Friday, Oct 25, 2013 at 15:23
We haven't got a local Truck Whisperer who kills anyone who learns his secrets - but we've sure got lots of steering aligners who are happy to take your money and fiddle with your steering and front end with little idea of what they're doing.
The secret to front ends is understanding the complexities of steering geometry - and how putting much larger tyres and wheels on, as compared to what the original designers intended - will make your steering work like the steering on the
hill trolley you built when you were 9 yrs old. [;-)
Any major increase in width and diameter of tyres and wheels over the original, merely substantially exacerbates any slight wear, out-of-balance situation, or misalignment in the front end.
Manufacturers regularly specify no more than + or - 3% change in tyre diameter over the original-fit tyres.
As with all mechanical repair work - it's the total thoroughness of the examination, and the thought that goes into what caused the problem or failure in the first place - that makes for a successful repair.
There are vast amounts of manufacturers specifications that are often totally ignored or not even known about.
Checks on specs such as chassis alignment measurements for diagonal twist in the horizontal and vertical planes; checks for front and rear axle alignments; the weight (and its positioning) that needs to be placed in a vehicle when alignments are being done .. the list goes on and on.
Unseen lumps of mud caught inside rims create out-of-balance conditions that cause steering wobbles; unseen and unchecked damage to axle housings, wishbones and steering components create misalignment that can only be corrected when they're fixed.
These are all the things that need to be scrupulously checked when doing alignments.
I was taught that no alignment should even be done unless new front tyres are fitted (or the front tyres swapped with the rear), to eliminate any potential misalignment created by unevenly-worn tyres.
It goes without saying that all tyre pressures must be checked before any alignment work is done. How many aligners have you seen do all this?
I'll wager the Truck Whisperer doesn't use any magic - he just does his aligning work with more thought and thoroughness.
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