My F250 needs new shocks (got all new tires in December and the suckers are wearing right down the middle ~ grrrr...).

What does everyone recommend? Are Bilstein shocks any good? How much are these bad boys gonna cost me?

 

Christine, i would recommend Bilsteins, awesome shocks.

Also, if you are wearing your tires out right down the middle, you are over inflated, here are some pictures.

http://www.1010tires.com/images/tech...rinflation.jpg

http://www.avweb.com/newspics/188586...r_inflated.jpg

http://prod.sullivantire.com:8080/up...ted%20Tire.jpg

 

Ken, thanks for the reply! Ya know, that is what my ex-hubby said ~ the tires all had 60 psi in them. He was nice enough to check the pressure and tell me that, but he wasn't nice enough to make any adjustment (hence, the EX-husband part!). I'll probably go with those Bilsteins.

 

Yep, those would be my new tires ~ worn flat right down the centers. Only me!! I need my own personal diesel tech I think.

 

No problem, glad to help, LOL at the Ex comment

 

Ya like that! LOL!!

 

Bilstiens are probably great, but I think they are overpriced. KYB has made a superior product for many years.

KYB Shocks and KYB Struts for High Performance Cars and Trucks

Also, on your tire pressure. Remember, the max tire pressure as indicated on your tire is the MAXIMUM air pressure you can run in the tire at the load weight rated on the tire. Check your tire pressure specifications as indicated on your door panel and go from that number. You will be surprised at the difference.

 

I paid under $250 for my bilsteins when i bought them.

 

Hey...yep, tires sound over inflated if they're wearing down the middle...is it primarily the back tires? If you're not constantly hauling and just using the truck mostly for a daily driver, then I always run less air in the back tires than in the front since all the weight is in the front...just have to experiment a little. My door jam sticker says to run 55 front and 70 rear - I guess Ford presumes that these trucks are usually "loaded" ... anyway, I reversed the recommended pressure for the time being due to my tires being so wore already to even them out til I get new ones in the next few months. When I get new tires I'll probably try 65 front and 45 rear and rotate every 10,000 miles to keep wear even.

I'm actually surprised that your tires are wearing in the middle with only 45 lbs in them ... are the front tire tires wearing in the middle too or mostly on the edges?? How many miles have you put on them at that pressure? If the front tires are wearing the edges, you might could just rotate your tires to even out the pattern of wear ...

So, since it's most likely a pressure deal, are you still gonna get new shocks? My factory front shocks were leaking so I got a set of Gabriel Ultra from Auto Zone - all the parts places recommended a heavier duty shock than the stock recommended replacement since these trucks are so front heavy...but I'm not an off roader and only needed a better road shock instead of an real heavy duty shock such as Bilsteins, etc...

 

What brand/size tires do you have and what rating are they?

 

tire life is directly related to PRESSURE! I am a fanatic about tire pressure, I run my front at 48 psi, and rear right at 42 psi. Unless I tow, then both get 50 psi in them. This is with D rated tires....if you're running E rated those numbers will be higher! A simple way to tell if your pressure is right, is go to a paved parking lot, take a piece of chalk and draw a line across all your tires......drive about 200 feet, then stop and look at the chalk....if it's gone in the center, too much air....if it's gone on the outside, not enough. Once you figure out your happy place.....just keep the tires there

 

Yep, Wow ... I just presumed they were E rated tires ... good catch there miller_feed and UP_There ... adequate rotation should keep'em even.

 

See the thread just a few down, "Good price on Bilsteins", click the links he provides. I ordered a set of 4 for $186 shipped yesterday.

 

Okay, so here's a little more info. It seems my tires ARE overinflated since they are wearing right down the centers. (Travis: my ex-husband did the chalk trick a few weeks ago actually - LOL!). I am kinda pissed right now because I think the tire joint sold me the wrong (and crappy) tires. I just got them the first week in December, and I don't even have 3,000 miles on them yet. They sold me Falken High Country All Terrains LT265/75R16, but they are Load Range C. Shouldn't I have Load Range D for a 3/4 ton diesel?? They told me I didn't need Load Range E since I never haul/tow anything. My ex is telling me having these Load Range C tires is equivalent to me driving a 1/2 ton truck and towing everyday. Is that true?? He also said they're a softer rubber which will wear faster, and there's no way I'll get 50,000 miles out of them (which is what the manufacturer says I should get, give or take a little).

The sticker on the door says the PSI should be 55 front and 70 rear ~ that's for Load Range E, correct (the sticker does NOT say that anywhere though). The tires themselves say max 50 PSI. My ex is telling me I should keep 5 lbs. less in the front and 10 lbs. less in the back. When he checked the pressure in all 4, it was 60 PSI all the way around! WTF!!

Does this make any sense?? I'm thinking I should go back to this tire joint and rip them a new one...

 

Load range C is definitely NOT good for our trucks! I'd say you have a chat to do with your tire shop. Using the door sticker is really only useful if you use the exact same size tires that came from the factory, lots of tire shops go by the sticker strictly because of liability issues. Since you have a 50,000 mile warranty, it sounds like you should be able to get replacements easily....but get D or E rated this time, DON'T let them talk you into settling for C rated tires.....those aren't even good for a empty Superduty