Tom_D said:
We just got back from 5 weeks in Canada.
... The truck has always pulled slightly to the right on some roads and over many miles this is probably the cause of the cupping.
I had the front end aligned last year. I have not weighed the corners.
Does anyone else have any front end pull or wear issues?
My plan is to replace the OEM Yokohama tires with Toyo M55's and to rotate the tires at every oil change (6000 miles).
Thanks
Tom
Tom_D
Sometimes both my 93 and 04 Fuso pull very slightly to the right but only on certain roads. On some roads they go perfectly straight.
It definitely gets worse as the tires wear.
The outside of the passenger tire and the inside of the drivers tire wear first.
The manual calls for rotating the tires at 6000 miles I think. So you would at the very least want to swap the front tires every 6000 miles.
There is no front end alignment adjustment other than toe in and that doesn't affect pulling left or right.
I have been told by the dealer in New York that it's caused by "radial tire steer", but I don't know what that is. Something to do with uneven loading maybe?
The dealer in florida told me my 93 had an axle designed for right hand drive trucks and the camber was set to cause the truck to pull slightly to the right so it would climb up the crown of the highway when driving on the left.
They replaced the front axle for free and with new tires on the front the problem went away.
But I think it was the new tires.
It might pay to have the camber and castor measured and see if it is correct and makes sense. Nascar certainly uses different camber on each wheel to make the cars turn left.
Does it happen more on crowned roads?
I would also weigh the truck. Separate weights for the corners would be best, but at least the right and left side.
I have often wondered it the rear axle was slightly cocked to one side. Nascar certainly does that to make a car turn.
I have heard about companies that do real axle alignment on semi tractors and trailers but I haven't found one yet.
Both trucks drive perfectly with new front tires.
I rotate the tires according to the manual every 6000 miles and that pretty much eliminates the problem.
We drive our 2004 on a 3 - 4 month trip each year of about 10,000 - 12,000 miles, so I have started buying 2 new front tires every 12,000 miles and moving the old front tires to inside rears, then the outside, then to the spare and then I get rid of them.
That way I always start each years trip with brand new front tires, they don't pull and I am only buying 2 tires every year or so instead of 6 tires at once every 3 years or so (easier check to write).
I know I can get more than 36,000 miles out of a tire, maybe 42 - 48,000, but I don't want to be driving a 10,000 plus pound truck on a rain slicked highway or a rocky road like the Dawson, the Dempster or Trans Labrador several days from civilization on that last 6 or 12,000 miles of tread.
I use the OEM Yokohamas. My local guy in ne georgia can't get them, but I have purchased them from TireRack.com and Les Schwab out west. Les Schwab has the best price and can get then in 5 days or so if not in stock. They also balance them better than anywhere else. A lot of places say they can't mount a wheel with a big center hole on their balancers.
Tom
