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Handling Ride Disturbances

Performance and ride problems in vehicles sometimes result in customer complaints about vibration, wobble, lateral pull or handling. Motorists relate problems of this type to tyres and often request that tyres be placed to alleviate the problem.

Testing and field experience have shown that only a small percentage of performance and ride problems require a tyre replacement. Modern vehicles are quite complex and diagnosing a problem can be difficult. Ride disturbances can result from not only the tyre application on the vehicle, but also the vehicles suspension, steering or drive systems.

All vehicles are not alike. Tyres that are satisfactory on one vehicle might be unsatisfactory on another. When analyzing vibration problems it is important to keep this in mind. In addition, different wheel positions on a vehicle may have differing sensitivity levels. Sensitive vehicles may require tyre and wheel assemblies with lateral or radial run out limits in order to provide a satisfactory ride quality.

It is imperative that problems be solved to the customer’s satisfaction the first time a complaint is made. Customers who must make multiple trips become quite sensitive to the problem, making the resolution of it more difficult. The most common ride disturbances are mentioned below along with the solution:

Harsh Ride
Ride harshness refers to a vibration or noise caused by road irregularities such as road joints, cracks or uneven payment. Harshness is usually more evident at lower speeds and is attributed to the very stiff tread area of radial tyre. Always check for proper inflation pressure if there is a complaint.

Wobble
A motorist has to be extremely sensitive to notice wobble, if it exists at all, and some tyre manufacturers affirm that it does not. However, if a customer complaints of wobble, a side-to-side motion of the vehicle at slow speeds, the problem may be handled by switching the front and rear tyres. If wobble only occurs while braking at slow speeds, the problem is likely to be brake drum / rotor imbalance or wrapping.

Vibration And Pull
These are ride disturbance characteristics, which require some type of corrective action. Specific methods of diagnosing the cause and correcting the disturbance are mentioned in “alignment & it terminology” and “tyre rotation” subjects. A ride disturbance can be isolated and corrected most efficiently by following the logical, systematic procedures mentioned in the above mentioned subjects.

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CHOOSING THE RIGHT TYRES