2016 F150 XLT Sport 4X4 5.0L.
I bought this truck last December and against my better judgement, bought it already modified. It had on it when I bought it an MBRP exhaust, leveling kit and larger than stock wheels and tires. 9X18" Fuel wheels with Nitto Ridge Grapplers size 195/70 R18. The rest of the truck is stock. Looks great and sounds even better.
The problem I have is terrible bump steer when I hit a decent size bump or pothole. I'm not talking about the death wobble, just hard sharp pull to either side of the road when I hit a bump at speeds above 40 or so. It's coming from the front end of the truck and I can feel it pulling on the steering wheel. It about put me in a ditch today.
What's causing this? My 02 FX4 never had bump steer like this execpt for a few occasions when I could feel the rear end hop around a little.
I haven't been under the truck to check out any of the components down there and I couldn't get a hold of the previous owner to find out if any other mods were done.(Which is why I don't like to buy stuff other people have tinkered with, but I just got too good of a deal on it.)
Is it the tire size? Maybe the shocks vs. the leveling kit? Electric steering issue? Sway bar? Any suggestions are appreciated.
Thanks

 

What is the offset and backspacing of the wheels compared to stock? And how does the alignment check out with the leveling kit? Those two changes would do it I think.

 

There's always the possibility of a tire problem but usually a bump steer problem is caused by incorrect toe and/or camber. Lots of times guys lift a truck but don't spend the money on an alignment. Tem minutes at an alignment shop will tell you.

 

 

Got the tires rotated yesterday because the drivers side steer looked a bit more worn on the o/s shoulder than the rest. Perhaps it is a camber problem. I'll take it to the alignment shop in a couple of days.

 

If a deal appear to be too good to be true, it usually is. This is the fundamental reason why I will not buy a pre-owned truck.

 

Wow! I have to agree with Beachums in another thread. This place seems to be getting rather hostile. The guy asked about a suspension problem. Why beat him up with a " you shouldn't have bought that truck" kind of reply?

 

Hold on--look at the original post. OP says he bought this "....against my better judgement....". Shortride is merely agreeing, not bashing IMO. OP has good info to work with and will restore stability worthy of a Bonneville run soon.

 

Take it in for an alignment, ASAP.

Does it still have the stock shocks? Because they are garbage, and can allow the tires to skip around a lot on sharp bumps.

 

It wasn't necessarily too good to be true, it just had all the options I wanted. 5.0L, 301A, 36 gallon tank, and most importantly, the console shifter. I typically don't buy new because of the cost. But don't worry. Imma get her back to her original glory soon.

 

It does... I saw another post related to the shocks and have been looking into that upgrade. Would like to get the Fox, but my wallet wants the Billstiens. Thoughts?

 

You know, putting in a lift kit and/or just replacing the shocks is not a simple bolt-on operation for the front end. It's very possible that something was bent or installed incorrectly when they did the lift on the truck. For sure have someone competent look at the alignment and general condition of the front end components.