Front right tire hangs lower than left tire when placed on jack stands of equal height.
This is the first time I jacked this car up. When jacking up from a centre jack point under the engine bay, I notice the left side of the car goes higher than the right side. After I rested the car on two jack stands of equal height on each pitch weld, I noticed the right tire hangs lower and touches the ground, whereas the left tire has about 1.5 inch of ground clearance. I have not notice any obvious suspension noise during the last week of driving. However, before I bought this used car, the shop said they did a tire alignment. Why is my right tire hanging lower?
My car has 40000 miles.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Hello – your RAV4 uses torsion bars instead of springs to suspend the weight of the vehicle. Each wheel/tire carries a different amount of vehicle weight. An alignment adjusts torsion spring force to support each corner of the vehicle to a certain height – called ride height. Think of this as the distance between the ground and a point on the undercarriage that will be the same side-to-side. It will be same for both front tires, and both rear tires, although the front and rear ride height may be different. This may result in different "tire hang when suspended" distance as you have noticed. Test this by driving the vehicle onto an absolutely flat piece of pavement, then measure the distance between the ground and a front frame or sub-frame point that is common on both the right and left sides. If the distances are equal, the vehicle was aligned properly, regardless of how the tire hangs when the vehicle is suspended.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :
The most common reason a car pulls to one side is that the wheel alignment is off. Whether it skews to the side over time, or you hit a particular vicious pothole, wheel alignment will be altered by driving conditions, and it should be checked regularly.
Too much inward or outward tilt, also known as negative and positive camber, respectively, indicates improper alignment and will need to be adjusted. Worn bearings, ball joints, and other wheel-suspension parts may contribute to camber misalignment.
The inner or outer tie rod ends may be worn. Your steering gear may also have worn bushings. I would recommend moving tire back and forth while holding onto the tie rod ends to see if looseness is felt and replace any loose components. An alignment will need to be done after repairs.
Tyre pressures are normally higher in the front than the rear, to compensate for the extra weight of the engine and transmission, especially on front-wheel-drive cars.
Some of the common reasons include uneven tires that may result from a punctured tire or a tire that needs to be inflated. Other causes include a bent chassis or a problem with the suspension system.
A car that is leaning to one side is almost always experiencing an issue with the shocks, springs, struts, chassis, or suspension. These are all critical parts of the vehicle, and should not be dismissed. Continuing to drive a vehicle that is leaning to one side or the other can do further damage to these components.
The three factors that affect alignment are toe-in, camber and caster.
Setback is the amount by which one front wheel is further back from the front of the vehicle than the other. It is also the angle formed by a line perpendicular to the axle centreline with respect to the vehicle`s centreline.
When your tie rods go bad, the symptom you`re most likely to experience first is a vibration or shaking sensation in your steering wheel. You may also hear associated clunking and rattling noises, especially when turning the vehicle at low speeds. These sounds are caused by tie rods that are starting to wear out.
However, a bent or damaged wheel can be very dangerous, and expensive. Bent rims can pinch and pop your tires, leading to blowouts. They can also cause mechanical issues, and problems with the handling and control of your vehicle, which can lead to dangerous situations.
If one or more of your tires are worn down the center — but not on the sides — the culprit is most likely an overinflated tire. Tires bulge from overinflation — and continuing to drive it on the road — hits the middle of the tires.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
Front right tire hangs lower than left tire when placed on jack stands of equal height.
ANSWER : Hello – your RAV4 uses torsion bars instead of springs to suspend the weight of the vehicle. Each wheel/tire carries a different amount of vehicle weight. An alignment adjusts torsion spring force to support each corner of the vehicle to a certain height – called ride height. Think of this as the distance between the ground and a point on the undercarriage that will be the same side-to-side. It will be same for both front tires, and both rear tires, although the front and rear ride height may be different. This may result in different "tire hang when suspended" distance as you have noticed. Test this by driving the vehicle onto an absolutely flat piece of pavement, then measure the distance between the ground and a front frame or sub-frame point that is common on both the right and left sides. If the distances are equal, the vehicle was aligned properly, regardless of how the tire hangs when the vehicle is suspended.
Right rear sets lower than left side pulls to right with tire wear on rt. Front outside of tire
ANSWER : You should have the entire suspension checked for sway bar links that are broken. If the links are broken or bushings are worn out then the links should be replaced.
The front left tire tilted inward after I replaced the Sway Bar
ANSWER : As is the case with most vehicles, the preferred camber setting on the front wheels of the 2007 Prius is slightly negative, that is the top of the tire is tilted inward as you are observing and describing. However, the amount of PREFERRED (i.e., factory recommended by Toyota) inward tilt, measured in degrees, is small, at only -0.58°. According to the Toyota Factory Service Manual for your car, as long as the camber measures within the range of -1.33° to +0.17°, that is considered acceptable but only so long as the DIFFERENCE in camber, from left to right, does not exceed 0.75°. That is very important…ideally the difference should be closer to zero but if it is too large, that is if the difference exceeds 0.75°, the car will pull to the side with more "positive" camber and not be fun to drive. The preferred setting of -0.58° is the best, though.
It is really hard to eyeball camber settings unless camber is obviously way out (big visible tilt). Consequently, if you suspect a problem, the value should simply be measured using a camber gauge (there are DIY techniques that are perfectly acceptable and, in fact, I align all of my own cars using fairly readily available tools…not easy, but doable). If camber is out on the Prius, there is a detailed factory specified protocol, using special bolts, that is used to bring camber within specification or to the preferred setting. Of course, if camber on your vehicle is presently way outside the range set forth by Toyota there may be damage to frame and/or suspension components of the vehicle.
If you desire an inspection of the vehicle to determine if there is damage, or if you need more detailed information regarding vehicle wheel alignments, please schedule an inspection through YourMechanic and/or let us know of any follow up questions.
Feels like front right tire has vibration when turning left or merging lanes to the left at highway speed only. Bearings are okay
ANSWER : Hello, thanks for writing in. If the bearings are fine then the tires need to be checked first. If there is any uneven wear then this will occur. If the tires are all fine then the hubs need to be checked. If you have a tire failure then that could have bent a hub which will cause these same symptoms. If that is also fine then it may have a failing axle. I usually get the vehicle in the air and check each one of these parts one by one to determine what the issue is. If you would like help, consider having an expert automotive technician from YourMechanic come to your home or office to perform a safety inspection, and make or suggest any repairs as needed.
Pop Sound When Jacking Up Car
ANSWER : At first glance, I wouldn’t assume you damage a CV joint during a tire change, however, if the tire blew out and was driven on for a while, that may have caused some damage. The clunking sound may have been caused by a body support mount that collapsed (although this is very rare) or the jack itself when you were lowering it. This is common with generic factory spare tire jacks.
The driver seat may be sitting low because of the different diameter of the spare tire on the passenger side, causing it to lean a bit. The best way to put your mind as ease is to contact one of our local mechanics to complete a visual inspection of where the noise took place and test drive the car for you. This way they can verify that nothing is damaged before you get back behind the wheel.
I hear a loud clicking noise on the drivers side by my tire rim when turning the steering wheel front tires vibrating as well.
ANSWER : A clicking noise on turning is very characteristic of a failed outboard CV axle joint. Sometimes, in such a circumstance, you can see that the rubber outboard boot is actually torn and leaking grease. If you see that (look behind the wheel toward the axle end), the axle for sure will have to be serviced. If you change the axle, be sure to install a new rubber seal on the transmission output side so that you do not have transmission fluid leaks with the new axle (a common mistake is to overlook that seal; if an old, left-in-place seal leaks after the axle is put in the job has to be done all over again). Vibration without actual shaking of the steering wheel "might" be related to the axle issue. On the other hand, such vibration could also be due to a failed wheel bearing, especially with over 200,000 miles on the vehicle and if those are the original bearings. If you were to need both an axle and a wheel bearing at the same time, and on the same side, that’s actually not that bad because the steering knuckle that holds the wheel bearing has to come off anyway to replace the axle. But, backing up here, the very first thing to do is get the issue properly diagnosed so you spend the minimum possible. If you want to obtain a diagnostic, please request a vehicle CV/wheel bearing noise inspection and the responding certified mechanic will get this taken care of for you. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.
Car pulls to the right after tire rotation
ANSWER : Hello. On your 2002 Mercedes Benz SLK320, all of the tires have to have the same tread design an the same amount of tread. Any variations will cause the computer to not read the sensors correctly which will cause these issues. You need to purchase two more tires that are the same as the new ones, and install the tires to replace the other two tires. If you want to have this looked at before replacing the tires, a local expert from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to diagnose your car’s pulling issue.
Clunking noise front left tire on my way home tonight from work. Pulled over couldn’t see anything hanging off.
ANSWER : Check the shock absorbers on the front and see if they are leaking. If they are leaking, then I recommend replacing the shock absorbers. When a shock absorber fails, the wheel will not stay in contact with the road as the shock absorber is designed to stop or slow down coil oscillations.
If the shock absorbers are in good condition, then check the front CV Shafts and see if the boot has been broken open and or if it is damaged. An outer joint to a CV Shaft that is damaged will cause the wheel to have a knocking noise as the wheel extends into a pot hole or over a bump and may be heard under heavy turning conditions.
If you need further assistance with a clunking noise on or near the left front wheel, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.
