I’ve just done a 100 + mile trip to visit my dad. I thought I’d come in the camper as a cheer up for myself. I stopped at Warwick Services for a break and thought , ooh that Rear near side wheel arch - tyre looks like my van is ‘slammed’ instead of my normal stick height. I then checked the off side, as I’m very particular about my van, and noticed that wasn’t quite so slammed. should I be concerned? I was a little bit so carried on the M40 a bit slower than previously. Is it normal for one side to be lower? I’d never noticed it before. Should I visit a mechanic before my drive back North? ive attached photos of near and off side and differences between them.
it does doesn’t it. Maybe how I took the photo? Tho trying to put my fingers in to see if it was so close it was touching the tyre it felt like I had a twin arch, like someone had just put new arch on top of rubbish old one. I can’t recall ever noticing this before. The other side feels fine and like a single skin. I will look again in daylight. My main worry is that the tyre will rub and then pop and I will crash!! Would a tyre be able to push an arch out?
I’m on dads drive so may be the slope? There is defo quite a bigger gap on the offside. I put my heavy bags on that side in a DIY attempt to help!!
I’ve had work done on the brakes for the MOT and not driven it much since so will check in the morning. In the off side I now have a red wheel nut which I didn’t pre MOT work so reckon the rear wheels have been off.
There is a cm or so difference between each side on mine - only to be expected on a near 50 year old vehicle for torsion bars to settle at different rates if heavier load has been in on one side . the clearance between wheel and wheel arch does look a bit close in the top picture - but they do look like different makes of tyre - I always put same make tyre on each side of an axle
Cheers, I just don’t recall it looking so close before. The front of my van has always seemed to sit higher but I thought it was pretty uniform across ways. I defo can’t recall it looking like it was almost resting on the tyre.
Rude!! I’ve gone a bit less plump I will have you know!!! . I don’t think it’s ever been this close before. I have to admit I was a bit nervous for the next 13 motorway miles after I’d spotted it.
I was not implying you were “traditionally built” . But, yes, cars do sag on the driver’s side after many years. Check your wheel nuts, Alex. A wheel coming off on the motorway can be really embarrassing.
I once lost a few wheel nuts on my T4 in Spain. The tyre place had forgotten to tighten them. That was on a motorway so I have experience . My rear wheel was wobbling like a clowns bike wheel!
I shouldn’t really talk. After doing my brakes a couple of weeks ago, I set off down the road...with all the wheel nuts finger-tight
Having seen this first hand I can say I thought it was quite exciting seeing a wheel go several hundred yards at 50mph without hitting anything then exiting the motorway up the off ramp.