Date:         Fri, 9 May 2008 14:36:34 -0400
Reply-To:     fitzr@SUSCOM-MAINE.NET
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Doug Fitz-Randolph <fitzr@SUSCOM-MAINE.NET>
Subject:      Re: DIY alignments
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

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>