Question About Replacing Upper Control Arm

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Nov 9, 2015 | 07:49 PM

#16

steve(ill)

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never heard that term.. if you camber WAS too much, you will get wear on the inside tread of the tire more than the outside of the tire... is that what you have ? I have never had a tire "pull" to one side.

Nov 9, 2015 | 07:58 PM

#17

steve(ill)

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OK.... read this....... maybe putting the "pull" tire in the back will help ?

EXAMPLE-------They install A new set of tires on a vehicle and the wheel alignment is set. It is remarkable how well the vehicle now drives. The driver can release the steering wheel and the vehicle tracks perfectly straight. The vehicle is a joy to drive.
After a few thousand miles it is time to rotate the new tires. After the tire rotation the vehicle has a hard pull to the right. The pulling gets worse as we drive faster. What happened? Did the alignment suddenly go out? We perfectly inflate the tires, but the vehicle veers hard to the right when driving. A likely cause is tire conicity, a defect in a new tire.
Diagnosis of tire conicity

After a few thousand miles you have the tires rotated. Now the vehicle has a hard pull to the right that gets worse as you drive faster. What happened; Did the alignment suddenly go out? As long as the tires are properly inflated, more likely is tire conicity, a defect in one of the new tires. Diagnosis is straight forward; temporarily cross the suspected tire to the other side and see if the vehicle pulls the other way, or stops pulling.

We need no rocket science, because diagnosis of tire conicity is straight forward. We first drive the vehicle to confirm the problem. After test driving, we temporarily cross the suspected tire to the other side of the vehicle. If the vehicle now pulls in the other direction, or stops pulling, it suggests tire conicity. The tire on the side with the pull, is the normal cause.
To confirm the issue we rotate the suspected tire back to the rear. If the vehicle again drives straight, we have found the problem tire.

Nov 9, 2015 | 08:13 PM

#18

pdqford

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From: Central NYS

Quote:

Originally Posted by FordTruckChuck

now pulls to the right alot but not quite as bad as it was to the left...they said it was due to radial pull...what the heck is that?

If the belts slip with in a radial tire, the tire will look normal but when weighted and rolling it will....think of a cheer leaders megaphone ....... it will want to curve towards the side with the smaller circumference.

Nov 9, 2015 | 09:00 PM

#19

FordTruckChuck

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From: S.E.,CT.

Thanks again guys. Guess we learned something new. I didn't see mention as to whether or not the tire should be replaced. What would you do?
I'll put that tire on the rear tomorrow & hopefully have a truck that drives straight again.

Nov 10, 2015 | 08:17 PM

#20

steve(ill)

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I have never heard that term before, but it appears from reading on the internet, that it can happen with a NEW tire with a slight defect, and it is possible to get some wear on an old tire that causes the same problem.. The FIX is to put the tire on the rear until the set wears out and needs replace. Nothing wrong with the tire as long as a BELT IS NOT BROKEN.. If you see a defect, or have a BUMP in the tire, that's bad. If tire looks OK, but has a slight pull... they say to put it in the back.

Nov 11, 2015 | 09:54 PM

#21

FordTruckChuck

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From: S.E.,CT.

Well...I put that tire on the rear & still have a pull to the right but much less than before.
Is there anything else I could possibly do or is my truck just not meant to go straight anymore?

Nov 12, 2015 | 07:49 AM

#22

steve(ill)

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I have a feeling the alignment is not quite right. Might be "close" or at the edge of spec, but not finished. Good alignment shop should be able to spot the problem, and not "guess" what is wrong.