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afinepoint's avatar
afinepoint
Explorer
Jun 14, 2013

Dually rear tire question. New tires steering sloppy.

Previous tires were Kumhos. I just replace all because two failed. One front had tread separation and an outer rear blew and shredded on the highway while towing last week.

On the front now are BFGoodrichs T/A. Why? because I had to replace the left because of uneven wear. On the rear are Definity Dakotas H/T. Why? Because the Dakotas were the best choice at the Pep Boys which was a mile away after my rear tire blew on 95 south. I wanted to match up the rear so I did three more Dakotas. I could find no ill talk about the Dakotas or I would have gone another way.

What I have noticed is a floating sensation now. I felt it immediately coming home after the other three rears were replaced - no trailer. I really noticed it with the RV attached. It attaches via a standard rear hitch. It felt like the rear was steering. My guess would be the tires have more flex and when I turn the trailer which is nose heavy (1380 lb TW) it continues to nudge the rear to that side. A little scary towing on the back roads. A bit like steering a boat. Steer - counter steer. The bigger the initial correction the more back and forth until things settle out.

Thoughts?
  • George_H's avatar
    George_H
    Explorer
    Jun 14, 2013
    First thought is air pressure. Assume you have 235x85 16 load E, max pressure s/b 80lbs try that and see if it helps.
  • the_bear_II's avatar
    the_bear_II
    Explorer
    Jun 14, 2013
    You may want to check the pressure in all tires. A couple of times with different tire dealers I discovered they did not fill new or patched tires to the proper pressure.

    I think they get used to filling tires at a certain pressure and don't pay attention when mounting higher load range tires. On my Load Range E tires with a maximum of 80 PSI they had them at 55 PSI.

    Or

    The new tires have weaker sidewalls than your previous tires. My last set of tires on the 5th wheel had too much flex in the sidewalls. When it came time for new tires I bought Michelin RIBS, very stiff sidewalls.
  • blt2ski's avatar
    blt2ski
    Moderator
    Jun 14, 2013
    Many new tires also need a break in per say of 2-3000 miles before they start to handle correctly.

    Or the tread pattern is enough difference that handling is different too. HWYs usually pull better than AT style which pull better than mud/snow tires.

    As noted, sidewall stiffness can also effect handling. OR as I have had in many cases.......first set of new tires also means I needed new shocks on the rig too! may not be a tire issue!

    marty
  • Cummins12V98's avatar
    Cummins12V98
    Explorer III
    Jun 14, 2013
    Set your pressure at 70 in the front and 45 rear for solo driving. If towing a FW add rear pressure to 60.
  • The_Texan's avatar
    The_Texan
    Explorer
    Jun 14, 2013
    It seems to take up to a 1000± miles now, for new tires to "break" in. Why, I don't know, but my tire dealer is telling all truck and RV owners that, with all the tires he sells. We are seeing more and more of this same complaint here and on other forums, so there must be something to it.
  • sljkansas's avatar
    sljkansas
    Explorer
    Jun 14, 2013
    I run all mine at 70 lbs, at 80 lbs. it's a little squirrelly and rough ridding.

    I also run AT tread on all six tires. Mixed sets can handle differently due to sidewall flex and tread pattern.
  • christopherglen's avatar
    christopherglen
    Explorer
    Jun 14, 2013
    There is the pressure issue as mentioned above, there is a chemical release agent on the tires when they are molded, this usually lasts a few miles though - can be exciting if the first few miles are in the rain. There is the fact that the new tires have much taller tread blocks then the replaced tires at the end if their life. The taller blocks flex more then the short warn blocks. I usually find that somewhere between 500 and 2000 miles I don't notice anything about the tires anymore.
  • afinepoint's avatar
    afinepoint
    Explorer
    Jun 14, 2013
    George H wrote:
    First thought is air pressure. Assume you have 235x85 16 load E, max pressure s/b 80lbs try that and see if it helps.


    Yes, 235/85 R16 load range E. The tires were set around 75 psig when I left Pep Boys. Towing yesterday I set them at 70 due to heatup. I didn't think it would affect things significantly. I've had the Kumhos at 80 and well below and never felt the floating sensation.

    I normally always set all tires to 80 psig cold. Was curious how the truck would pull with a lower pressure and was concerned about the blowout. I'll set all to 80 when I pick up the trailer in two weeks.

    FYI the trucks outer rear tires have always lost pressure faster than the inner. I can set all to 80 psig let the truck sit and check it weeks later and the outer will be in the 50's or less while the inner are still within a pound or so of 80. The front will also be fine. A dually mystery.

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