I'm convinced that caster is my problem. Thanks, Dennis. I've been to several alignment shops and no one can seem to get it right. Does anyone know of a quality alignment shop in southern California? Bob Trousdale '90 Westy > -----Original Message----- > From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] > On Behalf Of Dennis > Sent: Tuesday, March 13, 2007 5:47 PM > To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM > Subject: Re: Tire Choice Question > > Personally, the 356's are just lousy tires but they alone > should not be scary to drive on. Was the suspension properly > inspected for loose/worn components and properly aligned? In > particular, the front radius rod bushings need to be checked > carefully. The radius rods are the rods that attaché the > lower control arms to that front sub-frame. The bushings may > look OK but can still be bad. These bushings set the front > wheel caster angle. Caster is one of the most important but > miss-understood angle of the front suspension. Caster gives > the vehicle that "go straight" feeling and returns the > steering to center after a turn. Caster angle differences > from side to side, (cross caster) is what often causes that > sideways pull. > The caster is also affected by different size tires > front/rear and vehicle loading. A really good alignment guy > will also consider tire width when adjusting within the allowed range. > > Dennis |
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