Weight of a Model A question

[foxfire42]

This may sound like a silly question but does the Model A weigh a lot more on the drivers side then the passsenger side? There's the battery, steering column and brake pedals. Anything else that would be enough to make a trailer lean? The vehicle does not lean when on the ground.

I think I'm being fed a bucket of cow feces by an "expert" at a well known tire company.

[bdentremont]

Originally Posted by foxfire42

This may sound like a silly question but does the Model A weigh a lot more on the drivers side then the passsenger side? There's the battery, steering column and brake pedals. Anything else that would be enough to make a trailer lean? The vehicle does not lean when on the ground.

I think I'm being fed a bucket of cow feces by an "expert" at a well known tire company.

That does sound pretty silly. Remember that the manifolds and muffler on the passenger side (assuming LHD car) aren't trivial either.

[foxfire42]

Sounds like the manifold and muffler would balance the out the passenger and drivers side.

I've trailed my Model A to and from Arizona for several trips and never had any problem until I got to Las Vegas on my way home from Tucson. I have a dual axel 16 foot enclosed trailer and noticed the front tire on the drivers side was low. The rear tire on the same side looked fine. I stopped into the (Major brand) tire store to get some air in it and was told that the tire was the correct pressure but because ALL cars are heavier on the drivers side is why the tire looked low but wasn't. He told me I needed to load my car backwards in the trailer to fix the problem.

I told him I didn't think I could not obtain the correct load balance of 60/40 and the tongue weight would be too light BUT he insisted he had been in the business for many years and he was right about turning the car around.

I'm silently thinking to myself if he were right wouldn't booth tires look low and if the car were turned around would it not just move the problem from the left side to the right side?

I thanked him for his time and left.........................

[Special Coupe Frank]

I think your "expert" was full of balloon-juice !

[bdentremont]

Wow! Interestingly, if you think about it, most cars on the road do weigh more on the drivers side due to the fact that they are being driven with a single occupant, often fat. The last alignment I had done on my Honda Fit, the guy tweaked it a little to account for a driver-only occupancy and then put a guy close to my weight in the seat for the final check. It's in spec either way, but with me in the driver's seat is absolutely perfect. I suspect that this guy works with folks that bias alignements similarly, but only half understood.

I presume you checked the tires again cold? Just because they are all over cold spec. when you rolled into the tire store doesn't mean that they are good, and the guy you talked to didn't seem sharp enough to figure that out.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Were they the same type and brand of tire? I know my Goodyear Regatta's aren't much more than thick inner tubes. They always look flat. I replaced the rear two with another brand and they really set up and are much thicker sidewalls.

[pooch]

A LHD car being trailered forward , if it was heavier on the left would be an advantage as all roads are cambered for water runoff.

This is also why a fat driver levels up the car on camber.

And if you want to take a bit more in, the fuel sloshed over to the right adds weight over that side too.

[foxfire42]

I'm going to take it to a reputable tire store and see what it needs to remedy this problem. I had to replace 1 of the tires on my way down do to a bubble in the side wall. The replacement tire is rated for 65 PSI and the other ones are only 50 PSI. Both the problem tire and the adjacent one were 50 PSI. I can see $$$$$ flying out of my wallet having to buy 3 more tires so I have a matching set on the trailer. My A's are way to valuable to take a chance with questionable tires.

[dave in australia]

Foxfire, you've loaded your trailer correctly, if the weight is behind the trailer axles then the whole rig is highly unstable.

[85930tudor]

maybee weak springs on one side of the trailer

[MikeBaggerman]

I currently have a dead spring on my two axle trailer. What brand trailer tire, bias or radial trailer tires, are they even trailer tires what size are the trailer axles, and what shape are the bearings in? I've killed more tires then you could believe towing my jeep all over the country.