Date: Wed, 2 Mar 2016 17:10:10 -1000
Reply-To: "SDF ( aka ;jim lahey' - Scott )" <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "SDF ( aka ;jim lahey' - Scott )" <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Organization: Cosmic Reminders
Subject: Re: What causes tire wear?
In-Reply-To: <56D79F27.1010600@bellsouth.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8; format=flowed
lol.
Lots of things cause tire wear, alignment is just one factor.
I don't think you are really asking a question tho.
Congrats on doing your own 'back yard' alignment ...
do it myself all the time.
I havn't heard of 'negative toe' tho...
just toed in or toed out.
what toe do you aim for ?
I go for just slightly toed in, like 1/16th to 1/8th inch.
also ..about your method ..
you might mention that if the vans has been jacked up at all,
need to roll it forward a few feet to settle the suspension, especially
the front.
I like to drive the van a few feet forward, then stop it with the
parking brake,
to get the front wheels and suspension to 'as natural' a possition as
possible.
here's a great way to check Castor..
with suspension settled, turn full right, measure the camber on both sides.
if turned right, the right tire leans out about 2 inches or even a
little more.
at the same time the left one will lean in just a bit ...1/4 inch, under
1/2 inch.
then measure it turned full left.
If they are they are about the same on both sides, and about what I
suggested above ..your castor is pretty good.
Plus if goes straight down the road on a decent level surface,
and tires wear evenly.
fwiw ..I recently had a strong 'pull' to one side.
Swapped the front tires ...pulled to the other side.
That was a significant 'tire pull' ....like a lane's worth of 'going
that way by itself' in like 150 feet, a strong pull ...from a tire, not
from suspension alighment.
Always consider that in a 'pulls left or right' situation.
'Drifting' is a lot less than a 'pull.'
sorry to go on ..
Steering Wheel centering.
if it's off center, and one spine or another is not centered...
if you think Real Hard...you can figure out which tie rod to shorten and
which to lengthen to center the steering wheel.
You can even combine centering the steering wheel and adjusting toe .
say it's toed out a bit ..
and steering wheel is off to the left..
you think real hard, and figure out which tie rod to shorten and which
to lengthen.
VERY rewarding to do it yourself,
Plus, you have a guarantee of good workmanship.
I don't let anyone touch my cars, other than tire mounting and balancing ..
and even that they screw up sometimes ........even when I say I'll pay
extra for a Careful, not fast, tire mounting and balancing job. \
one last comment ..
another way to check for decent alignment, get the tires pretty warm
driving on a warm day at speed, whip out your IR temp gun and measure
temps across the tire.
if temps are pretty even ..that's good ..
if say much hotter on inside edge ...well, I'd check Toe immediately.
Lots of fun, making these rigs really dialed in.
Scott
On 3/2/2016 4:19 PM, email99@bellsouth.net wrote:
> Just a couple of questions about tire wear and alignment.
>
> Several things, other than squeaking and clunking, happen when the upper
> control arm bushings wear. Primarily, camber becomes more negative
> because of bushing wear. A secondary effect is more negative toe
> because the top of the spindles move slightly inward. Caster can also
> change slightly when bushings wear unevenly but I wouldn't think this
> should affect tire wear very much.
>
> All of these can cause wear on the inside of front tires.
>
> Which has the greatest effect?
>
>
> I just installed GoWesty Delrin AF upper control arm bushings and did a
> string and level alignment on my 86 Westy. This is a daily driver and
> most of my driving is done alone so I weighted the front end with bags
> of lime in the foot wells to match my weight and used modified half load
> alignment specifications. This should be pretty close correct
> specifications. Aligning is pretty easy and quite reproducible once you
> get some experience. A $10 Harbor Freight digital caliper makes
> measurements easy and accurate.
>
> I installed grease fittings about 3 years ago and have regularly added a
> bit of grease every 6 months. All ball joints and tie rod ends are
> still tight with no significant leakage. I'm hoping the GW bushings
> will also be long lasting.
>