Suspension Tech General discussion of suspension for the Ford Ranger.

an alignment pickle

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Old 09-28-2009
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an alignment pickle

for some reason, my passanger tire is cupping pretty bad. The rest are fine.
I have no idea whats causing it either. Here is what i have eliminated so far-

-UCAs were replaced a few months ago, as were wheelbearings on both sides.
-Lower BJs are tight
-Tierod ends are tight.
-tracks straight down the road, does not pull to either side.
-no vibrations.
-other side is wearing just fine tire-wise.
-Also, when you look at the front end, you can clearly see the one tire has odd camber.
-and it was aligned a few months ago, havent hit anything or taken it in the dirt.

What on earth could it be? The only thing I can think of at this point would be bushings. How do I check to see if they are bad?
Any ideas of things to check out would be awesome. I dont feel like buying another 33 in the next few months.
 
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Old 09-28-2009
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they probably didnt set camber correctly.

cupping could be also caused from bad shocks or poorly balanced tires.

how often do you rotate?
how are you checking your ball joints?
how are you checking your tie rod ends?
 
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Old 09-29-2009
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the bad shock i am wondering about. i do have supercrap shocks...
the tires are balanced, so thats good.

i will investigate the shock...
 
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Old 09-29-2009
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Might need a caster/camber kit. I know the OE setup doesn't allow for any adjustment.

My passenger side front tire was the worst too for inside wear. Turns out the drivers side had an aftermarket kit installed but not the passenger side (it still had the square washers.
 
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Old 09-29-2009
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i doubt i need a camber kit. the lift kit has been on for 50k without a problem, until now.
 
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Old 09-29-2009
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seems pretty obvious, get an alignment...
 
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Old 09-29-2009
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first thing i checked. it was fine.
 
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Old 09-29-2009
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Originally Posted by korey89
seems pretty obvious, get an alignment...
seems pretty obvious, think before you speak. the alignment itself is probably not causing the cupping, an alignment angle is changing while you drive causing the cupping. i would def suspect the shocks, and possibly replace them before you get an alignment. also, how are you checking the ball joints and tie rod ends

sorry Corey, had to, now stfu <2
 
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Old 09-29-2009
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well the uppers were just done a few months ago, so they are fine. the lowers were good too. i checked those by jacking it up and checking for play. tie rods he said were fine.
i will check the shocks. being that they are the crappy superlift ones, its hard to say how long they would have lasted.
 

Last edited by wolfman00; 09-29-2009 at 01:15 PM.
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Old 09-29-2009
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when you check the ball joints, you need to jack it up and support it by the lower control arms and pry up and down on the ball joints to check for play, play should be no more than 1/32"

with the tie rod ends pry down on the outer and no more play than 1/32"

This bizzle right here next to me says you MUST use a dial indicator! LOL
 
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Old 09-29-2009
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Originally Posted by Toreador4x4
seems pretty obvious, think before you speak. the alignment itself is probably not causing the cupping, an alignment angle is changing while you drive causing the cupping. i would def suspect the shocks, and possibly replace them before you get an alignment. also, how are you checking the ball joints and tie rod ends

sorry Corey, had to, now stfu <2
lmao, *******. Wait until AIM tonight. <4
 

Last edited by korey89; 09-29-2009 at 12:08 PM.
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Old 09-29-2009
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Originally Posted by korey89
lmao, *******. Wait until AIM tonight. <4

I
There a bromance going on on AIM between you two??

LOL
 
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Old 09-29-2009
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I have a thing for midgets.
 
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Old 09-29-2009
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Originally Posted by korey89
I have a thing for midgets.
Is this tied in to your love for mudkipz? or is this completely seperate?
 
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