Suzuki sq-416-420-625 Service Manual page 138

3-6 STEERING, SUSPENSION, WHEELS AND TIRES
[A]
[B]
[A] [B]
D Hard Cornering D Incorrect Wheel Alignment
D Under-Inflation D Tire Construction Non-Uniformity
D Lack of Rotation D Wheel Heavy Acceleration
TIRE DIAGNOSIS
IRREGULAR AND/OR PREMATURE WEAR
Irregular and premature wear has many possible causes. Some of
them are: incorrect inflation pressures, lack of tire rotation, driving
habits, improper alignment.
If the following conditions are noted, rotation is in order:
1. Front tire wear is different from rear.
2. Uneven wear exists across the tread of any tire.
3. Left front and right front tire wear is unequal.
4. Left rear and right rear tire wear is unequal.
5. There is cupping, flat spotting, etc.
A wheel alignment check is in order if the following conditions are
noted:
1. Left front and right front tire wear is unequal.
2. Wear is uneven across the tread of any front tire.
3. Front tire treads have scuffed appearance with "feather" edges
on one side of tread ribs or blocks.
WEAR INDICATOR
The original equipment tires have built-in tread wear indicators to
show when tires need replacement. These indicators will appear as
12 mm (0.47 in.) wide bands when the tire tread depth becomes 1.6
mm (0.063 in.). When the indicators appear in 3 or more grooves
at 6 locations, tire replacement is recommended.
RADIAL TIRE WADDLE
Waddle is side to side movement at the front and/or rear of the ve-
hicle. It is caused by the steel belt not being straight within the tire.
It is most noticeable at low speed, 8 to 48 km/h (5 to 30 mph). It is
possible to road test a vehicle and tell on which end of the vehicle
the faulty tire is located. If the waddle tire is on the rear, the rear end
of the vehicle will shake from side to side or "waddle". From the driv-
er's seat it feels as though someone is pushing on the side of the
vehicle. If the faulty tire is on the front, the waddle is more visual.
The front sheet metal appears to be moving back and forth and the
driver feels as though he is at the pivot point in the vehicle.
Waddle can be quickly diagnosed by using a Tire Problem Detector
(TPD) and following the equipment manufacturer's recommenda-
tions.
If a TPD is not available, the more time consuming method of sub-
stituting known good tire/wheel assemblies on the problem vehicle
can be used as follows: