bought a 2011 F250 6.2 gas from dealer and was bamboozled not much i can do about it now was a work truck wasn't used much until it was out of warranty. These guys put the wrong load range tires on the truck standard load max pressure 44psi. Truck calls for load range E 75psi tires.

My question is our low tire pressure warning is on and we have the death wobble from time to time on the highway. My take is having the wrong tires with low psi is causing both am i correct to assume this?

thanks

 

Ziob,


I just replaced my first sensor on my 2011 F250, with only 42000 miles. I don't think it's that uncommon. I wouldn't think tire pressure is your issue, only death wobble issues I have seen have been from worn out chassis parts or maybe a really bad tire.


Greg

 

tires are fine just load range S truck is in service for snow plowing now so we'll need to put the load range e (truck has a sander). I was thinking because the psi specs are for 75psi and these tires are max 44psi the sensor is thinking its supposed to have a 75psi tire on it and its only inflated to 44 thus the low pressure warning.

For the death wobble i heard tire pressure could cause the issue especially if were supposed to have the 75psi tire on it and we have these junkers. Everything in the front end is tight so if it isn't just the tires i don't know what it could be? Only happens on highway.

 

death wobble is caused by more than 1 part it takes 2 or more parts to fail to give you death wobble. some people will tell you that a steering stabilizer is the problem but in reality they will only mask a issue and then you have people who say that a steering stabilizer fixed their problem then either one of two things happened one either they did not have death wobble or it only covered it up so they do not notice it as bad.
now death wobble is when your front axle moves from side to side uncontrollably because of either a worn out track bar or control arms allowing it to do so.
you say the front end is tight but to give you some perspective a 3/4 ton truck will weight about 8,500 pounds and 1 person laying on their back trying to make 8,500 pounds move would have to be superman.
what has worked for me on my jeeps and others is to have someone get into the truck unlock the steering wheel and have them turn the steering from left to right very slowly so you can check to see if any parts on the steering have any type of abnormal play in them next. if you do not find any abnormal play next thing would be to lift the front of the truck off the ground with a jack and jack stands and use a long pry bar to try to move the control arms while watching the bushings to see if they move easily or the bushing deflects more than the other control arms if you can not tell and the control arms do not move easily then odds are they are still ok but do not rule them out.
next thing you need to check are your shocks a bad shock or bent shock will not help the situation. if it only happens on the highway at highway speeds. my next question is does it become uncontrollable and you have to slow down or stop to make it stop or will it go away on its own?
tires will not help with the situation but can not by themselves cause death wobble. like i said no one part can cause this issue. i have had jeep with 37s and unbalanced and drove 55mph+ and did not have death wobble granted it was rough getting to the speed but i did not have death wobble.


i hope that helps you out in some way. on the tpms the tire light could very well be one because of the lower tire pressure you have to run. im not very sure of the threshold for the tpms on ford but chevy theirs is about 10 to 15 depending on the package of the truck the more top of the line truck is closer to 10 the work truck is closer to 15psi.

 

Your tpms light is definitely on because of your low tire pressure. Mine come on on my '16 at 65 psi or below. Like what has already been asked, are you sure you have death wobble? Death wobble is not just loose or sloppy steering. It's called death wobble for a reason, and more often than not, it's from bad front end geometry on lifted solid axle vehicles. I believe the term is way over used on here.

 

Are you sure that you have the TPMS valves in the tires? A tire shop or the dealer can test to see if they are or not.

I don't put the TPMS valves in my tires. Every once and a great while, the truck (2011 F350 6.2l) will flash a message saying to check the TPMS system because it's trying to talk to the tires, but can't.

 

definitely the death wobble on highway when it happens whole front end of truck shakes i have to slow down to around 45mph for it to go away **** my pants the first time it happened was like your front tires just popped. Checked front end with someone moving steering in truck there was no play in anything so maybe a combo of worn shocks and the tire perssure? I'm sure the wobble happens slightly at lower speeds but evens itself out quickly. A big bump or pothole above 55mph and your shaking and have to tap the brake and coast down to lower speed for it to go away.

 

Take a look....
Trac-inator

 

if your steering looks good then it has to be either control arm bushings, bad shocks, bad track bar. basically anything in the front end that moves or has a bushing in it could be the problem. your tires could be part of the problem if they had busted belts or some other type of defect. low air pressure would having nothing to do with it. i mean the tires would almost have to be flat and then you would have other problems and you would not make it to highway speeds.

 

FordF2501 is correct. Check the control arms and the track bar. I never fixed death wobble by replacing shocks. Usually the track bar is the cause.

 

a death wobble. is caused by loose/worn steering parts..

both wheels are trying to go in different directions .. for micro seconds... both out and both in, both in, both out...

shocks can not do anything about this....

bad tires can cause it as well.. but less likely.

if sensor is for 75 psi, you can not make it be different.. it reports low at 60..

my 2012 does anyway.

 

i went thru the same tire pressure sensor problem. tire store sold me wrong range tires that couldn't hold high enough pressure. i had to take it (2011 f250 gas) to ford dealer and have them reprogram the pressure parameters to about 40/60 psi. pain in the rear but it fixed it.

of course if i goto the correct tires, i will need to re reprogram. the first dealer i asked about doing that said it can't be done.

 

will have it checked out when i put right tires on it. Went to the dealer because friends got work trucks there but they were brand new. Scumbags put these cheap tires on and then overinflated them to 60psi to cover up the sensor. 44psi tires inflated to 60psi nice job guys all to save a few bucks? idiots.....learned my lesson the hard way.