Tie Rods - 380 and 450

[pgchin]

Whether I-beam or IFS, tie rods are the "weakest" chain in the link. The date of this coincides with the m450 recall or close. My SWAG, since I have no inter company insight, is the legal dept made them add the 4500's as a CYA deal, but that's just my SWAG based on how production and development exposure works.

Good point though and to bring up. It matches what I said in the other thread about changing tie rods ends around 10 years on i-beams or sooner if they fail the "out of spec" ball and socket test. Since the m380, m450 designs and product are getting close to 10 years old anyway, yeah I would go ahead and change them now as a safety precaution if I owned one and got the chance, but that is just me! You mileage and opinion may vary! The consequences could get interesting if one fails, and lead to some exiting adventures, whether an I-beam or IFS!

PS One of the biggest reasons tie rods fail, among others, is people like to do "dry turns"....... which is very stressful on the tie rod ends and causes premature failure. So if you want your tie rod ends to take less stress and last longer, DO NOT turn the steering wheel UNLESS you are rolling forward or back! This may require a bit of relearning on how to park and set up your bus for a parking spot, but no big deal. Given how city buses ALWAYS do dry turns from the pickup curb, I suspect the recall was added!