I have a 2011 F250. 2inch leveling kit, 4inch rear blocks, bilstein shocks, nitto 295/65/20 Trails. When I'm driving down the road and give my wheel a pull to either side I notice that the rear of my truck reacts slowly. The front turns right away and the back turns a split second later. I know I'm not driving a sports car but would a rear sway bar fix or help? Does anyone think M/T tires could be the cause? I didn't notice before the Nitto Trails. It's not as bad as making it seem but it's something I noticed. Thanks

 

I keep reading your post over and over and I must admit that I am confused as to what your asking.

The post title mentions "advise on truck sway" Sway would be when the truck leans to one side or the other....even back and forth.

But, the subject deals more with the reaction timing and feel it takes for the rear wheels to follow the turning movement of the front wheels.

And all aftermarket adds have been mentioned.

What model truck do you have other than being an F250? Is it a crew cab, reg cab, extended cab? From the aftermarket list I feel safe to assume it is 4WD.

You are correct in that it is not and will not handle like a sports car. And the longer the wheelbase the slower the front to rear reaction time will be in part due to frame/body flex. Not to mention that with the weight of the PSD sitting over the front wheels when you turn the wheel the tires are going to bite hard where as the rear of the truck if empty has little weight in when compared to the front of the truck.

Sway bars may or may not help, I guess it will depend on your expectations and goal of what your trying to achieve.

 

I can't be positive in your situation, but I ran the "old" BFG M/T 285/16 on my 2001 truck - when they came out with the KM2 (second generation) I had the same feeling as you have. It "felt" like the sidewalls were not as stiff. Felt like body roll mostly in the back end...
Maybe a different rubber compound? Anyway after a short time either I became accustomed to it or with age the tire "hardened up" a bit...

So are the nittos new? - Could possibly that be what you are feeling. On the other hand you should have shorter sidewalls on your 20's so maybe not the same... Hope you get it figured out...

 

[QUOTE=Byram;13503613]I can't be positive in your situation, but I ran the "old" BFG M/T 285/16 on my 2001 truck - when they came out with the KM2 (second generation) I had the same feeling as you have. It "felt" like the sidewalls were not as stiff. Felt like body roll mostly in the back end...
Maybe a different rubber compound? Anyway after a short time either I became accustomed to it or with age the tire "hardened up" a bit...

So are the nittos new? - Could possibly that be what you are feeling. On the other hand you should have shorter sidewalls on your 20's so maybe not the same... Hope you get it figured out.


I think I'm describing body roll and not rear sway. Thanks

 

Sounds like a sway bar would help. Have you aired up the tires to max PSI and noticed any difference?

 

I agree that there is not enough information to properly diagnose this issue, but I can tell you that brand new Nitto Trail Grapplers are designed to have more sidewall flex (as well as the inherent flex caused from a deeper tread pattern) than an highway tire and what you are describing is exactly the way I would assume the truck would handle, just more pronounced. I wouldn't say a rear sway bar would hurt on the highway, but a sway bar is going to hurt you off road. It isn't going to prevent you from going off road, but it will reduce the articulation (there isn't much to begin with) of the rear axle. I'd make certain the tires are causing your problem and go from there. You could do a temporary swap out with different tires or start checking parts one by one to make certain they are not worn, loose or missing. I had a truck "back in the day" that was handling poorly after a set of tires and I was blaming the shop that installed them. Turns out the front driver's shock had no bottom bolt. It had vibrated out...the timing was unreal. Heck, maybe the tech removed it...lol

 

its the tires. i have the same tire on my truck and experience the same sensation. i also did not have the issue prior to having the 295/60/20 nitto. real pain pulling the 5'er.