Tire Tread Wear: Causes And Symptoms
Tire tread wear can tell you a lot about what is wrong with a car’s suspension. Here are the most common tread wear patterns and what causes them.
MOOG Product Line Grows By Nearly 50 Part Numbers In April
The new MOOG parts cover more than 100 million potential service opportunities spanning a broad range of late-model North American, Asian and European passenger vehicles.
Mercedes-Benz Hydraulic Suspension: Dos, Don’ts And Did-You-Knows
It doesn’t seem that long ago when the closest we came to any kind of active suspension on a Mercedes-Benz was the self-leveling rear suspension systems on the station wagons and 560 models (SEL sedan and the SEC coupe). Of course, there were some exceptions – European models and the 450SEL 6.9 starting in the late ’70s were available with hydraulic suspension at all four corners.
Live-Axle Wheel Bearing Replacement
Replacing rear wheel bearings on a live-axle rear suspension requires a few extra steps when compared to a unitized bearing. To remove the axle shaft, the differential must be accessed and the clips that hold the axle in the differential must be removed.
Ford F-250: Raising Rear Ride Height
Some customers with 2011-2016 F-250 Super Duty 4×4 vehicles want to raise the rear of their vehicle to change vehicle attitude appearance. This procedure provides the necessary information for this modification in accordance with engineering specifications.
Control Arm Bushing Replacement Proper Tools And Procedures Optimize Service
Once we were able to determine where the noise was coming from and how to duplicate it, it was time for the inspection. When the vehicle was on a service lift, we saw right away that the front suspension arm bushings were leaking their hydraulic fluid.
Loaded Strut Advantages
Recommending and selling loaded strut assemblies not only makes for happier, safer and more profitable technicians, it also provides the customer with the benefit of completely new components. In addition to the strut itself, a loaded strut includes the upper strut mount, strut bumper and boot, spring seat and insulators, and coil spring.
Air Ride Diagnostics: Reservoirs And Compressors
Air-ride systems look for information like vehicle speed, ambient air temperature and ride height. From this information, a system can calculate how long the compressor should run to fill the reservoir. If it is taking too long to fill a reservoir, the air-ride module will set a code, alert the driver, and put the system in a safe mode.
10 Tips For Diagnosing And Installing Control Arms And Bushings
With wide adoption of large diameter wheels and low-profile tires, suspensions on late-model vehicles have changed. The extra weight of larger wheels has meant that suspension components have had to go on a diet of aluminum. Less sidewall area has transferred the role of absorbing road impacts to larger bushings in order to achieve the same ride quality.
How To Test Drive A Car To Check For Problems
Test drives on the surface can seem like one of the most unprofitable tasks a technician can perform. But, test drives can be one of the most profitable processes a shop can do to help sell more service.
Anti-Sway Bar Repair And Service
Anti-sway bars (aka sway, stabilizer or anti-roll bars) never get the credit they deserve. If anti-sway bars were never invented, the ride and handling of vehicles would be a lot more harsh than it is today. That is because anti-sway bars act as a third spring controlling rolls stiffness of a vehicle.
What To Know About Modern Air Ride Systems
The most important thing to remember about a modern air suspension system is that it has different modes that adapt to the driving conditions and vehicle dynamics. Almost all four-corner systems will lower the ride height at highway speeds to increase fuel economy and improve handling. Some SUVs will increase ride height as requested or in response to increased wheel displacement and wheel slippage at certain speeds. Some systems may open up the valving and even disconnect a sway bar link on some BMW and Jeep models.
