Wheel miss-Alignment due to San Juan Roads???

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rockmon

rockmon

Joined
Mar 8, 2010
Threads
8
Messages
37
Location
kansas city
OK... so I get back from our annual voyage to Hinsdale County Colorado (my 48th year out there...) and I notice my nearly new Cooper tires making the vibration sound of an out-of-aligned wheel. After a brief visual inspection I noticed that the outer tread was worn on every other tread.

Then, after taking Cruiser to my 'trusted' tire shop, they agreed with me that the tires were out of alignment and would agree to do look at them with their 'alignment-o-meter'. I go back at the end of the day to get her and I'm told that my frame has shifted in the rear and will need to be corrected to get the wheels back in alignment and the Toe of the wheel in better order.

Now... back to the roads traveled prior to noticing this... Let's say they were NOT Poughkeepsie-type trails but trails I've traveled many, many times including repeated travels in this very Cruiser.

Does their story that my travels to paradise caused the rear frame to shift and thus these mis-aligned wheels hold water>??? Or is their need for me to pay them to adjust the rear frame a crock-o-s$t?
 
Not to malign a tire brand too much, but I have heard of problems in general with some Cooper tires. I don't understand what they mean by the rear frame comment. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me.
 
How much is that going to run?

You could always roll the dice, and just let them run. In hind sight, the cost for a realignment might be better than the compromise of faster wear and growing road noise over time - especially if newer tires.
 
Someone correct me if I'm wrong. There aren't any adjustments in the rear of a 100, so if an alignment read out is indicating out of spec, you will need more than an alignment.
 
The advice that "the rear of your frame has shifted" sounds like bull$h!t.

That said, my advice is to go ahead and pay for an alignment and wheel balance at a separate shop. Ask them to check for slop in the wheel bearings and ball joints at the same time.

Alignment and wheel balance will cost less than $100 at a decent alignment shop. The 100-series is very sensitive to alignment and wheel balance; if either is out of tolerance it will be noticeable at highway speeds. In the worst case, a fresh alignment and balance will make your truck drive a little better. In the best case, it will save you from ruining your new tires. - Either way, alignment and wheel balance is easily worth $100 and should be considered routine maintenance in my opinion.

FWIW- I have had good experience with Cooper Discoverer M/T tires- I got great wear out of them and they handle great in the snow.

Go ahead and have the alignment and wheel balance adjusted to spec at an independent shop. I bet this will solve the problem described in the original post.
 
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When you said vibration sound, it made me think of your front wheel bearings. I'd jack up the front, grab the sides of the tire and see if there is any looseness. If you have not repacked the bearings in a while, they could be loose. Mine were loose and a source of road noise.
Good Luck,
Greg
 
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