News and Press Releases, 2006

October - TRU ALIGN ANNOUNCES NEW DIRECT MOUNT HUB ADAPTER

October - TRU ALIGN ANNOUNCES NEW DELUXE TOOL CART

October - TRU ALIGN BECOMES CERTIFIED VENDOR FOR GOODYEAR GEMINI SERVICE CENTERS

October - TRU ALIGN UNVEILS NEXT GENERATON PRODUCTS AT 2006 SEMA SHOW

Tire Review / November 2006

"Get It Straight"

Being in this industry for as long as I have, I have watched businesses thrive on aftermarket wheels and tires. One thing I’ve noticed, however, is that many high-volume wheel businesses rarely offer alignments.

This poses both a problem and an opportunity. The problem: While these businesses are turning out dozens of large tire and wheel packages each week, they aren’t really servicing their customers fully. We all know that vehicles need alignments, especially those with new – and presumably larger – tires and wheels.

If you have one of those businesses, consider the opportunities you may be missing. What if you went after that business and those kind of customers? How much more profit could you make just by offering a basic alignment?

Ultra-high performance tires alone cost upwards of $400 each, depending on size and vehicle, so tire wear – or lack thereof – is critical. If you could perform an alignment on this type of application with your current equipment, how much would it be worth to you?

One product that can provide you with the necessary tools to take advantage of this opportunity is the Tru Align system (trualign.com).

Alignment mechanic and store owner Dean Peligrino developed and patented the Tru Align system to overcome the difficulties of clamping alignment heads and sensors to aftermarket wheels. Unique plates bolt directly to the vehicle’s hub using provided adapters. By removing three lug nuts or bolts, a technician can install steel adapters that thread onto the stud, then secure the plate to the adapters. This eliminates issues associated with an out-of-round wheel or a wheel with a smooth lip.

According to Tru Align, the system “aligns all wheels, including custom, tuner and other difficult-to-align wheels, even bent wheels. It eliminates head-mounting problems caused by tire rim guards and works with all current alignment machines, new or old. It increases accuracy and eliminates damage to expensive wheels that can be caused by mounting alignment heads directly to the wheel. The system is simple and intuitive to use. It is much less expensive than buying a new alignment machine, and it allows your technicians to do a better job at a fraction of the cost.”

“The Tru Align system will work with all alignment machines, dating back to the A111 or FMC 9000 up to brand-new machines,” according to Steven Novak, vice president of sales and marketing.

The complete system comes with four plates, slotted to fit four, five, six and eight-lug vehicles. Based on dealer feedback, the company recently made plates available that fit up to 19.5-inch motor home wheels. For those dealers that have the original design and wish to use the Tru Align on a motor home, the company offers a service to machine existing plates to the new specs. To fit most vehicles, various thread pitch adapters are provided, including studs used for European applications with lug bolts. Michelin recommends servicing PAX wheels with this system.

Adapters can be machined to fit tuner-style lug holes, as well. On occasion, you may have to deal with deep lug holes requiring a spacer. That will add another 1.5 inches of clearance for the plate. This is included with the kit.
Once bolted to the vehicle, alignment heads or sensors will clamp to the groove machined into the outer edge of the plate. At that point, dealers should perform the alignment according to the manufacturer’s directions.