Hi,

Finally, i managed to fix the:

-- flexpipe (Meineke replaced only the flex section with welded-bolt-on)
-- align my car
-- check, charge and refill the AC in my car, so it is nice now

all for about 450 this morning.

one thing though...last week, I replaced my Toyo front left tire which had been ripped and damaged by mal-allignment, with a Goodyear Aquatread. But i didn't do the alignment until today.

After the alignment this morning, it was realized that the car still pulled to the right...upon checkup they found that the right tire had also been ripped in a manner similar to the left. The folks asked me to replace it right away.

I replaced it with another Goodyear Aquatread, but the car now pulls slightly to the left....and they indicated they have to do another alignment.

All replacement tires are used with good thread ...one has 95T rating, and the other i think S rating.

Does this sound right?

cheers - Noela

 

Sounds like you made the mistake of
A. Mismatching tires
b. using aquatreads

 

yep, that is what keep bugging me....though mechanics seem to encourage it, i hear it is not a good idea....

what is specifically wrong with aquatreads....they are all-season, aren't they?

/Em

 

aquas have been known to rot from the inside out.
Don't know about the newer ones for sure

 

ohh. boy, I'm beginning to miss my Toyo Ultra's already..have had 4 of them since 1999, with excellent performance....i may have to eventually save the 500 and get them...

the garage wants to do another alignment tomorrow to diagnose what is making it pull to the left now, instead of the right, as it used to do.

cheers - N

 

For a really good all season, try the BFG Traction T/A. Good Stuff.

 

I bet ya it's your right hand side upper control arm bush that went bad. Just change it to Noltec polyuranthe bushing:

http://www.oztek.us/noltec.php?mid=25

and you should be fine. They're only $30 for BOTH left and right upper arm. Which is pretty affordable. And they ride smooth as hell. I wouldn't recommend doing the lower arm bushings (the bigger one of the two bushings) since they hardly get any plays. When you install it, just burn it off with a torch, cut out the inner and outer shell, and press in the new bush. If you're still having problems with the installation, which is expected cuz it's a real b.tch to smack these guys in, just bring it to any shop with a hydraulic press and pay them $20 to have them press. I believed Pepboys will do it. Just call around.

 

btw, this is just a possiblity that I am suggesting cuz once the front bushings went out. no matter what you do to aligned it, the alignment just won't hold. plus, your tire will get all messed up depending on the conditions of the worned out bushings.

 

you are probably right..i recall sometime earlier this year, a mechanic had warned me about something related to the "lower control arm" ...thats what stuck in my mind.

if that is the case, then it probably explains why the tires got so badly damaged within one week of each other -- so bad in fact - you would think someone just took a rough knife and reaped out a section of the tire..

how much will it cost to have this checked out and replaced?

cheers - Noela

 

Bad bushings should not rip a tire.

complete lower control arms $87.50 + ship
no uppers though