I have 6 ply L215 85R16 on my 53 1/2 ton. The pickup still has road wander at 55mph or so, this after a front end man looked it over and said the front end is in good shape. He said the truck was too light for the springs, said I could take out one. He said the only other thing I might do is change tires to something with more wall flexibility, he speaking of a radial too. He said the existing tires that I have on it sort of make it bounce around alot, not getting good road traction. Your comments please. Thank you. Kent Crutcher
kent, I'm running 215 85 R16 D range uniroyal tires on stock rims. No problems at about 45psi. how much play is in your steering wheel? i put the rebuild 'kit" in my steering box. my truck is a bit bouncy, but doesn't wander. Jim S.
Thunder, I was wondering the same thing about wandering. My truck had a little in it till I put a kit in the steering gear. Have you checked that out Kent? Is the lube in the steering box up to the opening? I found that they don't leak if they are dry so it is good to give a look. Gater
Old Friggin' Truck! With old friggin' tires tied to an old friggin', aint been greased in a bazillion years suspension with bad shocks! Seriously~ Listen to the experts. Someone has been sayin', "Get radials (!)". If your truck has original tires, you don't need a seat- you need a saddle! Those tires get flat spots from sitting that radials would never dream of. (And if they're like my old 8-lugs where, if you'd pull them off, you'd probably find a couple of pounds of history caked to the back side of the rims!) I had enough wheel weights on my wheels to make sure Hoffa would NEVER float! Only problem is, I had even more ...stuff... stuck to the backside of the wheel. I firmly believe you need radials to help your ride be "smooth". They're *heavy*. Mine shook/wandered/bounced so much~ I get white-knuckled just thinking about it. If you haven't reworked your front end (of your truck) I strongly suggest you do the whole bit. Safety is k-e-y. Brakes, suspension and tires. (Well~ lights and wipers, also.) Give them a close look, rework them, tell us what you think!
Now We Know.... Where not to go for front end work ! That guy is a boob ~ my old '49 has an average front end and it steers like a dream, goes where it's pointed and doesn't wander nor follow crackes . Wandering is caused by two things : looseness and incorrect toe in ~ can be too much toe in if it feels ' nervous ' or too much toe out if it hunts for cracks and then suddenly lurches off to one side or the other following cracks . jack it up and liberally grease the heck out of _all_ the Zerk fittings you'll find ,(it cannot take the grease correctly if there's any weight on the wheels) , then grab each front wheel @ 9:00 & 3:00 , wiggle , there shouldn't be eny play , if there is , look at the various tie rod ends and drag link as those are common play points , repair as needed . the drag link ends are adjustable and have BIG springs that often break , re-pop springs suck to look for good used ones on that incredibly rusted chassis in a ditch , adjust the drag link if it's loose to lighly spring loaded and ALWAYS use a new cotter pin . then re-pack and adjust the wheel bearings to .002" freeplay Max. Finally fill the steering box with GEAR OIL or Pennrite steering box lube (but never,EVER grease !) and adjust it using the procedure in the archives . this should make your truck drive nicely even of it still has 3/4" play at the edge of the steering wheel , you can use two yardsticks to set the toe in to 1/16" ~ 1/8" . it still wanders ? wow ,time to look at the rear springs bushings , when they wear out from lack of periodic greasing , the rear end shifts as you drive , making the truck skitter down the road . I hope ths helps , remember , it's very important to address this in the correct order so you're not simply chasing your tail .
Thank you all for the comments. They only thing I have not repaired or replaced is the steering box bushing (I did replace the seal and it still leaks). The tires are clean and are radials (used), just thick ones. I do need to check the springs bushings more closely. Again, thank you. Kentc
I love Nate's diatribe, just like we use to do it!! Radials are the way to go, so much better -- ride and handling (as though we have any!!). Coker has the radial, but get out your wallet and be prepared to empty it!
Tire, suspension The vehicle rides good on a 4-lane, going 70, but it is the paved two lanes, the ones not getting any maintenance attention where it wanders. And on dirt roads, man it rides like an old truck, which can be expected I suppose. It was the narrow country two lane I thought new, 4-ply radial tires I thought might help. kentc
i have f rated tires on my pickup they are something like 10 ply they wonder like a drunken sailor. the original radials didn't. i believe the sidewalls do make a huge diffrence in the wander. the truck had only 75 k when i switched to the heavey duty tires. they are rated for 4000 # per tire... gt
Radial tires should help ! they make all the differance in the world . I wonder if you have sufficient pressure inthem ? should be about 45 ~ 50 PSI for " D " rated LT tires . On those " F " rated tires , I'd prolly do the paint/tread thing to discern the correct pressure as too much pressure in a really stiff tire will make it like riding on steel wheels.... -Nate
f rated tires can go to 110 psi so it really varies. these are the tow truck tires or ups truck tires... i really have to pay attention to the pressure and the load... with the camper on it tips the scales at 11,700 #'s by the way fully loaded drives pretty streight not as much wonder
