volkswagen Workshop Repair Guides

Volkswagen Workshop Service and Repair Manuals

Strategic rotation of wheels for non-directional tyres > < Conicity
Remedies when vehicle pulls to one side
Remedies when vehicle pulls to one side
Test conditions before and during the road test:
–  Check all suspension components on the front and rear axles for damage.
–  Check tyre pressure and correct if necessary.
–  Check the tyres for external damage. Punctures, cuts, bubbles on the sidewalls, flat spots from braking and/or damage to the tread.
–  Ask the customer if the tyre had been damaged by a nail or similar object and was repaired by a tyre dealer. It may be necessary to renew such tyres.
–  Check tyres for even wear and tread depth.
–  Are all tyres of the same type, manufacture and tread pattern?
–  If the tyres are non-directional, ensure that all DOT classifications on the tyre face outwards. The wheels and/or tyres on the vehicle may have already been changed around at an earlier date.
–  Is the make of tyre approved by the factory as original equipment?
–  Perform the road test on a road which is level, straight and ungrooved and does not drop off to one side.
–  Perform the road test with the customer under the conditions specified above. Ask the customer to demonstrate the problem.
  Note
There must be no cross wind during the road test.
If the complaint is justified, we recommend rotating the wheels and tyres as described below.
Before you begin, observe the following notes; otherwise your efforts may not have the desired effect.
  Note
t  Mark the tyres before the first rotation, e.g. FR, FL, RR, RL.
t  After rotating wheels or reversing the tyre on its rim, you must observe very carefully how the vehicle behaves during the road test. Note how and what was changed.
t  Assess the intensity of or a possible change in the tendency to pull to one side.
t  For this purpose, it is important that the road tests are always performed by the same person on the same road. It is best to drive the „test course“ in both directions.
t  Replacing a tyre with a new tyre does not guarantee that pulling to one side will be eliminated. Therefore it is recommended as a first step to carry out the strategic rotation of the wheels as described below.
t  If there are large differences in the tread depth of the tyres on the front and rear axles, the tyres with the deeper tread should always be mounted on the front axle.
   

Strategic rotation of wheels for non-directional tyres > < Conicity