Ride Control Systems: Matching The Components To The Application
During the fall of 1989, when I was working as a mechanic for an off-road desert racing team, we raced the famous Mint 400 held in Las Vegas. By mid-race, our truck came into its pit stops with the shock absorbers so overheated that the polyurethane bushings were literally melting out of the shock mounts. Worse still, as the shock absorbers began to fail, so would the leaves in the truck’s leaf-spring suspension. Despite the suspension problems we experienced during the race, we were lucky enough to win our class. But the lessons I learned about the importance of matching the shock absorber to its application endure to this very day.
Uncovering The Causes Of BMW Suspension Noise
Most of the challenges of noise diagnosis and repair come from misunderstanding the customer’s complaint. And, as suspension systems have gotten more complex with many more points of potential failure, making thorough repairs means taking the necessary steps to get a good outcome.
Air Ride Replacement Options For Variety Of Makes And Models
All air ride systems can fail and require service. There are several repair paths you can go down to offer the best option for a customer’s needs and budget. Here is a forecast of current and future air ride vehicles and replacement options. Makes covered include: BMW, Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Ford, Hummer, Lexus, Toyota and more.
How Ride Height Affects Toe Angle
How can a mysterious case of tire wear occur in a perfectly aligned vehicle? It happens and the answers aren’t always simple. To better explain, let’s go back a few decades when I aligned a 1983 Mitsubishi rear-wheel drive (RWD) pickup, only to have it return a month later with a tire scuffing complaint. My conclusion was that many independent front suspensions often require a “custom alignment” to compensate for variations in ride height caused by uneven loading.
Performing An Alignment On Ford F-150 And Lincoln Mark LT Vehicles
The 2004-’08 Ford F-150 and 2005-’08 Lincoln Mark LT are not difficult vehicles to align, but they are difficult vehicles to properly inspect and adjust to the optimal specifications. The main difference with the 11th generation is in the front control arms. The lower control arm is forged aluminum. Upper ball joints have a reputation for failing sooner than lower ball joints.
Nearly 70 Parts Added To MOOG Steering And Suspension Line
Federal-Mogul has announced the addition of nearly 70 parts to its MOOG Steering and Suspension product line. The latest expansion of the MOOG line includes more than 50 parts for late-model foreign nameplate passenger vehicles from BMW, Honda, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru, Toyota and other manufacturers.
KYB Americas Corp. Announces Expanded MonoMax Shock Coverage
KYB Americas Corp. has expanded coverage for its truck and SUV MonoMax shock absorber lineup. New part numbers for this release cover nearly 12 million pickup trucks and SUVs on the road today, including the most popular late-model Ford, GM and Dodge applications.
The Year In Ride Control TSBs: Tried And True Fixes Can Expedite The Diagnostic Process
2013 was a good year for ride control TSBs. Some TSBs were intended for very few vehicles on the road, but the solutions can be used to resolve the same problems on a wide variety of vehicles. Several of the TSBs over the next two pages can help to solve chronic problems that have plagued some
Servicing GM Autoride Rear Air Suspension
The GM full-sized SUVs (Tahoe, Escalade and Avalanche) are the choice of soccer moms, diplomats and celebrities. What made these vehicles so popular was how the vehicles handle suburban and city roads. The key to this is the GM Autoride rear air suspension. Autoride comes standard on the GMC Yukon Denali and Yukon XL Denali. The product is also standard on the Cadillac Escalade, Escalade EXT and Escalade ESV on which it is known as Road Sensing Suspension. GM also offers Autoride as an option for the Chevrolet Suburban, Tahoe and Avalanche 1500, and an option for the GMC Yukon XL 1500.
Tenneco’s Exclusive Loyalty Program Designed To Serve Undercar Service Market And Help Drive Ride Control, Emissions Control Sales
The Expert Plus service dealer loyalty program from Tenneco – created to help automotive service businesses increase their share of the undercar service market – includes a complete marketing and promotional package for 2014.
ZF Services Releases 60 New Shock Numbers Covering More Than 17 Million Vehicles In Operation
ZF Services LLC, the strategic aftermarket business unit of ZF Friedrichshafen AG, has announced the release of 60 new part numbers in its original equipment technology ride control program under the Sachs brand for the passenger car and light truck vehicle market.
Rancho Launches New Performance Suspension Systems For 2014 GMC Sierra 1500
Tenneco has announced that the new Rancho 2014 GMC Sierra 1500 suspension systems recently passed the U.S. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 126 – Electronic Stability Control Systems (FMVSS-126) test – and were engineered to accommodate the varying steering knuckle materials being used by GMC.