Tire Diagnosis - Waddle Complaint

Tire Diagnosis - Waddle Complaint

Tire Diagnosis - Waddle Complaint:

Tire waddle is a side to side movement at the front of the vehicle and/or the rear of the vehicle. Tire waddle can be caused by the following conditions:

* A steel belt not being straight within the tire
* Excessive lateral runout of the tire
* Excessive lateral runout of the wheel

The tire waddle is most noticeable at a low speed of about 8-48 km/h (5-30 mph). Tire waddle may appear as ride roughness at 80-113 km/h (50-70 mph). Tire waddle may appear as a vibration at 80-113 km/h (50-70 mph).

Inspection Procedure

1. Raise and support the vehicle with safety stands. Refer to Vehicle Lifting.

Caution: Wear gloves when inspecting the tires in order to prevent personal injury from steel belts sticking through the tire.

2. Perform the following preliminary inspection:

* Mark the tire with a crayon in order to note the start and the stop position.
* Rotate each tire and wheel by hand.
* Inspect the tire for bulges or bent wheels. Replace as necessary.

3. Use tire substitution in order to identify the faulty tire. Perform the following steps for a tire substitution check:

* Use a comparable tire in order to replace each tire, one at a time.
* Test drive the vehicle.
* If the problem is tire or wheel related, you will eliminate the problem when you remove the faulty tire from the vehicle.