Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2012 11:44:36 -0400
Reply-To: Art <awa0330@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Art <awa0330@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Tire pressure '86 Westy
In-Reply-To: <BAY152-ds215C766825FC9EC9778471A05E0@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
First, I don't have all the details. When I get back from my trip in late
April, I'll get more detailed front end info from my mechanic. This time
around, I only had him check everything to make sure it was in running
shape. Now that I've put on significant miles, I can begin to get more
specific.
While it floats through turns, it's manageable. Behind a big truck, I get
significant sway/shake in the front from right to left and left to right.
You can feel it in the steering wheel. In wind, perhaps the prevailing
winds are mostly in one direction, but it feels like it wants to pull left.
Tires are wearing fairly even it seems, and without wind on a straightaway,
the van does not seem to pull left. With a gust or steady of wind,
certainly I can initially feel it in the whole vehicle, but it quickly
settles into the front end. I have to overcompensate by holding the wheel
toward one o'clock. Once I pass 50 mph I can feel the sway increase. At
60, it's noticeable, and over 65 it can feel like I could lose control at
times. The rods out here are different as well, not smooth, often two
lanes with speed limits of 75, and more tipped to the sides for water run
off than eastern roads. Finally, when I do compensate , the vehicle will
tend to overcompensate indeed, particularly for right to left and I
readjust. Weak left side perhaps? Unfortunately this is my first Westy,
and I have not driven others so I have nothing to compare it to.
I
On Wednesday, March 14, 2012, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Vehicle handling can be very subjective and I often find people are not
> always able to explain the problem they are having.
> When you refer to sway are you referring to side to side leaning when
> cornering or during wind gusts or are you actually being blown to one side
> or not able to take a desired path when cornering or lane control? So
called
> sway bars are really anti-roll bars. They reduce side to side leaning and
> the only benefit they have for cornering or wind recovery is helping to
> transfer some additional weight onto that outside tire.
>
> No when you're are being blown around is the whole vehicle swinging over
or
> just the front? When you recover do you find yourself over correcting? Did
> you do anything with the shocks/springs to go with those big tires? If you
> raised the rear did you get the front caster angle reset to compensate?
Give
> some more detail and maybe I can help you more.
>
> Dennis
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
> Art Ames
> Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2012 1:52 PM
> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Tire pressure '86 Westy
>
>
> DynaPro AS model on a 2WD. Auto.
>
> Actually, the sway is my #1 beef. At times, it was bad enough with wind
> gusts across the Texas flatlands that I almost had to give up on driving
for
> the day.
>
> So other than looking for a lower tire which I'll do when I go for
> replacements, are there other ideas such as a more robust swaybar? Of
> course, I assume that I may trade less sway for less forgiveness on rough
> roads.
>
> Art
>
> On Mar 13, 2012, at 9:43 PM, Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@hotmail.com>
wrote:
>
>> There are a number of different Hankook tires in that size so which
>> one? Is this on a Syncro or 2WD? That is a tall tire which is not
>> ideal for handling and niehter is a truck tire. I would try going a
>> little higher in the front say 42 and see if that helps.
>>
>> Dennis
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>> Behalf Of Art Ames
>>
>> Hankook LT215/75R15.
>>
>>
>>
>> BTW, 4,400 miles on maiden voyage( for me) so far for me and so far...
>> knocking on wood.
>>
>> Art
>>
>>
>>
>
>
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