You forgot one... The loose nut behind the wheel.

Jeff

iPhone email.

On Oct 15, 2008, at 12:59 PM, Loren Busch <starwagen@GMAIL.COM> wrote:

> RE: Handling after going to 'correct' tires
> When was the last time you had the wheel alignment (front AND rear)
> checked
> and set to spec?  And how new/good are the shocks?  My personal
> experience,
> based on first my '85 WEsty and now my '90 Westy, is that there are
> three
> elements to the handling that the driver/owner has control over. First
> alignment.  If the front end is way out of whack you will really
> notice it
> in the tracking/handling on the highway.  But also first is the
> tires ( that
> you have taken care of).  How can both be first? They go together.
> You
> can't get proper alignment on the wrong tires and the right tires
> don't help
> that much if the alignment is off.  Anecdote here:  I have the wheel
> alignment done by the local VW dealer, maybe the only VW dealer in the
> country that still knows what they are doing on Vanagons and even
> Buses.
> The first thing they did when I first took it in for alignment was
> go out
> and check to see what tires I had mounted.  I asked them what would
> happen
> if I didn't have proper tires on and they said they wouldn't align it,
> wouldn't take reposibility if I was running the wrong tires.
> So my experience has been that the most significant change I've felt
> has
> been tires (major change but including alignment) and then shocks.
> Going
> from badly worn shock to new shocks was just as noticable as going
> to the
> right tires.