Isuzu Amigo / Axiom / Trooper / Rodeo / VehiCross. Manual - part 68

WHEEL AND TIRE SYSTEM

3E–7

5. Tire cord breakage.
6. High tire temperatures.
7. Reduced handling.
8. Reduced fuel economy.

Unequal pressure on same axle can cause:

1. Uneven braking.
2. Steering lead.
3. Reduced handling.
4. Swerve on acceleration.

Radial Tire Waddle

480R200006

Waddle is side-to-side movement at the front and/or rear
of the car. It can be caused by the steel belt not being
straight within the tire, or by excessive lateral runout of the
tire or wheel. It is most noticeable at low speed, about 8
to 48 km/h (5 to 30 mph). It may also cause rough ride at
80 to 113 km/h (50 to 70 mph).
The car can be road tested to see which end of the car has
the faulty tire.  If the tire causing the waddle is on the rear,
the rear end of the car will “waddle”. From the driver’s
seat, it feels as if someone is pushing on the side of the
car.
If the faulty tire is on the front, the waddle is more easily
seen. The front sheet metal appears to be moving back
and forth. It feels as if the driver’s seat is the pivot point
in the car.
Another more time-consuming method of determining the
faulty tire is substituting tire and wheel assemblies that
are known to be good. Follow these steps:

1. Drive the car to determine if the waddle is coming

from the front or rear.

2. Install tire and wheel assemblies known to be good

(from a similar car) in place of those on the end of the
car which is waddling. If the waddle cannot be
isolated to front or rear, start with the rear tires.

3. Road test again. If improvement is noted, install the

original tire and wheel assemblies one at a time until
the faulty tire is found. If no improvement is noted,
install tires known to be good in place of all four. Then,
install the originals one at a time until the faulty tire is
found.

Radial Tire Lead/Pull

“Lead/Pull” is vehicle deviation from a straight path, on a
level road with no pressure on the steering wheel.
Lead is usually caused by:

1. Poorly manufactured radial tires.
2. Uneven brake adjustment.
3. Wheel alignment.

The way in which a tire is built can produce lead in a car.
An example of this is placement of the belt. Off-center
belts on radial tires can cause the tire to develop a side
force while rolling straight down the road and the tire will
tend to roll like a cone.
The “Radial Tire Lead/Pull Correction” chart should be
used to make sure that front wheel alignment is not mis-
taken for tire lead.
Rear tires will not cause lead/pull.

3E–8

WHEEL AND TIRE SYSTEM

Radial Tire Lead/Pull Correction Chart

Step

Action

Yes

No

1

1. Inflate tires to recommended pressure.
2. Road test vehicle on level uncrowned road.

Was a problem corrected?

End.

Go to 

Step 2 

2

Switch front tires side to side and road test again.

Was a problem corrected?

If roughness

results,replace

tires.

Go to 

Step 3 

3

Did the vehicle lead in same direction?

Go to 

Step 4 

Go to 

Step 5 

4

Put tires back in original position and check alignment.

Was a problem corrected?

End.

Go to 

Step 5

5

Install known good tire on one front side.

Was a problem corrected?

Replace tire.

Install a known

good tire in place
of other front tire.

If lead corrected,

replace tire.

Typical examples of abnormal tire ahead wear and major
causes:

CAUTION: Similar wear patterns can be caused by
worn suspension parts, misalignment of wheels and
tires, and other suspension related problems.

Spotty wear – wear localized on shoulder sections, and
in an extreme cases, the tire becomes polygonal in
shape.

480RW002

1. Tire or wheel out of round or distorted.
2. Hub or knuckle out of round or distorted.
3. Play in hub bearings or ball joint.
4. Rotating parts out of balance.

Tread wear one-sided.

480RW003

1. Rotating parts out of balance.
2. Tire or wheel out of round.
3. Hub or knuckle out of round or distorted.

WHEEL AND TIRE SYSTEM

3E–9

Localized tread wear.

480RW004

1. Once spotty wear develops in tread due to hard

braking or abrupt starting, localized wear tends to be
promoted.

Shoulder wear (generally wear develops in outer shoul-
der):

480RW005

1. Camber or toe-in incorrect.
2. Shoulder wear caused by repeated hard-cornering.

Wear in shoulders at points opposed to each other.

480RW006

1. Tire or wheel out of round or distorted.
2. Play in bearings or ball joint.

Premature wear in shoulders.

480RW007

1. Flexing of tire excessive due to under-inflation.

3E–10

WHEEL AND TIRE SYSTEM

One sided feather edging.

480RW008

1. Wear caused by repeated hard cornering.
2. Camber or toe-in incorrect.