Alignment After a Lift: What to Ask For
A B.O.T.C.K. bracket bolted to the factory axle mount. Powder coated quarter-inch mild steel, no welding required.
People lift the truck, book an alignment, and expect that to be the end of it. Then the steering wheel is off center again in three weeks, or the inside edge of a front tire is feathered by the first rotation.
The alignment was probably fine. The geometry underneath it was not.
Fix the hardware before you pay for the alignment
An alignment adjusts what is adjustable. It cannot compensate for a link sitting at the wrong angle, and it cannot hold a spec if something in the suspension is still moving under load.
So the order matters. Correct the geometry, replace anything worn, then align. Doing it the other way around means paying twice.
Two things to sort out first. If the truck is lifted, the track bar angle needs correcting so the axle stops moving laterally through its travel. If the factory sway bar links or bushings are worn, replace them, because a shop cannot set a spec against a joint with play in it.
What to actually tell the shop
Say the truck is lifted and give them the height. A lot of alignment racks default to stock specs, and stock specs on a lifted truck will chase you.
Ask for caster to be brought back toward the high end of spec. Lifting a double wishbone front end pulls caster out, and low caster is why a lifted rig wanders on the highway and does not want to self center.
Ask them to check the steering wheel is centered with the rack centered, not just clocked straight. And ask for the before and after printout. If a shop will not give you the sheet, use a different shop.
Symptoms and what they usually mean
Wander on the highway that alignment did not fix usually points at caster, track bar geometry, or both.
Feathering on the inside edge of the front tires is a toe problem, and it eats tires fast enough that it is worth catching early.
The truck pulling one way under braking is not an alignment symptom. Look at the brakes.
A steering wheel that is straight but the truck tracks crooked usually means the rear axle is not square, which on a lifted truck brings you back to the track bar.
When to go back
Re-check alignment after the suspension has settled, which is usually a few hundred miles. New springs sag slightly, bushings take a set, and hardware seats in. The numbers you left the shop with are not always the numbers you have a month later.
If you installed a correction kit, re-torque that hardware at 100 miles as well. Loose hardware will move your alignment for you.
FAQ
Do I need an alignment after installing a track bar correction kit?
The kit corrects rear axle location, so it does not change front alignment directly. If you lifted the truck in the same session, align after the correction work rather than before.
Can alignment fix lean?
No. Lean is a spring, link, or geometry issue. Alignment sets wheel angles.
How often should a lifted truck be aligned?
Once after the suspension settles, then on your normal schedule unless something changes.