Rotating Tires

[Jamie Bradford]

Should tires be rotated?? I have noticed in the past day or so that the bus seems to be pulling to the right???

[Jon Wehrenberg]

If it is pulling to the right something is out of whack and the solution may be an alignment.

Having said that make sure your tire pressures are where they should be. Take a ride and stop after a few miles and check the temperature of all the wheels at the hub area to verify none of them are too hot, indicating a potential brake dragging. If you have an IR thermometer that makes it easy. After you have checked tire pressures and brake dragging, if no anomoly shows up it sounds like an alignment is next on the list.

As to rotating tires, if you detect even the slightest abnormal wear on the steers or tag they need to go on the drive axle where they will be restored to an even wear pattern. Unless the cause of the unusual wear is corrected whatever tires end up on the steer or tag will start to exhibit the same wear pattern. If a tire with an unusual wear pattern is placed on the tag it is not likely to have the unusual wear corrected, and the potential for it to make the wear pattern worse exists.

If you want we can create another discussion about balancing weights versus Equal or Centrimatics, but I think that was covered pretty well in previous threads. My point however is the tires also need to be balanced.

[rfoster]

I have 385's on my steers. Not able to swap tires to the drive or tag axle like Liberty owners do. I had noticed some unusual wear on the curb side - not significant (Jdub would have considered it normal) but I swapped or rotated the front steers with one another. Left to right and right to left. My CC can drive itself now. Unbelieveable difference - didn't know that was causing a steering / driving issue. It may have been caused by the premature sway bar bushings or the upper A arm bushings wearing, but after visiting with Rob Russell I decided that was not the issue???? I just sprayed the bushings Aerokroil and fixed them.

We are in Myrtle Beach, SC at Oceanlakes Campground on the "Fun filled Griswald Family vacation" for a week with all the kids and grandkids plus a few extras. 3 Campsites and a condo and the thieves are here too - just had oldest Grandkid new bike stolen last night.

I jus