Date:         Fri, 31 Mar 2000 19:38:21 -0800
Reply-To:     Stephen Arbaugh <sneakers@OZ.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Stephen Arbaugh <sneakers@OZ.NET>
Subject:      no more pulling - BAD tires
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

Is this sharing Friday?

Had my front tires replaced today (yes, Harald, finally). I had been
putting it off for a while, my budget being what it is. Anyway, it had been
pulling to the right for some time, getting worse, and I figured I was in
for a hefty alignment. I wondered tho, because it kept getting worse, and
unless something was "wrong" or broke, it shouldn't be getting noticeably
worse so quickly. I checked the hardware, nothing obviously messed up, so
drove it cautiously the last few weeks. One thing I did notice, it didn't
pull when I was on steel-grate bridges (the kind you can look down thru).
interesting. Anyway, as soon as I pulled out of the tire shop and got into
2nd gear, I knew the pulling was gone. The right front tire was
deteriorated enough to cause it all. Looking at the tire, the wear was
uneven, more bald on the inside, and the belts had apparently shifted to
the inside also, as more tread was on the outside and the tire appeared to
be bigger in diameter to the inside (at least I think the inside, perhaps
he rotated the tire while I blinked). Anyhow, I couldn't bring myself to go
back to work just then, so I drove around for a short while, enjoying the
way a Vanagon should drive, not having to battle it constantly.

I'm planning to have it aligned anyway, it's been a few years since the
last one. I've always enjoyed the way the westy drives, now I get to enjoy
it all over again.

<sharing mode off?>

steve
'85 westy
kent, wa