Trashing front tires... It's getting expensive!!

[brian6pac]

Make them pay for the tires!

 

[Cranky]

Yeah, it went from being below normal to above normal here. Pouring cats and rats as I type...

 

[Hemirunner]

I'm guilty of leaving the alignments to the pros but now I know they aren't all pros. Lesson learned.

I find this theory applies to nearly everything....

 

[Cranky]

I got an early taste of morons when this guy at Sears auto wouldn't put a state inspection sticker on my car because he said the steering wheel was too small. I knew that was BS and lucked out when a DPS officer just happened to drive up and I snagged him.

 

[kiwigtx]

I'm going to throw this thought out there.....are these tires Directional's?
I recently had my wife's car balanced and rotated, and discovered that the two front tires were on the wrong way around - directional tires.
This will kill tires prematurely.

Not saying that this is your problem Devin, but it might be an idea just to check it out.

 

[Kern Dog]

I have raised and lowered my Charger a few times since 2002 and it has never affected how the car steered or tire wear. I think the suggestion that people make...Ride height changes always require a new alignment... are from people that are extremely cautious. I have seen negative camber alignments that do not result in inner edge tire wear, my car is one of them. I run .75 degree of NEG camber, 4.7 degrees of Caster and 1/8" toe in with a 275-40-18 front tire on a 9 inch wide rim. You can clearly see the negative camber yet no irregular tire wear occurs.
On several of the many A body cars that I have owned, I have seen the car "lose" alignment then return to a normal setting. In each instance, a bushing was damaged or there was a problem in the lower control arm. In many cases, these high mileage cars were driven by careless dimwits that ran them long past the point of needing new bushings. The lower control arm bushings were shredded and now there was nothing to cushion the road vibrations. The LCA pin transmits the vibration to the K member and the hole in the K member breaks apart and allows for some strange alignment changes.
No, I do not think that you are a dimwit.
The upper control arms are rarely a problem. The strut rod bushings sometimes are. The hole in the K member where the strut rods attach can flex and crack behind the bushing. I have welded and reinforced a few K members and always weld in a washer around the LCA pin hole along with welding up seams, adding gussets to the steering box mounts, etc.

 

[Kern Dog]

 

[mopar 3 B]

Yeah, it went from being below normal to above normal here. Pouring cats and rats as I type...

We are supposed to get your rain to night. Freezing and maybe snow. Whats normal any more?

 

[Cranky]

We are supposed to get your rain to night. Freezing and maybe snow. Whats normal any more?

You're right about what's normal these days. Looks like the 'climate change' proponents are somewhat right about the effects it would have on the weather....? Thing is, we're only had one good cold snap here. The rest has been big swings in temps from below normal temps above normal temps taking place within a day or so. Just in the past week, we've had two cool fronts come in and stall right on top of us. It's making for another wet and gloomy day with cooler but still mild temps.

 

[mopar 3 B]

Alright read threw the entire thing again just to make sure nothing was missed.
No mention if wheel run out has ever been checked. Maybe time to get the dial indicator out and do some checking. Maybe even check the wheel bearings.
May seem minor but with wheel attached equipment it could be throwing readings out on that big a wheel.

 

[Cranky]

Alright read threw the entire thing again just to make sure nothing was missed.
No mention if wheel run out has ever been checked. Maybe time to get the dial indicator out and do some checking. Maybe even check the wheel bearings.
May seem minor but with wheel attached equipment it could be throwing readings out on that big a wheel.

That dial indicator might scare/surprise you lol. Wheel runout isn't something that the factory gave much thought to....radial or axial. Factory mag wheels seem to be better though.

 

[oldbee]

I don’t really think wheel runout would cause that much trouble, if really that bad; you’d feel it in the steering?

 

[747mopar]

Alright read threw the entire thing again just to make sure nothing was missed.
No mention if wheel run out has ever been checked. Maybe time to get the dial indicator out and do some checking. Maybe even check the wheel bearings.
May seem minor but with wheel attached equipment it could be throwing readings out on that big a wheel.

I checked the bearings already, gave it a good shake down. Cranky is correct when he says you'd be surprised on rim runout lol. I put an indicator on the rears and was surprised but they run smooth and don't wear the tires.

 

[mopar 3 B]

That dial indicator might scare/surprise you lol. Wheel runout isn't something that the factory gave much thought to....radial or axial. Factory mag wheels seem to be better though.

Though about it enough to include it into the FSM

 

[Cranky]

What does the FSM say about it? Just something that should be checked and does it give what max runout is? Can't think of anything in particular but there's been a few things I've run across that makes ya sit and wonder why the factory did some things that didn't follow along with the manual.....

 

[mopar 3 B]

What does the FSM say about it? Just something that should be checked and does it give what max runout is? Can't think of anything in particular but there's been a few things I've run across that makes ya sit and wonder why the factory did some things that didn't follow along with the manual.....

Tire radial runout not to exceed .08 inch
Tire lateral runout at side of tire not to exceed .105 inch
Rim runout to be taken with tire off and inside of rim.
Radial runout at bead seat base not to exceed .035 inch
Lateral runout at top of bead seat not to exceed .045 inch
Says not to use outer edge of rim because it is a sheared surface and not even. Stamped steel rims.
Also need to check both inside and outside beads.

 

[Cranky]

Couldn't use the outer edge of the rim with those tolerances anyways lol.

 

[747mopar]

Tried to get it in the shop since I had it out with no luck but now that I had it out the tires are at rest vs being lowered from the lift, good time to throw a level on them. Both rims are leaning in a 1/4" in 12" (used a 12" level), that's a problem! How does an alignment shop say this is alright or how can it get this badly out after an alignment?

 

[mopar 3 B]

Not sure how you measured that with a 12" level. What you furnished comes out at 1.19° camber.

 

[747mopar]

With the weather slowly starting to show signs of straightening out I bought new tires, bought Nitto 555's. The Charger is on the lift right now where I'm trying to find a cause but nothing to be found as of yet. I'd like to get the camber closer before driving it 15 minutes for the alignment but have a question, is it normal for the camber to change considerably between just being sat on it's tires then moving it around? I know anytime you sit the car down the tires push outward as the suspension travels up so I'm thinking it's normal? As of now I think where the problem may lie is the guy that's been doing it has to jack it up to access the camber bolts then let it down to check the alignment, without moving the car back and forth I believe it's not settling causing a false alignment?

I'm also wondering if my spindles could be throwing it all off, as best as I can tell whoever had the car previously put 71 or so B Body spindles on it?