njjeeper Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 All, did some miles today in the Ferret and noticed what seemed like an out of round wheel. Occasionaly it was like one front wheel was going over a bump, but it wasnt. It wasnt all the time but did happen a lot over the course of the drive. More noticable at low speed when it was acting up. Other times, smooth as silk. I had someone watch me drive and the wheels looked fine. Could this just be the fun of wind up on dry pavement? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guykay Posted June 4, 2016 Share Posted June 4, 2016 Most likely cause is a flat spot on your tyre(s). I've had the same issue. It goes away eventually if you keep driving.ideal solution is to keep the vehicle jacked up if you are not going to be using it for a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njjeeper Posted June 4, 2016 Author Share Posted June 4, 2016 Tires are new and it was just out last weekend. I don't think it was a flat spot. If it wasn't windup, is there anything in the wheel station I should check? Felt like front left tire. But it would go away and then come back. Odd.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robin craig Posted June 5, 2016 Share Posted June 5, 2016 Have you measured the circumference as per the manual? The tolerance is under 2 inches I seem to recall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfire Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 It does sound like windup, and you do need to make sure that the tyres are the same circumference in order to minimise it. Are all of the tires of the same type and from the same batch? Also make sure that the air pressures in them are maintained, as a relatively small variation can have a fair impact on tyre size. If you can't get them all to the same size, pair them on the same side of the vehicle, as the differential will take care of side to side variation. Badly out of balance tyres will have similar issues, so make sure you've checked that. Cheers, Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njjeeper Posted June 6, 2016 Author Share Posted June 6, 2016 Since the tires are new and all bought at the same time I assumed they would be close enough in size. Perhaps thats not the case and I need to measure! I jacked up the left side and there doesnt seem to be anything amiss. Wheels turn in unison and they roll smooth. Im going to paint the lines on the hubs and use them to check for windup as well.... I took my oldest son and 2 of his friends to thier 8th grade graduation dance in the Ferret. It got quite a bit of attention :wow: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfire Posted June 6, 2016 Share Posted June 6, 2016 The lines won't show wind up, but they will highlight if something breaks. In the drivetrain, you'll find about 5 degrees of lash between the front and the back wheels before they move in unison; wind-up will put tension between them but won't noticeably vary their relative positions and will be relieved by one of the wheels skipping in relation to the other. If that wasn't the case, even with the allowed ~2" of variation between the tyres, you'd be breaking stuff in no time flat, under normal usage. For the most part, wind up in Ferrets/Saracens/etc. is overrated and is rarely a problem, unless the tyres are way out of spec, or if you're doing lots of tight turns on a hard surface (such as donuts). In general, the running gear on these vehicles are pretty robust and are most likely to fail from a lack of adequate lubrication, rather than mechanical influences. That being said, they are old and things do just break on occasion. I'm hoping that yours is a Mk 1; 4 people in a Mk 2 would be way too cozy for my liking They do get lots of attention though, for sure. I can never go to the supermarket in mine without gathering a crowd around it. Cheers, Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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