2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Left-front tire eater

[SRath]

After thousands of dollars spent on all known upgrades and new steering/suspension parts, my '96 is still going through left front tires like crazy.



Last week, at 70 mph, I had my second MAJOR blowout of the left-front tire in the past year. This time, the entire tread came off like a recap and jammed up in the wheelwell throwing me instantly across two lanes of traffic and into the median before finally ripping loose and allowing me to steer again. It took my wheelwell liner, horns, wiring, front bumper & fascia, running board, mud flap, and front fender with it when it finally broke free. It was very thick tread still.



I can rotate the tires and/or put a new tire on, and everything feels good for a short time. Then a steady shake and wobble begins to manifest. Just enough to be annoying at first, but steadily increasing while at the same time progressing slowly enough to make me "get used to it". It will last for months that way, but has twice now ended with the same tire blowing out spectactularly. Last time, it was my 16 year old son driving on the interstate when it happened.



Something about that constant shake and harmonic is causing the tires on that left front position to separate and blow. Believe it or not, the tire carcass still held all of it's air and I limped the truck 1 1/2 miles down the shoulder to my exit that way.



It must be in the wheel bearing unit hub crap. Everything else has been replaced and upgraded. I added grease zerks to the hubs when I did the frontend. Normally those unit bearing hubs just fail, but I think this one is determined to keep right on going (and shaking) as long as I keep feeding it tires (and new body parts).



I parked the truck for now and have reverted back to my trusty 80's Chevy with leaf springs and a front axle with real tapered bearings, spindles, and lockouts. I forgot just how sweet a well-designed and built truck can be to drive and steer... what a huge difference. That entire truck cost me less than half of what it cost just to rebuild that Dodge's front steering and suspension.



The dodge is going to get someone killed if I don't permanently solve this issue. If the last blowout had happened just a few seconds sooner before I broke into the clear ahead of some truck traffic, it might have already. My last resort will be to finish my ford hub, lockouts, live-bearing & spindle & brakes conversion. I use the truck so much that I keep putting that off. I just can't any longer.

 

[RHestand]

SRath, Glad to here you made it through it safely.
The same thing happened to my wife (Alone) on CA I-5 at midnight, in the middle of "NO-WHERE". An almost new BFG-AT on a 99 Ford F-250-V/10, 4x4.
About 75 MPH, R-front tire "WHAM", and then a very scary ride, but she was able to keep it out of the boonies.
The same as yours, a tread de-lamination, then a blow-out, or vice-versa?? BFG finally determined that it was a factory defect. But that's another story.
Just like yours, I was amazed at how much damage was done.
As a side note: I have my own personal theory as to why our Cummins powered Dodges have so many front-end problems, and I would appreciate some feed back since I know a bunch of you guys out there are much more knowledgeable on this stuff than I am.
My theory is pretty simple and if it's been discussed on this site before, I haven't seen it and I'm sorry if I'm being redundant.
With the exception of the front springs, I think Chrysler Motors designed and engineered most of our front-end components to sustain the weight of V/8 or V/10 engines, say about 500 to 700lbs. Then maybe somehow the bean counters rationalize that it will somehow be OK to put a 1200 lb. Cummins in there as an option, and maybe we will not even sell that many of them?
Are any of you guys familiar enough with Dodge truck front suspensions to do a comp. on the front end components on the 1/2 -3/4 and 1 ton trucks?
I'm just very curious about this.
TIA, Ray

 

[SRath]

I think you are 100% correct, Ray. Add to that the occassional use of a heavy Boss plow and the Dodge is simply way overwhelmed. Too wimpy in the frontend even with nothing more than just the Cummins. Ball joints and unit bearing hubs have no place on a truly heavy duty pickup, and I don't care if that's what "all" the truck makers are doing; it's just WRONG. They're killing people, I'm sure.



I also think my particular problem is in that unit hub on that side. Even right after all new ball joints, adjustable trackbar, all new Moog steering, etc. , etc. , it was impossible to 100% eliminate the tiny shake felt up front even with a good friend doing a very precise alignment on state-of-the-art Hunter equipment. I blamed it on uneven tread wear from before the frontend was replaced. That tiny shake gradually increases until it is fed a new tire.



My theory now is that it isn't the tires causing the shake, it is the shake causing the destruction of the tires by causing good tires to separate the tread from the carcass when left on there for any length of time; even just 5000 miles or so. The ONLY moving part that wasn't new and upgraded were the hubs because they are generally either just good or bad and didn't seem bad and I was gathering parts for the live hub conversion. Time to finish it.

--Scott

 

[fest3er]

I'll toss in my "outsider's" tuppence. My comments/questions are only to give you pause in case you overlooked something (certainly not to cast aspersions on your maintenance/mechanical skills or to suggest you didn't do something you done did).

• Did you replace the suspension bushings?
• Did you replace the ball joints?
• Did you replace the camber sleeve?
• Did you replace the wheel? Is it in good condition? Is it true enough? Is it round enough? Is the bead seat in good condition?
• Did you replace the ujoint?
• Did you replace the lugs?
• What tires did you have on there? Load range E? What size?
• Is the wheel properly wide enough for the tire?
• Did you replace the tie rod end(s)?
• Did you rebuild or replace the caliper?
• Did you adjust the caster setting?
• Have you inspected the spring and spring mounts?
• Have you checked the frame alignment?
• Have you checked the front and four-wheel alignment?
• Have you replace the stabilizer links?
• Have you checked for cracks in the frame and other steel/iron parts?
• Have you checked all four corners for 'correct' spring height?
• Have the tires been oversped?

For a tread to separate, I would think it has to get rather hot; warpage, inflation, crackage, breakage, brakes, bearings and alignment could all cause excess heat.

If you've done everything right there at the wheel, start looking farther away from the wheel. If nothing else helps, spray a fluorescent liquid everywhere and see if any cracks show up under UV. Go 3/4 back and 3/4 across on the chassis if you have to. Use a ballpeen hammer and tap everything and everywhere; if something doesn't sound 'right', compare to the opposite side of the truck.

12-13 years of TDR and I don't recall anyone else reporting such a recurrent problem, so it's probably not systemic. Alas, finding the root cause is the trick of the week.

 

[CCiatteo]

As a really quick test, although a decent amount of work. Could you flip the unit bearings from side to side and see if the problem follows? I know that's kinda crazy, but if you are out of options, maybe its worth a shot. If nothing else it could confirm your suspicions or tell you to look elsewhere.