countermaker, i have the same problem with my 250sd, it seems the magical tire press. # is 50-55psi for me and driving 70mph and below its more pronounced over 70mph in my truck its very recoverable @ 70 i have "E" rated tires and have alligned my truck countless times and yes i have swapped lanes pulling my trailer with almost 5k onboard and the steering wheel turned to correct the lane swap with no help until slamming on the brakes before going in the ditch with my wife and two kids with me, talking about mad. it seems worse when towing. i have three friends that have 250sd's i have ran all three sets same problem there are three TSB's on the problem 04261,42601,L9-09L02. can't remember what site that gives detailed info on the tsb's, this web site you can request info but there are fee's (safercar.gov). my truck is 99% stock with 55k on it , i changed the radio sue me, but i'm sure if they could justify it they would blame the radio because it's not in stock form instead of just fixing there known problem that everyone is having. and yes all 4 dealerships my truck has been to says they can't find anything wrong and give me a deer in the headlite look when i ask if there is any recalls or tsb's concerning the problem. that why i use independant shops if i can't fix it myself on all my vech. hope you get it fixed.

 

Whether or not your tires caused your DW, I think you have a serious problem here. I'll bet the oil can place set your tires at 35 PSI because that's what the sidewall has for maximum. That's because they are -P- passenger car tires. Cranking the pressure up to something higher than the tire rating is asking for a disaster that could be worse than simple DW. Check that out, and lets not blame Ford for this one. Someone screwed you on those tires.

 

well i called the place were i got the tires and told them of the situation....explained that i was unaware that they had put passenger tires on my truck and that i wasnt happy with this....they put me on hold and came back and the manager said that it is not their resposibilty for the tire being LT or P...i was so ticked off at this response i asked to speak to his supervisor and suprise suprise that person wasnt no where to be found....im going up there today and talking to them face to face....even looking at the tires now they wore so fast im sure they will say i already got the life outta the tire.....o well i guess ill have to see what happens....

 

Best of luck to you Countermaker.

I picked up some new Yoko Geolander AT-S's today to replace the Big-O XT all-terrains I've ran for the last 3 years. The XT's were long-wearing tires, but I grew weary of the noise and was looking to try a less aggressive tread, since I travel asphalt most the time these days.

Anyway, after they had mounted the tires and finished the alignment, I asked the tech what pressure he had set the tires...lo and behold...35psi. I was shocked. These were the same size as the 315/75/16's that I had been running at 45#, and the max pressure on the side of the tire read 50# max...so 35????

So I had him air the tires up to 40#, then I drove the 10mi home at mostly highway speeds. I love that I can hear my radio, engine and the whistle again along with the very smooth ride...but it seemed too soft.

What are your thoughts on the pressure? For some reason, even 40# seems too little to me...and should be at 45 unless I'm hauling heavy, then maybe up to 50#. Does that make sense? I don't want to cause the tires to wear abnormally due to my having set the tire pressure too high or low. Suggestions?

 

well i went back to where i got the tires and it hurts for me to say but i got them at wal mart....i know i should have went to a tire store instead of wal mart....but i was in a pinch financially and they had the cheapest prices around here....but anyways they actually gave me a full refund on the tires that where on the truck....and i just had to pay the differnce on the new ones....they are LT265/70-17 load range E max psi 80....Goodyear wrangler authority AT

 

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=777742


i couldnt remember how to post a pic so there is a jeep forum with a pic of the tires

 

Good deal. Glad that worked out for you.

 

Countermaker, what about the death wobble? is it gone? Do you have a 4x4? I would not overlook wheel bearings as being the cause of death wobble either.

 

i havent expirenced it since....it only happened the 2 times in a row and then nothing....ive hit plenty of bumps since....im hoping it was a fluke accident compunded by alot of issues including the tires....either way i wont know untill it happens again, if it ever does....all i know is my steering is acting funny now, like i posted in another thread....its like when i swerve to avoid a pot hole and i jerk the steering real fast it doesnt snap back into position...it just sort of just floats back...its odd, maybe the new more aggressive tread i got, i dunno

 

And what's wrong with wal-mart???

 

nothing but everyone around here is tellin me i shoulda went to a "real" tire store...just wasnt sure if i was gonna get the same response from some of u

 

Wal-mart sells "real" tires, don't they?

They can say what they want...the tech installing tires at the "real" tire store is every bit as likely to screw it up as the one at wal-mart, IMHO. The only difference is that a company the size of wal-mart will likely have a real training program...

 

If you hava a more aggressive off-road tread than before it will definately change the handling characteristics of the truck. It's called tread squirm I think.

 

Good Point!!!