15 Minute Jeep TJ Driveway Alignment

With new tires, comes the recommendation for an alignment. My old tires had some weird wear on them, and I knew my alignment was out. With new tires on the way, I wasn’t overly concerned. Now that my new tires are on, I want to make them last as long as possible. To do that, an alignment must be done by an expert shop… or by me in my driveway.
Tools required for this are a 13mm wrench, a 13mm socket and ratchet (or a second 13mm wrench), a tape measure or two, some 2x4’s, bungee cords, and a big pipe wrench.

Attached the 2x4’s to your tires, parallel to the ground. Using a tape measure, measure the distance across the back of the 2x4 and the front. Properly aligned, there should be between 1/16” and 1/8”. This is the Toe measurement of the Jeep. Unless you have castor bolts (most TJ’s don’t), this is the only thing that can be adjusted for an alignment.

If adjustment is needed, undo the collars on the tie rod and get the pipe wrench handy. Give the tie rod a couple of turns in the appropriate direction and measure the 2x4 distances again until you get to where it needs to be.




Once done, tighten up the collars and congratulate yourself on saving a few bucks at the alignment shop.