Hi again Don, First of all, thanks for your nice alignment write-up. I do get that everything is interdependent, and I also get that sidewall stiffness is a major contributor to instabliity. I also realize it is a very dynamic system and mine might be different from yours which is different from Billy Bob's. Forget, for a minute, my particular case. I'm trying to get at this... I keep hearing people, not just you, say that tire size is a factor in alignment. You say "your settings are a compromise and they are dependent on factors like vehicle load, tire size, etc." I'm just trying to figure out what one might do in response to the "factors"... like how/why would one choose to deviate from the manufacturer's specs in any way to account for a change in tire size - shorter, taller, skinnier, fatter, whatever. Like are there any general rules of thumb, i.e. fatter tires need less camber, or something like that? When I go to the top A #1 alignment shop in Maine (if there is one!), would they do anything differently in setting up the alignment on my van if it had 185R14 vs. 235/75R15 tires? Cheers, Doug (BTW, the tires I'm referring to in my case are 235/75R15C) --Original Message------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 9 May 2008 10:08:33 -0700 From: Don Hanson <dhanson@GORGE.NET> Subject: Re: DIY alignments Again, Oh Hi, bye the way, again, a lot of interpendent variables come into play when you talk about any one specific suspension and alignment question. Without knowing the exact suspension geometry of the vanagon, I couldn't say for certain what the effect of bigger or smaller tires might be, let alone how to improve a deficit like you describe. I'd guess you'll have a combo of factors contributing to the poor handling characteristics you describe. A big portion could be 'Tire-specific" rather than tire size specific. --<snip> |
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