Packard Forum Index » Post-War (1946-54)

Michael writes:

"I'm looking forward to being able to track a straight line with this beast of a car"

Is this problem experienced at speeds only OVER 40 mph or at ANY speed????

Michal, Mid Atlantic Packards (Dale Mease, 15604 Old Hancock Rd. N.E., Cumberland, MD 21502, measey@atlanticbb.net, 240-362-7705 tel., 240-362-7744 fax) sells Diamond Back tires at a discount. You can see their ad in the Cormorant News Bulletin. They may be able to save you some money.

(o{I}o)

Hey PackardV8,

It'll wander at 15 mph! Always kind enough to come back in line eventually so it's not a hair-raising ride down the street; just annoying. I'm resigned to go shopping.

JW, thanks for the lead on a possible deal out there.

Fred, you threw a whole other tire size into the ring with your 700R-15. Wonder how that stacks up to 225/75R15? A little shorter?

(On a totally unrelated note: made a few twists to the carb mixture screws - noticeable improvement!)

It'll wander at 15 mph!

That's not tires - sounds like you have some significant front end wear or alignment issues, and/or perhaps excessive free play in the steering box. How much free play do you have in the steering wheel, at the rim, left to right at the approximate centerpoint?

Good thinking and I will double check to be sure but my steering is tight. I'm still thinking tires as the wander only happens when I'm rolling over road irregularities; gimme a smooth stretch and I get a taste of what the Packard ride should be.

I'm familiar with the feel of loose steering with some of our old trucks... now that is a nerve-racking issue to wrangle with.

I do think I might have shock issues too but one thing at a time...

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You can diagnose many alignment problems from the wear patterns on the front tires. Search the internet, surely there are many sites.

Have someone turn the steering wheel up and back a bit while you look under the car to see if anything is loose.
A broken center link inner spring or loose idler arm bushing
will cause problems. Read a service manual for hints on what to look at. Don't reinvent the wheel (couldn't resist)

I have purchased many tires from Diamondback because they were about the only option out there for WW radials.
I have had some white wall issues; one set of wide whites turned yellow after about a year and kept "bleeding" through. The replacements I purchased have now cracked white walls. On the plus side, the set of 700 X 15 WW radials I put on our '41 have worked out great! They have greatly improved the tracking down the road.