wandering on the road

[JerryNelson]

Hi guys

I got a new set of tires 3 weeks a go have over 1000 miles on them so there good and broken and with 65 max air psi. from the first pulling out of the parking lot of the tire store it wandered around like I was on flat tires. I went from a D rate tire that I always ran on the truck from when I got the truck new with 150,000 miles on it . To an E rate tire same size. I didnt have this trouble with the D rated tire be for . the front is all good. tie rod ends,ball joints,its all been done. what would make it wander just by putting new tires on it. The steering box looks ok, the wheels turn write when I turn the steering wheel back and forth. Can the rear suspension bushings do this? if so why didnt I feel it be for the new tires.

any help thanks

 

[Regcabguy]

Unladen,I'd drop the pressure down to say 55psi front and 45 psi rear. I accidentally overinflated my Toyo MT's to 68# and the truck was all over the road. Dropped them down to 60# and all is Kosher again.

 

[JerryNelson]

Regcabguy I drop my air psi down and no change. It must be my steering box

 

[steved]

It may also be the steering linkages... have someone run the steering wheel back and forth while you look at them... any movement (including vertically) is a bad sign. Mine appeared tight after 265k... but if you looked at them while in motion, they had vertical play (joints would move up/down on the ball stud). Even with them off the truck, they "tested" and felt good... but the new components really made a night/day difference (they have no vertical movement).



If you replace the steering box, buy a steering brace at the same time... your box will last longer.

 

[RDeFayette]

when you bought the new tires did they do a FEA?

If so what was changed (alignment wise) if anything?

What is the tread depth of the new tires?

What is the tread style? (block, highway, etc)

Occasionally at the shop I used to run we would run into a problem called "tread squirm".

The basic idea of how this happens is the tread (contact patch) is staying planted in one spot on the road while the tire is actually moving (rolloing) around over the top of a stationary spot (contact patch). Similar to a building in an erthquake but on a much smaller scale. (Best way to describe with a visual).

Block style tread (tread that is not interconnected around the circumference of the tire) on heavy vehicles were the most susceptible.



Michelin definition:

Squirm

Flexing of the tread blocks between the belt package and the road surface. Less squirm means better steering response; more squirm means worse steering response.



Automotive dictionary definition:

Tread squirm

The flexibility in the Tire tread between the surface of the tread and the tire carcass. Snow tires, with their small, deep, unsupported tread blocks, have a large amount of tread squirm. Slick racing tires, which have no tread pattern, have very little squirm.



If it started when the new tires were installed I would very seriously doubt that the problem is with anything else BUT the tires.

 

[JerryNelson]

What is F. E. A. ? They did not change anything thing just put on a new set of Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 2 315-70R-17-E They say Semi-Stealth Blocks promote higher tread stiffness for improved handling. I had the BFG 315-70-17-D and they seemed a lot stiffer. the Bridgestones get real good Reviews. There more of a road tire then the BFG are. But i didn't have any trouble be for I put on the new tires.

 

[BIGNASTY]

When Ca I took mine in for an alignment to a guy that I have had do all my cars trucks. He said that everything looked great and didnt really need to be done but I like to make sure anyway. He lets me in the shop and talk to him while he did the alignment. He took a torque wrench and stuck it up under the driver side front and it clicked a few times and I ask what was that for. He said that Dodges tend to have bolts that hold the steering box to the mount loosen up for some reason but mine were ok. Mine is a 2 wheel drive but you might take a look who knows. That's all this shop does is alignments so I think they would kind of be in the know. FWIW



BIG

 

[RDeFayette]

What is F. E. A. ? They did not change anything thing just put on a new set of Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo 2 315-70R-17-E They say Semi-Stealth Blocks promote higher tread stiffness for improved handling. I had the BFG 315-70-17-D and they seemed a lot stiffer. the Bridgestones get real good Reviews. There more of a road tire then the BFG are. But i didn't have any trouble be for I put on the new tires.

Front End Alignment.

Remember you were going from worn out tires no tread or very little (I'm assuming) to brand new tires with a lot of tread.

Could be the problem maybe not. Something to look into.

Any friends have the same truck, switch wheels and tires and see what happens. If the problem goes away take a guess what the problem is.

 

[JerryNelson]

well I got my wandering problem fix. It was a broken centering bolt on the leaf spring. Just so you all know.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Good to know - I never would have thought of that!