New Tires = Death Wobble Plz Help

[mickeyblueyes]

To make a long story short my friend passed away, he had a 03 single wheel qclb. He had on new 315 BF AllTerrain KD. I have been using his truck. Never a wobble. I put his stock rims and tires back on and went and had his tires mounted on my truck. In 10 minutes of driving home I got the death wobble. Is there a fix or should I just chuck these tires and go smaller. Plz help asap

On edit: these tires were not balanced ,Installers machine could not accommodate them,and I have not checked but it appears they are low in air pressure any relation to my problem.

 

[scootergmc]

Well, I'd go find a place and get them balanced.

 

[pullya]

There has been more than one person that has had the same problem after installing BFG 315 All Terrains. Some people report that they think the sidewall flexs to much and this causes their DW. I have had no experience with those tires so I am just reporting what I have read. My advise would be to get another set of tires and give them a try and see what happens, even if you have to borrow a set from someone, then you'll know if that is the problem in your particular case.

Jay

 

[ata]

Bad tires or bad balance is most offen cause for Death Wobble. Along with bad front end parts. Get them balanced and if that does not fix it start looking at the front end parts. Ball joints, tie rod ends. track bar, wheel bearings, steering box and the list goes on and on. I had a set of tires that wobbled after about 30 min's of driving. After they got warm they went out of balance or shape or something. Never did get them right and the tire out fit said there's nothing wrong with them. I just got rid of them and no more problems.

 

[SWithrow]

"Death Wobble"

I had the "Death Wobble" on my 03 with 40k, I replaced the tie rods and ball joints at the dealers cost. It happened again at 80k this time I had to replace ball joints and steering knuckles and front shocks (out of my pocket). I went with MOOG joints because they were the only joints at the time that had grease fittings. I also install a set of Centramatic wheel balancers to help with the high way speeds. I have 160k on the components and still going. <O</O

 

[mickeyblueyes]

I had the "Death Wobble" on my 03 with 40k, I replaced the tie rods and ball joints at the dealers cost. It happened again at 80k this time I had to replace ball joints and steering knuckles and front shocks (out of my pocket). I went with MOOG joints because they were the only joints at the time that had grease fittings. I also install a set of Centramatic wheel balancers to help with the high way speeds. I have 160k on the components and still going. <O</O

I believe the knuckle heads that put them on only put 20 lbs of air in them I will check in the AM, the other parts are tight as a bone. These tires did not bounce once on my friends truck which I have been using for a month, so it must be pressure or balance, he had them on Aluminum rims I put them on stock rims because of the dually.



How are the balancers? I looked at the web site are they worth $180 a pair?

 

[SWithrow]

I have noticed a smoother ride at highway speeds it is one of the better upgrades I have bought for my truck.

 

[InfernoB]

My BFG's started to DW at around 30K. Great smooth riding D rated tire until the DW starts. Back to E rating using Grappler's, and a true truck ride.

 

[Road Dog]

I believe the knuckle heads that put them on only put 20 lbs of air in them I will check in the AM, the other parts are tight as a bone. These tires did not bounce once on my friends truck which I have been using for a month, so it must be pressure or balance, he had them on Aluminum rims I put them on stock rims because of the dually.



How are the balancers? I looked at the web site are they worth $180 a pair?

The stock dually rims are 6" wide which is too narrow for a 315 tire (8. 5-10" recommended). It's a load range D tire (50psi max) which is a little light for a 3500. 20psi is way too low.

 

[wcjp]

Not all tires are the same. Even from the same the manufacturer. Air the tires up to proper pressure. Use chalk to mark the tires. Put the two closest tires in diameter on the front. Also, are you running a DSS or equivalent?



Detroit lockers are super sensitive to changes in tire diameter.

 

[mickeyblueyes]

Its odd I aired up today and went out driving all was fine took it up to 50-60 (with my fire proof underware on) and no problems UNTIL I drove over the same bump in the same road that did it yesterday. Both wheels hit it at the same time and all hell breaks loose.

 

[SWithrow]

Its odd I aired up today and went out driving all was fine took it up to 50-60 (with my fire proof underware on) and no problems UNTIL I drove over the same bump in the same road that did it yesterday. Both wheels hit it at the same time and all hell breaks loose.

I would have the ball joints and tie rods checked and or replaced. Mine stopped after I rr'd the joints and knuckles.

 

[WoodChuck]

Its odd I aired up today and went out driving all was fine took it up to 50-60 (with my fire proof underware on) and no problems UNTIL I drove over the same bump in the same road that did it yesterday. Both wheels hit it at the same time and all hell breaks loose.

Did you ever get it fixed?

 

[mickeyblueyes]

Yes indeed I did Thanks for asking. I realized that having 315s on my truck in a D rating was not what the engineering gods had intended. I went down and ordered some Nitto Dura Grapplers in the original stock size. They ride quiet and seem to be good in the rain. My off road adventures mainly have me driving soft sand with a Lance camper on the back. Or down the highway with the Lance so I went with a E rating and all seems to be ok. I believe the giant tires would just be too much on stock brakes and the marginal front end. When its time to redo the ball joints I hope I can pony up the money and do a Cali system or something after market as solid. Those tires came from my friends truck (which is for sale in the classifieds) and did not have 10,000 mile s on them and they were shot. I will say I like the look of big ole beefy tires on a truck buy one has to go the extra mile and have it set up correctly not piece meal it and fix broken parts latter.

 

[steved]

... I have not checked but it appears they are low in air pressure any relation to my problem.

This will cause death wobble in a OE size tire... seen it before. I would get them balanced and aired up and see what happens.

 

[HHhuntitall]

As an independent tire dealer, I deal with these problems all the time. I don't think the size of the tire has as much to do with it as ball joints, steering joints, and dampeners. I've got several sets of 315s in use on my personal and ranch trucks, and have no problems. The 315s on my mothers truck are BFGs, and they've got @ 45,000 on them, and not a problem. I'd think the problem would be with your truck, and the fact that the tires were not balanced. The upped tire size increased the leverage the tires have on your steering components, and probably exacerbated an existing problem. I'd expect you'd start to have the same problems with your new tires in the near future. I'd also expect, based on my experience with the 3rd gens, that it is a combination of ball joints and a weak steering dampener. The dampener is very important with upped tire size due to the 3rd gens having a higher gear ratio in the steering box. And as far as load range, the 315/70/17, D rated, 8 plys will have a higher load rating than 265/70/17s, 10 ply, E rated... . by about 200 lbs. Air pressure plays a large role in used tires, as well, but typically, the larger the tire, the more tolerant they are to air pressure discrepencies.....