Tire selection question
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From: Florida
Tire selection question
Hey all,
I recently purchased the SSR Swamper 33 Radials. I find that they are outstanding in the mud and sand, but they are simply the worst highway tire ever. My truck cannot even exceed 65 mph without falling apart from bouncing vibration. I just had the tires balanced, front end aligned, have a brand new suspension lift kit on and everything else is perfect, it IS the tires. They just suck on the road.
Ok...so my question is.......I'm willing to give up some off road traction for a more streetable, less bouncing and dashboard breaking highway ride. I still want some sort of aggressive tread, but surely, there must be a tire out there that combines both an aggressive tread AND a round profile for a smooth ride.
I don't mind the humming noise, I actually like it. It's just that the problem with the swampers is that they ARE NOT ROUND.
Does anyone have any tire suggestions.
Thanks,
Tom
I recently purchased the SSR Swamper 33 Radials. I find that they are outstanding in the mud and sand, but they are simply the worst highway tire ever. My truck cannot even exceed 65 mph without falling apart from bouncing vibration. I just had the tires balanced, front end aligned, have a brand new suspension lift kit on and everything else is perfect, it IS the tires. They just suck on the road.
Ok...so my question is.......I'm willing to give up some off road traction for a more streetable, less bouncing and dashboard breaking highway ride. I still want some sort of aggressive tread, but surely, there must be a tire out there that combines both an aggressive tread AND a round profile for a smooth ride.
I don't mind the humming noise, I actually like it. It's just that the problem with the swampers is that they ARE NOT ROUND.
Does anyone have any tire suggestions.
Thanks,
Tom
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Mine are fine. Or maybe they aren't but I don't mind the ride. Mud tires just don't ride like regular ones, but the SSRs are BY FAR the best swamper for ride. I don't have any highway problems, and I have a friend who drives a bronco with 37"SSRs 100 miles a day, and he has no problems. Maybe you got a bad set, or just aren't used to them. Ted
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From: Florida
Ted,
I think it's far too bad to get used to. It really is a bad thumping/bouncing feeling. Pretty bad, truck is all over the road.
Perhaps my rock crawler rims are the cause of the problem. As they are NOT hubcentric, and there are no hub spacers, it is possible that the accorn nuts do not center them exactly on my hub, therefore causing an "out of round" sensation. Do you think this is possible?
Also, understand that my Fabtech Lift Kit is extremely stiff, so I feel every bump in the road and the suspension is not forgiving. This also may be the reason for all the bouncing and bumping.
tom
I think it's far too bad to get used to. It really is a bad thumping/bouncing feeling. Pretty bad, truck is all over the road.
Perhaps my rock crawler rims are the cause of the problem. As they are NOT hubcentric, and there are no hub spacers, it is possible that the accorn nuts do not center them exactly on my hub, therefore causing an "out of round" sensation. Do you think this is possible?
Also, understand that my Fabtech Lift Kit is extremely stiff, so I feel every bump in the road and the suspension is not forgiving. This also may be the reason for all the bouncing and bumping.
tom
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From: Florida
Fishman,
It MUST be my rims then. Cause if those IROK's are giving you a smoother ride than my SSR Radials, there's got to be something else wrong.
What brand and model rims are you running??
Tom
It MUST be my rims then. Cause if those IROK's are giving you a smoother ride than my SSR Radials, there's got to be something else wrong.
What brand and model rims are you running??
Tom
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From: Florida
That might be the problem. I checking on it now. I'm running el-cheapo Rock Crawlers that are NOT hubcentric and they may not be centered correctly. I'm looking into some Mickey Thompson Classic II's now that are supposed to be hubcentric. Do you think this may be the problem?
Tom
Tom
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it could be...but you would notice it at any speed...not just going fast. if you just coast (less than 15-20 mph) down your driveway or through neighborhood and you are bouncing still, then yes it is your wheels. if not it is something else.
-jason-
-jason-
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From: Florida
I get a vibration, but not a noticable bounce. Perhaps they are off-centered only very slightly, which may only be noticable at speeds 50 and up, which is when I start feeling this sensation.
Other than the tire and rim, what else could it be. My truck drove perfectly smooth before I installed these tires and rims, so I imagine is has to be one or the other, or both.
Tom
Other than the tire and rim, what else could it be. My truck drove perfectly smooth before I installed these tires and rims, so I imagine is has to be one or the other, or both.
Tom
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From: Florida
Also, mind you that my Fabtech lift kit is very stiff and unforgiving which causes me to feel every bump in the road. If my springs and shocks were soft, perhaps it would "soak up" the bounce, instead of transmitting it to the cab.
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From: Florida
Hmmmm,
Good question. 1st, I have no transfer case as my truck is 2 wheel drive. Also, the rear block kit angled the rear upward so that it is completely straight in line with the drive shaft...nice and straight. There is an angle between the driveshaft and the tranny, however it doesn't seem to drastic. I asked Fabtech about this issue also, and they claim that they sell hundreds of these 2 wheel drive kits and never have a drive shaft/tranny angle problem. Besides, I think that would give me more of a high speed harmonic vibration at speed instead of a bouncing, out of balance/out of round sensation.
Plus, I put the tires and rims on BEFORE I lifted the truck, and had the same vibration/bouncing feeling then. I lifted the truck 2 weeks after I put the 33's on, because they were tearing off my fenders.
Good question. 1st, I have no transfer case as my truck is 2 wheel drive. Also, the rear block kit angled the rear upward so that it is completely straight in line with the drive shaft...nice and straight. There is an angle between the driveshaft and the tranny, however it doesn't seem to drastic. I asked Fabtech about this issue also, and they claim that they sell hundreds of these 2 wheel drive kits and never have a drive shaft/tranny angle problem. Besides, I think that would give me more of a high speed harmonic vibration at speed instead of a bouncing, out of balance/out of round sensation.
Plus, I put the tires and rims on BEFORE I lifted the truck, and had the same vibration/bouncing feeling then. I lifted the truck 2 weeks after I put the 33's on, because they were tearing off my fenders.
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From: Florida
Thanks Jason.
I think what I'm going to try is this. The SSR's have got to be somewhat streetable, since they are radial's, they should at least give somewhat of an ok ride.
I'm thinking that maybe these cheepo steel rock crawlers (60.00 each) may not be the straightest, most centered wheel.
I think I'm going to order a better quality set of wheels and mount the swamper on them, see if this solves the problem. If I still get the thumping, perhaps one of my swampers is pregnant or maybe I'll just switch to something less radical like a BFG Mud Terrain T/A KM or something.
Process of elimination I guess. I'll try the rims first and see what happens.
Thanks for the help Jason.
Tom
I think what I'm going to try is this. The SSR's have got to be somewhat streetable, since they are radial's, they should at least give somewhat of an ok ride.
I'm thinking that maybe these cheepo steel rock crawlers (60.00 each) may not be the straightest, most centered wheel.
I think I'm going to order a better quality set of wheels and mount the swamper on them, see if this solves the problem. If I still get the thumping, perhaps one of my swampers is pregnant or maybe I'll just switch to something less radical like a BFG Mud Terrain T/A KM or something.
Process of elimination I guess. I'll try the rims first and see what happens.
Thanks for the help Jason.
Tom
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From: Metamora
Take the assemblies to a tire store with a Hunter 9700 dynamic balancer / road force variation machine. They are not the best at determining the actual tire road force (measure of the out of roundness of the tire), but they can do a pretty good job of telling you if the cause of the vibration is mainly from the tire or the wheel. They are also very good dynamic balancers. Alot of the assembly plants use these to diagnose vibration problems on new vehicles...