tire problems, any advise??

krehel24

krehel24

<- and it begins!!!......
Joined
Mar 21, 2005
Location
Locust NC
Problem: new tires on front are
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"dipped out"

New 35/12.50/ 18 km2 had no issue, drove to linville (2.5 hour drive) then this happens

Specs: 99 f250 4" lift new springs, new sway bar links, new upper and lower ball joints, "aliment" steer box has a little play..

My question is what could cause this? I have drove around town for months with out any issues. I drove 2.5 hours to linville, get out and look at tires and boom "dipped" wtf??

Attached is a pic may or may not be helpful
 
If everything as far as alignment is in spec, the only answer left is the truck is too heavy for the tires. Big trucks need load range E tires.
 
These are load range D
that was the only angle that you could see a difference between the "lugs". The "lugs" that are lower appear to have a little cupping to them. Could the cheap ass shocks cause this? I was going to trade them for something less aggressive, but now I think the tires are only got for a trail rig so now that I need to pay full price for tires I would like to prevent this. Thanks for all the input.
 
If nothing has changed, I can't imagine any difference between local & highway driving. Maybe Low air pressure? Cupping is usually from out of alignment or something bent.
 
Cupping also can come from bad shocks with not enough dampening to keep the tire from bouncing from out of round or out of balance at high speed.

Got for a ride at hwy speeds and stop on the shoulder where it's practical and safe, get out and see if the shocks are warm.

What shocks are on it?

Are the wheel bearings in good shape? Any play in the steering components or steering box? What's the toe and castor at?
 
Shocks I think are rough country cheapos.
no play in the wheel bearings but tire noise makes very hard to hear any bearing noise. Only place I can find with a little play is steer box. Normally I drive no faster then 50mph around town, but this weekend I averaged 80 to 90 mph on i85 and i40. I am thinking maybe some bilstien 5100 may be in order
 
Big, square lugged tires almost always do that. How many miles do they have on them? Do they just need to be rotated? I've noticed most solid axle trucks will wear the inside of each front tire, I figure it's normal and has something to do with steering angles vs. fighting the crown of the road as you drive.

I figure they just need to be rotated.
 
Did you mention that you jacked it up off the ground to see if you can wobble the wheel up and down? Then side to side? And was sure to have an extra eye look for play? Driving piece of shits all my life, I've always stated that "shocks are optional". They only affect the ride quality, not the tires unless they are absolutely stuck. Then something ELSE in the system would have to give resulting in tire issues.
 
krehel24 said:
I will check everything again, it the alignment was not right could that cause this??
Click to expand...


Driving 80-90 mph on 35's, anything can happen... A cupping of treads is most likely a result of the tire wobbling in some form or fashion. If only one side cupped then that is likely the culprit side. If both sides are cupped, the tie rod / steering / or drag link is likely. But if one tire is out of balance, it can cause all kinds of issues especially at high speeds.

It is very hard to see anything in the picture. A "cupping" is an actual indention in the center of the tread. If it's just wearing uneven then out of balance can be likely.

If all else fails to cure this, I suggest to SLOW IT DOWN!!!!!:flipoff2:
 
Out of align (toe in / toe out) will cause either the inside of a tire or the outside of a tire to wear. And can easily be checked with a tape measure. I was taught to jack it up, pick a tread to use on one side and mark it somehow. Then duct tape the tape measure onto a tread on the other side. Measure at 3:00. Pull tabe back to duct tape side and rotate tires 90 and then pull and measure the exact same marked tread at 9:00. Most suggest 1/4" toe in to compensate for bump steer. I have found my best results for tire wear is to keep them straight but to KEEP A CLOSE EYE ON IT. If ever you develop a toe out situation it will wear a tire very fast.
 
I know the pic sucks, I tried a bunch of diff ways and nothing seemed any better. It is both front tires on the inside half. The "lugs" that are effected seem to be sloped down to one side or a little cupped. Not all "lugs" are effected. Btw, anyone want to by a set of km2's :D
 
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Do something like this an measure the toe. Start with that. You can use lugs on the tire as well, but you need the same reference points on the front and back of tire.

Way more accurate to remover tires and wheels and clamp something to rotor surface.

Post up your numbers.

My .02.

When you have bumps in the tire around the circumference but no difference in left to right of the tread, then something is out of round or balance and the tire is hopping at speed. Better shocks can help band aid the problem. A good example is to watch a square tractor trailer tire bounce at hwy speeds.

If one spot on the tire is worn, then you have a broken belt(s) and that area is slung to road with more force than the rest of the tire, and is worn faster.

If the wear is more inside edge or outside edge, then poor alignment or worn parts are typically the cause.
 
Ok, when I get home I will try to get a better pic and also pull wheels and tires off and do the check you recommend.
 
Seriously though.... how long have those tires been on the front of the truck?
 
I have about 700 miles on the tires.
Front of the tire is 78 3/4
Inside of the tire is 78 1/4
The pic is of one of the "lugs" and you can see the cup shape
Everything is tight no play anywhere

2015-05-28 18.12.46.jpg
 
krehel24 said:
I have about 700 miles on the tires.
Front of the tire is 78 3/4
Inside of the tire is 78 1/4
The pic is of one of the "lugs" and you can see the cup shape
Everything is tight no play anywhere

View attachment 188349
Click to expand...

Front of the tire is 78 3/4, and the back of the tire is 78 1/4?

That would be 1/2" toe out and that would be a problem. You want 1/4-1/2" toe in. Oem stuff with small tires is typically 1/8 toe in. Bigger and wider tires is better for 1/4"-1/2" toe in.
 
Ok, well I am getting new tires and I will have it aligned to. Do you think this toe out would cause my problem?
 
krehel24 said:
Ok, well I am getting new tires and I will have it aligned to. Do you think this toe out would cause my problem?
Click to expand...

Hard to say if that is the only cause, but that much toe out is definitely not good. The wind resistance on the tires at hwy speeds push the tires to toe out. This is why you align them toe in, at static ride height. This also generally makes the steering feel tighter at speed. I know too much toe out or toe in will greatly affect tire wear on the edges of the tire.

Does the truck wander or feel loose at hwy speeds also?
 
Why new tires? Just rotate them and they'll wear back flat.

Yes, the alignment is most of the problem.
 
Mac5005 said:
Hard to say if that is the only cause, but that much toe out is definitely not good. The wind resistance on the tires at hwy speeds push the tires to toe out. This is why you align them toe in, at static ride height. This also generally makes the steering feel tighter at speed. I know too much toe out or toe in will greatly affect tire wear on the edges of the tire.

Does the truck wander or feel loose at hwy speeds also?
Click to expand...

No it feels good! Could shocks still be a option?

Croatan_Kid said:
Why new tires? Just rotate them and they'll wear back flat.

Yes, the alignment is most of the problem.
Click to expand...

I want a tire that is not so aggressive, it's my tow pig and we plan on going to KY and TN and would rather not listen to the tires for 6 hours!
 
Wearing outside edges of left and right too much toe in. Wearing inside edges of left and right too much toe out. Usually want a little toe in so when you get up to speed the tires will want to push out a little to take out any play in steering. Wearing edges uneven left and right probably camber is off. Uniform cupping around tire is from bad shocks. Think about a wash board road. Center wearing more than sides too much air and wearing both edges not enough air
 
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