue. I then texted my install guy again to to let him know what happened and find out if there were some special specs the truck had to be aligned to. He then sent me a picture of recommended alignment specs that readylift says to use after the install of their kits. I provided this to the tire shop and they realigned the truck to those settings, but there was still a rub issue.

The tire shop guy then told me since neither the standard specs they use for aligning ram trucks or the specs provided by readylift were working, it would be guess and check from here on out to play with the numbers to see what would work. Since this would take an extended period of time to work on I had to make another appointment and am set to go back there on Monday. So for now they put the truck back to the original alignment they had it set at after install.

So my question is if they are able to play with the alignment and somehow get the truck to run straight with no rub, is there any reason I should be concerned since they wouldn’t be using readylift’s recommended specs? Or if the truck runs straight does that mean there shouldn’t be any issues with uneven tire wear or stress on other parts of the suspension? I’m not an expert in this field so forgive me if it’s a stupid question.

I was just curious if anyone else ever had to play with their alignment like that to get things to work right.

I also am aware modifying the wheel well is an option to make larger setups fit as outlined in another thread. So I could attempt to do that and then see if readylift’s recommended alignment specs would work with no rub. However I’d rather not have to do any modifying. View attachment 100206 View attachment 100208
I put a 2 inch spacer lift on my 2021 ram 1500 lonestar and put 20x10 american force wheels on 275/60r20 geolanders. Those are slightly smaller than the ones you have on. Even with mine I had to do some heat gun work to mold the wheel well liner on both sides of the front, remove the mud flaps, and chop off the metal tabs behind each wheel. Your rub wouldn't be alignment related but more that the size of your tires/wheel width is still slightly too big after that front lift. Some shaving and molding would fix it up though. If the shop can get you running in a straight line then the alignment part of your journey is good to go.
 

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