How to Align Wheels on Ford F-150/F-250

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• published: 18 Dec 2015
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http://ford-trucks.com/how-tos is the leading Ford F-150 and Super Duty truck resource for technical DIY guides. Learn how to align your truck's tires in a few steps. For the full step-by-step article, please visit http://www.ford-trucks.com/how-tos/a/ford-f150-f250-how-to-align-your-tires-355599 Maintaining proper wheel alignment is critical to ensuring your F-150 or F-250 truck steers straight and for preventing excessive tire wear. While a qualified mechanic can do the job for you, a patient do-it-yourselfer can do a basic front wheel alignment at home. Be aware that this job can get complicated depending on your truck's design and condition. This moderately difficult job takes about two hours and costs $10 dollars. A professional may charge up to $50 dollars to align your tires. This job requires fishing line, four vinyl floor tiles, light grease, four jack stands, a precision ruler, and hand wrenches. Step One - Grease the tiles Make sure the vinyl tiles are large enough to completely fit under the contact patch of your tires. 12 inch by 12 inch is a good place to start for stock wheels, but it's a better idea to just measure that yourself. There's no harm in using over-sized tiles. Smear grease on the face of one tile, then place the second tile face down on the first tile. Repeat the process with the other two tiles. These will be "swivels" that allow you to adjust the toe on your front suspension while the truck is on the ground. Step Two - Measure the distance between front wheels Measure the distance between the front wheels to find your track width. Place the swivels that distance apart from each other, making sure the tires will rest completely on the swivels. Step Three - Drive onto the greased tiles Give yourself a bit of space before driving onto the swivels to make sure that your steering wheel is straight. If your wheels and steering wheel aren’t absolutely straight, your alignment will be off. Step Four - Tie a fishing line Place two jack stands on one side of the truck and then tie a length of fishing line tightly between the jack stands. Repeat on the other side. Step Five - Ensure an even distance Make sure the wheel hubs are equal distance from the lines. The distance of the line from the hubs is arbitrary so long as it's even. In this case we're using using 100 millimeters as our standard. This step assumes the front and rear track width match and the frame is straight. Step Six - Measure the toe From one side, measure the distance of the edges of the front wheel to the line. If the difference between the front and rear edges is negative, you have a toe-in condition. If the difference is positive, you have a toe-out condition. In this example the front edge is 104 millimeters and the rear edge is 108 millimeters from the line. The wheel has toe in, or is pointed inward when viewed from above. Step Seven - Compare measurement Compare your measurements with factory specifications. The spec for 2010 F-150's is point-0-2 degrees of toe-in. The manual allows for some variance and, if you want to be safe, you could zero out the front and rears. If realignment is necessary, locate the tie rods that connect each wheel to the steering assembly. Step Eight - Adjust the tie-rod For the F-150, position your wrenches on the tie-rod as such. The wrench closest to the wheel is 21 millimeter; the other is 15 millimeter and fits directly on the tie rod. The longer the wrench is, the more leverage you'll have. Loosen the nut closest to the wheel hub. Now, you can adjust the toe of your tire by twisting the tie-rod. Clockwise turns pull the toe in. Counterclockwise turns pushes the toe out. Generally, 1/6 of a turn is about 2 millimeters in either direction. Tighten the retaining nut when you're done adjusting your toe. For the F-250, first loosen the tie-rod adjust sleeve nuts. Next, rotate the adjusting sleeve to alter your truck's toe. When finished, re-tighten the adjusting sleeve nuts. The right-hand adjusting sleeve clamp's opening should be positioned downward within 45 degrees of vertical. Step Nine - Finishing Up When you're done with one side, repeat the process on the other side. It's important that both sides are aligned to the same specification. Take the car for a quick test drive when finished to make sure it's tracking correctly. If your truck pulls to one side, restart the process or take it to a shop.