Tire problems in the extreme will often present themselves as a "snake
walk" as my techs refer to it, at parking lot speeds. Around 3-5 MPH you let go
 of the wheel and see it move lightly left/right-"snake walk". Tire
rotation when  a lift is available is a good place to start. Left to right and
front to rear  secondarily should help narrow it down. Pay close attention to
any wear patterns  that you may have in your tires. Run your hand along the
outer perimeter surface  of the tire to check for flat spots, cupping,
feathering, wear bars or diagonal  blocking patterns.  Each can mean something
slightly different. Tires are  your cars "tea leaves". Of course one of my techs
once said to me,"Properly  inflate then properly negate". A good tire
person can tell a lot about driving  habits, maintenance and a lot of what you
think about your vehicle from a  close inspection of the tires. Shoes make the
man but tires make the van-ha ha.  No substitute  IMHO for the simple
laying on of hands where tires are  concerned. I often point customers to
tirerack.com for the quick education on  all things tires. Required vanagon
content: I need to check my tires for wear  after a few minor issues with the R/R
of the control arm bushings and camber  issues on one front tire. Methinks me
might have mangled the control arm a bit  pressing the bushing back in and
threw it off. #19 or so on the project  list.

David Clarkson
90 Westy (religiously ran Michelins but very happy with the set of 15"
Coopers on my ride now)

In a message dated 1/5/2011 2:35:57 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
wolzphoto@Q.COM writes:

|First  suspect is always tires or the last thing you replaced (in this
case,
|tires).  Check inflation; if the same, rotate tires left to  right.  If the
|problem reverses itself, it's a tire issue.  If  the problem stays the
same,
|it's most likely front end component wear or  alignment.  A good front end
|shop will tell you which.
|
|Karl  Wolz
|
||-----Original Message-----
||From: Vanagon Mailing List  [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
Of
||Jim Johnston
||Sent:  Wednesday, January 05, 2011 10:33 AM
||To:  vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
||Subject: Steering Question
||
||Hello  all,
||
||I have a 1991 GL, Manual with a Subie 2.2.  In August  2010, I upgraded to
||16
||inch Gowesty Steel Rims.  A few weeks  ago I replaced worn upper ball
|joints
||and put on new shocks all  around.  The lower ball joints looked ok, the
|tie
||rod ends  looked a bit worn.
||
||Last week I noticed, when driving straight, my  steering wheel is off
||slightly, whereas it I have to keep it slightly  turned to the left (maybe
||an
||inch, if that) to keep things  straight.  My first thought is alignment,
|but
||before I take it  to a shop and drop some cash, I'd consult the list for
||other possible  issues.
||
||Worn tie rods ends?  Worn upper bushings?   Steering Rack?  All of the
||above...?
||
||Any input would be  appreciated.
||
||Jim
||Wilmington,  NC