Front tire cupping
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New User
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 15
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From: central florida
Front tire cupping
Just returned from a 3000 mile trip at 75 to 80 mph most of the time and notice the 2 front tires cupping, the left more than the right. The manuel says rotate only if needed. Has anybody rotated there tires on a drw? Or expearenced the same thing? The truck has 9000 miles on it now.
2008 F350 CC DRW PSD
2008 F350 CC DRW PSD
New User
Joined: Oct 2007
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Based on owning a 99 and now an 08, definitely recommend rotating the two front tires side to side every oil change. The cost is nominal, or do it yourself, and the tires last longer, ride better, and do not cup.
I do not rotate the back tires as the cost to rotate all 6 tires on a dually exceeds the benefit as it involves dismounting and mounting, rebalancing, etc. Besides, thw rear tires last longer than the front two.
I typically average about 35,000 to 40,000 for the front tires and about 60,000 to 70,000 for the rear.
I do not rotate the back tires as the cost to rotate all 6 tires on a dually exceeds the benefit as it involves dismounting and mounting, rebalancing, etc. Besides, thw rear tires last longer than the front two.
I typically average about 35,000 to 40,000 for the front tires and about 60,000 to 70,000 for the rear.
Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 40
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From: florida and north
Crabbo
If You Have 235/65/16-e Tires Your Tires Are Only Good For About 70 Mphspeed Rated If You Have The Single Tire Set Up [not A Dually] Check Your Front Tire Pressure And Put About 5 Pounds More Than The Tire Says Is The Max Tire Pressure.. Do Not Read That **** That Ford Posted On The Door All That Gets You Is A Smooth Ride--not Fuel Economy Or Tire Wear.. Also Remember That You Have The Heaviest Engine Ford Puts In A Pick-up And If You Have A Automatic You Can Just Add About Another 150lbs.to That Equation
Freshman User
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 40
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From: florida and north
Crabbo
Excuse Me I Meant 235 85 17 E Tires Hey Dude I Have Ruined Front Tires On My Trucks By Going To Fast You Don't Wear Out The Tread You Break The Belts... But The 5 Lbs. Of Air Rule Still Holds And You Can't Rotate Your Tires Because The Rear Rims And The Front Rims Are Different... Don't Worry A Lot Of People That Bought Diesels Have Found Out That The Extra Weight Is Going To Cost You In Front Tires... When They Are Shot Just Buy The Cheapest 235 85 17 E Tires That You Can And Put Them On The Front
FTE Leadership Emeritus
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 23,174
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From: Stephensville WI
Tire cupping can be caused by alignment trouble, worn shocks, incorrect pressure, or worn steering/suspension components. You should have your tires rotated and your front suspension/alignment checked.
Posting Guru
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 2,060
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From: Burnsville, MN
Actually the rims may no longer be different between the front and rear. My manual (2005) suggests a full 6-tire rotation, which I have done without any particular problem.... Other than breaking the wheels off the rear axle, of course....
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Elder User
Joined: Oct 2004
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If he has an xl with steel rims all around the tires are the same. If he has aluminum rims, then the front two are the same as the outers on the rear, so he can at least rotate those, though they will ALL need a good washing since what you are doing is reversing the inside of the rim to the outside. Trust me, they are the same they just don't look like it because most people never clean them well enough to actually see the high polish on the inner surface of the rim. Since your truck is an 08, I doubt you have component failure, but I would do as redford suggests and check your front end anyway, since you never know. I would think that the combination of tire pressure, speed, loading, and elcheapo stock shocks is most likely what your issue is.
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Hotshot
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 14,069
Likes: 17
From: Melbourne, Ky
The tires should not have cupped with that low miles. You need to adjust the air pressure. Sine they are already cupped, switch them with the outside rear tires. The rims SHOULD all be the same. Who would build a truck with different rims for the front and rear. That would require carrying 2 spare tires. I would max the air pressure out in the front tires. That should eliminate or at least reduce the cupping effect. Buy the way, dealers like to have the least amount of air in a truck tires in order to show you how smooth the ride is. When you go test drive a truck, air the tires up to the specs on the door before you leave the lot. If you buy it, then air them up to where they need to be. Unfortunately, the suggestions listed in the manuals and on the doors are for a comfortable ride, not for good tire wear, or mileage, as stated above by crabbo.
Senior User
Joined: Dec 2007
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the rear alum rims are polished on the oposite side of the fronts and both ends ov the truck will look like hell. i know because i have had 3 duallys with the alum rims. to rotate wyou have to dismount and remount. tire cupping is just the nature of the beast esspecially with the 4wd. big trucks cup the tires and we would rotate off the drives sometimes every 25,000 miles. like i said, its the nature of these trucks to do this.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 187
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From: Watkins IA
Welcome to the fantastic world of FTE. You didn't mention if you experienced any vibrations on your trip. The fact that your cupping is more severe on one side suggests mechanical problems more so than air pressure, although if there was enough difference in pressure to start with it could be so. I fully agree with redford in getting the tires rotated and the front end components checked right away. If you continue to drive with the cupped tires on the front, you will soon experience front end component failures due to the vibrations etc caused by the tires. Take it back to your dealer or to a reliable tire shop that works on trucks. As far as some of the other responses you have received, I definetly would not increase the pressure past the rated maximum pressure of the tire as this will cause premature wear and is a safety issue. Just my 2 cents worth resulting from almost 40 years of experience working on auto and truck and agriculural tires.
