I have a 2012 f250 with all mods listed in the signature. Had several of these models and this truck just rides rough for some reason. It's factory height and I just put new bilstein 5100s all around and new stt pro tires. Having serious thoughts it's alot to do with the tires. Ordered some Toyo Open Country AT 2 to be installed tomorrow. The truck doesn't not have camper package or snow prep from the looks of it.
Just curious everyone's opinion on if the tires are gonna make that much difference or should I be looking elsewhere? Ordered my current setup as wheel and tire kit balanced ready to bolt on. Wouldn't have bothered me years ago but the older I get I don't like the humming mud tire and poor ride. Anyhow any input I'd consider helpful thanks ahead of time.
Depends on what load range the tires are and what PSI you are running them at. Try lowering the PSI in the tires and see if you get any improvement in the ride. Also the bilstein 5100s aren't the softest riding shocks, I had them on my ram 2500 and didn't like them, switched to the rancho 9000xl adjustables and had better luck.
The 5100s are known to be a much more controlled, maybe a touch firmer ride. If you want a soft ride, fox shocks are the way to go.
Yes, the tires do have a lot to do with the ride and the nitto's will probably behave better. Air em down and you'll notice improvement, both in ride and wear (when unloaded). Run 40-45 psi on all four corners, give that a shot.
I don't want to spend the $ for Fox myself, so quick question along the same lines, I have pretty much the same truck and a month old set of factory sized Pathfinder ATs.
They are E's and the recommended pressure is 80 psi but I run them at 65 since I'm not towing or hauling anything right now.
Question is, if I want a softer ride, is it safe or bad for the tires to run them at say 50 psi? If not I'll leave them where they are and just live with the ride.
Instructions
1.Fill the tires to a good starting pressure. If you are unsure what pressure to start with then subtract 10 percent from the manufacturer's maximum inflation pressure on the side of the tire. If, for example, the maximum is 80 psi, then 10 percent of 80 is 8. Subtract the 10 percent value from the maximum psi value. So, 80 - 8 = 72. Use 72 psi in your tires.
2.Drive to a flat area. This can be your driveway or the street in front of your house. Just make sure there aren't a lot of cracks, bumps or pot holes in the ground.
3.Using chalk, draw a thick, straight line across the width of the tire.
Use Test Variance 1 or Test Variance 2 for the completion of the instructions.
Test Variance 1
1.Drive the truck forward at least one-full truck length.
2.Inspect the chalk on the ground. A tire with the proper air pressure should press the chalk line evenly across the ground. This means you'll see the entire chalk line imprinted on the ground. If your tire is over-inflated, you'll only see a small portion of line in the center. If you're tire is underinflated, you'll see only the sides of the lines since the middle of the tire is not making contact with the ground.
3.Adjust your tire's air pressure according to the chalk test results and try again until you get the chalk line to press evenly across the ground.
Test Variance 2
1.Drive the truck to the end of the street and back or around the block.
2.Inspect the chalk on the tire. A tire with the proper air pressure will show the chalk evenly worn across the tire. If your tire is over-inflated, the center of the line will be worn more than the edges. If you're tire is underinflated, the outer edges of the line will be worn more than the center.
3.Adjust your tire's air pressure according to the chalk test results and try again until you get the chalk line to evenly wear across the tire.
Over-Inflated = More wear on the center of the tire = center of chalk line visible on ground = chalk line worn more in center
Under-Inflated = More wear on the outer edges of the tire = outer edges of chalk line visible on ground = chalk line worn more on outer edges
I got the tires mounted yesterday and took the longest to balance but finally got it. Rides much better than the mud tires and cant hear tire noise. Just thought id reply back with that for future readers.
I also just noticed my signature isnt even showing all the way. Odd because when i go to edit it shows there.
Does your truck have the Snow plow or Camper package? If it has a rear sway bar under the rear axle it is the camper package. Both options tighten up,the ride.
I ended up airing down to 55 psi and it really helped a lot, rides pretty smooth, no more rattling my teeth over small bumps.
Tires also don't "look'' under inflated. Not like going from 40 psi to 20 in a standard car tire.
I have another issue going on too I think. 2 different sets of tires and I personally watched these toyos balanced and was perfect. Still have a shutter at times in steering wheel sort of like an unbalanced Tire. Also a hum of some sort but it's hard to pin point because I have the dreaded fuel pump humm I'm fighting as well
Did you ever find out what the shutter in the steering wheel was? I have the same thing but periodically. Just fixed the front end track bar and installed a bilstein steering stabilizer... help with the death wobble, but not so much for that shutter...
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