2005 SUZUKI GRAND VITARA Service Workshop Manual

YH4
GRAND
VITARA
STEERING, SUSPENSION, WHEELS AND TIRES 3-5
ConditionPossible CauseCorrection
Body Leans or Sways
in Corners
Loose stabilizer bar.

Faulty shock absorbers, struts
or mounting.

Broken or sagging springs.

Overloaded.Tighten stabilizer bar bolts or
replace bushes.
Replace shock absorber, strut or
tighten mounting.
Replace spring.
Check loading.
Cupped Tires
Front struts defective.

Worn wheel bearings.

Excessive tire or wheel run-out.

Worn ball joints.

Tire out of balance.Replace strut.
Replace wheel bearing.
Replace tire or wheel disc.
Replace front suspension control
arm.
Adjust tire balance.

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GRAND
VITARA
[A]
[B]

Hard Cornering

Under-Inflation

Lack of Rotation
Incorrect Wheel Alignment

Tire Construction Non-Uniformity

Wheel Heavy Acceleration [A] [B]
3-6 STEERING, SUSPENSION, WHEELS AND TIRES
TIRE DIAGNOSIS
IRREGULAR AND / OR PREMATURE WEAR
Irregular and premature wear has many possible causes. Some of
them are: incorrect inflation pressures, lack of tire rotation, driving
habits, improper alignment.
If the following conditions are noted, rotation is in order:
1. Front tire wear is different from rear.
2. Uneven wear exists across the tread of any tire.
3. Left front and right front tire wear is unequal.
4. Left rear and right rear tire wear is unequal.
5. There is cupping, flat spotting, etc.
A wheel alignment check is in order if the following conditions are
noted:
1. Left front and right front tire wear is unequal.
2. Wear is uneven across the tread of any front tire.
3. Front tire treads have scuffed appearance with ªfeatherº edges
on one side of tread ribs or blocks.
WEAR INDICATOR
The original equipment tires have built-in tread wear indicators to
show when tires need replacement. These indicators will appear as
12 mm (0.47 in.) wide bands when the tire tread depth becomes 1.6
mm (0.063 in.). When the indicators appear in 3 or more grooves
at 6 locations, tire replacement is recommended.
RADIAL TIRE WADDLE
Waddle is side to side movement at the front and / or rear of the ve-
hicle. It is caused by the steel belt not being straight within the tire.
It is most noticeable at low speed, 8 to 48 km / h (5 to 30 mph). It is
possible to road test a vehicle and tell on which end of the vehicle
the faulty tire is located. If the waddle tire is on the rear, the rear end
of the vehicle will shake from side to side or ªwaddleº. From the driv-
er's seat it feels as though someone is pushing on the side of the
vehicle. If the faulty tire is on the front, the waddle is more visual.
The front sheet metal appears to be moving back and forth and the
driver feels as though he is at the pivot point in the vehicle.
Waddle can be quickly diagnosed by using a Tire Problem Detector
(TPD) and following the equipment manufacturer's recommenda-
tions.
If a TPD is not available, the more time consuming method of sub-
stituting known good tire / wheel assemblies on the problem vehicle
can be used as follows:

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GRAND
VITARA
INFLATE TIRES TO
RECOMMENDED PRESSURE
ROAD TEST VEHICLE ON LEVEL
UNCROWNED ROAD IN
BOTH DIRECTIONS
SWITCH FRONT TIRES
SIDE TO SIDE AND
ROAD TEST AGAIN
LEADS IN SAME
DIRECTIONLEAD CORRECTED
IF ROUGHNESS RESULTS,
REPLACE TIRESLEAD REVERSES
DIRECTION
PUT TIRES BACK IN
ORIGINAL POSITION
AND CHECK ALIGNMENTINSTALL A KNOWN GOOD TIRE ON
ONE FRONT SIDE
LEAD CORRECTED
REPLACE TIRELEAD REMAINS
INSTALL A KNOWN GOOD TIRE IN
PLACE OF OTHER FRONT TIRE
LEAD CORRECTED
REPLACE TIRELEAD REMAINS
KNOWN GOOD TIRES ARE NOT GOOD
STEERING, SUSPENSION, WHEELS AND TIRES 3-7
1. Ride vehicle to determine if the waddle is coming from the front
or rear.
2. Install tires and wheels that are known to be good (on similar ve-
hicle) in place of those on the offending end of the vehicle. If the
waddle cannot be isolated to front or rear, substitute the rears.
3. Road test again. If improvement is noted, install originals one at
a time until offender is found. If no improvement is noted, install
known good tires in place of all four. Then install originals one
at a time until offender if found.

YH4
GRAND
VITARA
3-8 STEERING, SUSPENSION, WHEELS AND TIRES
RADIAL TIRE LEAD
ªLeadº is the deviation of the vehicle from a straight path on a level
road with no pressure on the steering wheel.
Lead is usually caused by:
1) Incorrect alignment.
2) Uneven brake adjustment.
3) Tire construction.
The way in which a tire is built can produce lead in a vehicle. An ex-
ample of this is placement of the belt. Off center belts on radial tires
can cause the tire to develop a side force while rolling straight down
the road. If one side of the tire is a little larger diameter than the oth-
er, the tire will tend to roll to one side. This will develop a side force
which can produce vehicle lead.
The procedure on previous page should be used to make sure that
front alignment is not mistaken for tire lead.
1) Part of the lead diagnosis procedure is different from the tire
rotation pattern currently in the owner's and service manuals. If
a medium to high mileage tire is moved to the other side of the
vehicle, be sure to check that ride roughness has not developed.
2) Rear tires will not cause lead.
VIBRATION DIAGNOSIS
Wheel unbalance causes most of the highway speed vibration
problems. If a vibration remains after dynamic balancing, it can be
caused by three things.
1) Tire runout.
2) Wheel runout.
3) Tire stiffness variation.
Measuring tire and / or wheel free runout will uncover only part of the
problem. All three causes, known as loaded radial runout, must be
checked by using a Tire Problem Detector (TPD). If a TPD is not
available, the more time consuming method of substituting known
good tire and wheel assemblies on the problem vehicle can be
used.

YH4
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VITARA
STEERING, SUSPENSION, WHEELS AND TIRES 3-9
Caused bySMOOTH ROADSUSPENSION MOVEMENT
(Loaded Runout)
TIRE OUT
OF
ROUNDTIRE
STIFFNESS
VARIATIONRIM BENT
OR
OUT OF ROUND

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VITARA
3A
Alignment service data (without load)
Toe-in (Toe-in gauge measurement)
ªBº ± ªAº: 0
2 mm (0
0.08 in.)
Camber angle ªCº: 0'
1

Caster: 2
40'
1

*1. Forward
*2. Body center[A] : Top view
[B] : Front view
1. Center line of wheel
FRONT END ALIGNMENT 3A-1
SECTION 3A
FRONT END ALIGNMENT
CONTENTS
DIAGNOSIS3-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GENERAL INFORMATION3A-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Toe-Setting3A-1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Camber3A-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Preliminary Checks Prior to Adjusting Front Alignment 3A-2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Toe Adjustment3A-2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Camber and Caster Adjustment 3A-2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Steering Angle3A-3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
GENERAL INFORMATION
Front alignment refers to the angular relationship between the front wheels, the front suspension attaching parts
and the ground. Generally, the only adjustment required for front alignment is toe setting.
Camber and caster can't be adjusted. Therefore, should camber or caster be out of specification due to the damage
caused by hazardous road conditions or collision, whether the damage is in body or in suspension should be deter-
mined. If the body is damaged, it should be repaired and if suspension is damaged, it should replaced.
TOE SETTING
Toe is the turning in or out of the front wheels. The purpose of a toe specification is to ensure parallel rolling of the
front wheels (Excessive toe-in or toe-out may increase tire wear).
Amount of toe can be obtained by subtracting ªAº front ªBº as shown in above figure and therefore is given in mm
(in.).

YH4
GRAND
VITARA
3A-2 FRONT END ALIGNMENT
CAMBER
Camber is the tilting of the front wheels from the vertical, as viewed from the front of the vehicle. When the wheels
tilt outward at the top, the camber is positive. When the wheels tilt inward at the top, the camber is negative. The
amount of tilt is measured in degrees.
PRELIMINARY CHECKS PRIOR TO ADJUSTING FRONT ALIGNMENT
Steering and vibration complaints are not always the result of improper alignment. An additional item to be checked
is the possibility of tire lead due to worn or improperly manufactured tires. ªLeadº is the deviation of the vehicle from
a straight path on a level road without hand pressure on the steering wheel.
Section 3 of this manual contains a procedure for determining the presence of a tire lead problem.
Before making any adjustment affecting toe setting, the following checks and inspections should be made to en-
sure correctness of alignment readings and alignment adjustments:
1) Check all tires for proper inflation pressures and approximately the same tread wear.
2) Check for loose ball joints. Check tie rod ends; if excessive looseness is noted, it must be corrected before ad-
justing.
3) Check for run-out of wheels and tires.
4) Check vehicle trim heights; if out of limits and a correction is to be made, it must be made before adjusting toe.
5) Check for loose control arms.
6) Check for loose or missing stabilizer bar attachments.
7) Consideration must be given to excess loads, such as tool boxes. If this excess load is normally carried in ve-
hicle, it should remain in vehicle during alignment checks.
8) Consider condition of equipment being used to check alignment and follow manufacturer's instructions.
9) Regardless of equipment used to check alignment, vehicle must be on a level surface both fore and aft and
transversely.
TOE ADJUSTMENT
Toe is adjusted by changing tie rod length. Loosen right and left tie
rod end lock nuts first and then rotate right and left tie rods by the
same amount to align toe-in to specification.
In this adjustment, right and left tie rods should become equal in
length.
After adjustment, tighten lock nuts to specified torque.
Tightening Torque
(a): 65 N
.m (6.5 kg-m, 47.0 lb-ft)
CAMBER AND CASTER ADJUSTMENT
Should camber or caster be found out of specifications upon in-
spection, locate its cause first. If it is in damaged, loose, bent,
dented or worn suspension parts, they should be replaced. If it is
in body, repair it so as to attain specifications.
To prevent possible incorrect reading of camber or caster, vehicle
front end must be moved up and down a few times before inspec-
tion.

YH4
GRAND
VITARA
1. Turning radius gauge1
FRONT END ALIGNMENT 3A-3
STEERING ANGLE
When tie rod end was replaced, check toe and then also steering
angle with turning radius gauges.
If steering angle is not correct, check if right and left tie-rods are
equal in length (ªAº in left figure).
Steering angle
inside: 35

3

outside: 33

3

NOTE:
If tie rod lengths were changed to adjust steering angle, rein-
spect toe-in.
Reference Information:
Side slip:
For inspecting front wheel side slip with side slip tester:
Side slip limit: Less than 3 mm / m
(Less than 0.118 in. / 3 ft)
If side slip exceeds above limit, toe-in or front wheel alignment may
out not be correct.