Disappointed with new truck tires

[Junkman]

Tire wear has as a determining factor the rubber compounds in the tire. A tire with a better stopping distance will have a softer compound and will not last as long. This is why all tire manufacturers now have tread wear letter codes on the tires. When comparing tires, you have to compare all the factors and pick a tire that is proper for your vehicle and your driving habits. I would rather have a tire that has good stopping ability and less total distance of tire life. To me, a tire that will stop the car quicker might save me from an accident. Tire pressures are also very important. When the Firestone tires that came as OEM on my wifes Ford Explorer were replace, the tread was barely worn in comparison to the mileage the truck had traveled. What did surprise me, was the soft sidewall that gave the truck its smooth ride. The Michelin tires that Ford replaced the Firestone tires with, have a firmer side wall and a softer tread compound. I have noticed that these tires are wearing much more rapidly that the OEM's that the truck came with. I also notice that the truck stops better in all different types of weather than it did with the OEM's. In wet weather with the OEM Firestone's, the truck was like trying to steer a squirrel. Now, it is much more stable.
If your truck is squirrelly to drive, check the idler arm to see if there is any play in it. That one item can and will make things very precarious if it is worn. Also, replacing it with a aftermarket part can also lead to what is know as "bump" steering. This is where the alignment is constantly changing as a result of a part being used that was not up to par and has altered the geometry of the front end parts. I suggest that you look for a shop that specializes in truck alignment and discuss the problem with them. These are the people that are the "real" experts when it comes to resolving problems. Many times a persons alignment choices are based on price, rather than quality of the work. Other times, they pay a high price and get mediocre work anyway. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Alan L.]

I have now driven the tires about 800 miles since I adjusted the air pressure to the recommended amount. There was in improvement I think. I have been so busy I have not been able to get back to the tire store.

I think right now my only complaints are that the tires are somewhat squirrelly, and there is a roar coming from the rear. No vibration that I can detect. The tires that I took off were NOT squirrelly, and didn't make any noise. But they were worn almost to the tread wear indicators.

The truck is only about 16 months old and has 42K highway miles on it, so I would be surprised if front-end parts are already worn out.

My plan is still to go back to the tire store, get them to rotate and balance the tires, thus moving them to a different location on the truck, so that if there is a problem it will change to a new location. As for the tire that needed the most weight, I will ask them to move the tire 180 degrees and if it still needs a lot of weight I will ask for a replacement.

I think I will then head for the front-end alignment shop. Could be that the front end was out of alignment, but the old tires had worn to this setting (altough they looked pretty evenly worn), and the new tires are in the process of wearing to the front end settngs, but right now they don't like it.

Another thing, I think these tires are a little harsher riding than the old tires too. The same tire on the Yukon made its ride softer than the Cross Terrains that they replaced.

 

[Junkman]

Tires are a very complex thing. Park the trucks side by side and make sure that the tread design is the same. Then check the load range rating. I have seen "identical" tires that had different load ratings. I would also ask them to put the weights on the back side of the rims rather than the front where it will chip the coating on the alloy rims, leading to corrosion. Also check to see if they used a torque wrench when installing them. If they run the nuts down with a impact wrench, this can distort the brake rotors. As for worn front end parts, defects can be in the original parts that might have been "bad" from day one. I don't believe that tires get better with age, but I do believe that we become accustom to the ride and tend to ignore the harshness after a while. Poor stopping distance and squirrellyness, we never overcome.

 

[ronjhall]

<font color="blue"> I would also ask them to put the weights on the back side of the rims rather than the front where it will chip the coating on the alloy rims, leading to corrosion. </font>
If tire and wheels were balanced dynamically there may be weights on front and rear of wheel. Putting curb side weights on rear of wheel may cause imbalance.
I noticed that weights were made with raw lead. Factory weights are coated to stop corrosion. Here in Michigan those weights would have started to corrode an Aluminum wheel the first time run on a salted road. It may not be a problem in TX.

 

[_RaT_]

You took the mouth right out of my words. I have balanced tires and know that there are times they need to go on the inside and sometimes on the outside. For a tire that requires several weights, we typically rotate the tire on the rim and hope to hit a happy medium.

 

[super7]

One of the posibilities also is if its feels squirmy is a shifted belt..just cause its new doesn't mean its good.

They can also move the tire around the rim. Rims are not perfect new either..

You have Pmetric tires on both of your trucks. personally I'm not to crazy for the softer side walls or the smaller tread pattern of those tires and prefer LT tires. I've had two sets of LTX's on my 94'Suburban and have had over 100k on both sets and the last set went on one of my friends truck and still running. The 03' Yukon XL now has a set also LTX M/S LT265/75/16 and also had the computer changed to match the different size(went from the P265/70/16 Firestone,squirmy,pig wallering,PoS, that came on it)

Good Luck
Tony

Could ya tell I didn't like the Firestones /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif