We Just Installed the Hunter Hawkeye Elite

We Just Installed the Hunter Hawkeye Elite

MST Motorsports has added the Hunter Hawkeye Elite, top-of-the-line alignment equipment, to the Washington, UT service bay. If you drive a lifted truck, a Jeep, a Bronco, an off-road SUV, or a daily commuter that has spent time on Southern Utah's washboard backroads, here is what that changes about an alignment.

Here is what the Hawkeye Elite does, and why a regular alignment check protects tires, suspension and steering.

What the Hunter Hawkeye Elite Actually Does

Older alignment systems rely on heavy clamps bolted to the wheel and slow, manual targeting. The Hawkeye Elite uses four high-resolution cameras and patented QuickGrip™ adaptors that touch the tire — not the wheel — to read camber, caster, toe, thrust angle, and ride height in seconds.

What that means in practice:

• Nothing clamps the wheel. Beadlock UTV wheels, polished aluminum, powder-coated beadlocks, forged 22s — the adaptors grip the tire, so the wheel face is not clamped.
• Sub-arc-minute accuracy. The camera array measures angles tighter than the human eye can perceive on a steering wheel.
• Live readings as we adjust. When we turn a tie rod or shim a control arm, the screen updates in real time, with no walking back and forth between the rack and the readout.
• Full diagnostic picture, not just toe. We get caster split, SAI, included angle, setback, and frame angle data that tells us why a vehicle is pulling, not just that it is.

For a lifted truck, a long-travel UTV, or a Jeep on 37s, that level of detail is the difference between an alignment that "passes" and one that actually drives straight, tracks true under braking, and wears tires evenly.

What Knocks an Alignment Out Around Southern Utah

Alignment is not a one-and-done service. It drifts — sometimes slowly, sometimes overnight. Here's what knocks it out around Southern Utah:

1. Our Roads Are Hard on Suspension

Between the expansion joints on I-15, the chip-seal on Bluff Street, the washboard heading into Sand Hollow, and the cattle guards out toward Hurricane, every drive nudges your suspension geometry. Bushings compress, ball joints settle, and tie-rod ends take impacts they were never designed to absorb in a single hit.

2. Heat Cycles Change Tire Behavior

Summer pavement temperatures regularly hit 140°F+ in St. George. Hot tires wear three to four times faster than cool ones, and even a quarter-degree of toe error can wear the inside or outside edges off a new set of tires within a season.

3. Lift Kits, Leveling Kits, and Suspension Mods Always Need Realignment

Any time you change ride height — even a 2" leveling kit — caster and camber move. Drive it unaligned for 500 miles and you've already started cupping the tires.

4. Off-Road Use Loosens Things

UTVs, Broncos, Jeeps, and trucks that see Sand Hollow, Warner Valley, or the trails out by Gooseberry settle their suspension constantly. Rock strikes and hard landings can bend a tie rod or shift a control arm cam bolt without leaving an obvious mark.

5. Symptoms Worth an Alignment Check

Bring your vehicle in if you notice any of these:

• Steering wheel off-center when driving straight
• Vehicle pulls left or right on a flat road
• Uneven or feathered tire wear
• Steering feels loose, vague, or wandering
• A new vibration above 50 mph
• Recent curb hit, pothole strike, or off-road landing

How Often Should You Get an Alignment?

Our recommendation for Southern Utah drivers:

• Daily-driver cars and SUVs: Annually, or every 12,000 – 15,000 miles
• Lifted trucks and Jeeps: Every 6 months, or after any off-road trip with hard impacts
• Broncos with aftermarket suspension: Every 6 months, plus after any lift or leveling change
• UTVs running long-travel or aftermarket A-arms: Every 1,000 trail miles, or after any visible front-end contact
• After any suspension work: Always — including new shocks, control arms, ball joints, tie rods, or wheel/tire packages

An alignment check on the Hawkeye Elite is a small job compared to replacing a set of tires.

What an Alignment on the Hawkeye Elite Looks Like at MST

When you bring your vehicle in, here's what happens:

1. Pre-inspection. We check tire pressures, tread wear patterns, ball joints, tie rod ends, wheel bearings, and bushings.
2. Mount and measure. QuickGrip adaptors go on in seconds. The Hawkeye Elite captures full vehicle geometry before we touch a single bolt.
3. Adjust to spec — or to your build. For lifted trucks and off-road builds, factory specs aren't always ideal. We dial in caster for highway tracking, set toe for tire life, and balance camber for your wheel-and-tire setup.
4. Before and after readings. Every angle is recorded before and after the adjustment.

Get Your Alignment Checked

Whether you're running a stock 4Runner, a 6" lifted Ram, a Bronco on 35s, a Jeep JL, or a Can-Am X3 that hit a rock at Sand Hollow, the Hunter Hawkeye Elite gives us the numbers to set it correctly.

Call (435) 256-8899 or book your alignment online.

The before-and-after readings show what changed.