My truck has 85K and ready for a new set of tires. The last two sets of tires wore the outside edge. Do these trucks require frequent alingments? I live in FL and the roads are smooth....

When was your last alignment? I wouldn't consider needing one after 85k to be "frequent", but thats just me.

Do you use the same shop to do your alignments? I would take it somewhere else because they are obviously not setting the caster angle correctly or they are toeing the alignment inwards too far if it is wearing out the outside edges.

My truck has 85K and ready for a new set of tires. The last two sets of tires wore the outside edge. Do these trucks require frequent alingments? I live in FL and the roads are smooth....

Sometimes, its a mis-match between driving style and tire type/ style.

If you are the sort of guy who drives aggressively for example, and you run your tires at the psi specified on the door jamb placard for example, which is ONLY correct for the OEM tires, and even then, ONLY if you also want it to ride softly and understeer.....


...Then you are likely to be rolling the outer edges of the tires inwards on harder cornering than the "keep the latte level" type cornering it was meant for.


Some tires are intended for cruising along, not for cornering, etc...and they are going to do the same thing as above, even with more psi.

Even things like load range make a difference. For example, the load range specified for an LT tire is lower than if it were a P-Metric tire, because P-Metric tires are not designed for trucks, and you need to use a HEAVIER load rated P-Metric tire than if it were the same load range LT tire.

(For the same sidewall rated pounds of load, the LT tire is made stronger, with more reserve capacity, etc.)

So, the alignment can be off, or, you are knocking it out of alignment doing stuff that stresses the components, like driving through beach sand, which tends to knock the toe-in even more inwards, which drives fairly stable, but eats the outer tire edges.


What tires do you have, including the load range/max psi from the sidewall...and what psi do you run them at?

Are you aggressive behind the wheel, or drive like a little old lady?

Do any beach bombing/off roading in terrain that you have to push through?

When WAS the last alignment/your alignment schedule?



So, if any of the above resonates with what you do/have...let us know.

:wink-big:

My only alignment was at 40K because the driver front was worn on the outside. I'm running General Grabber HTS 275-70-16 with about 43K and both fronts are worn. They are inflated to 35 lbs.

Driving is 90% street for work moderate driving style giving the handling limitations of the X. Off road is limited to beach driving, no serious rocks/roots.

This could simply be time for an alignment. Our could also be symtematic of stock shocks being worn. I just want to make sure to fix the issue before buying new tires.

At 85K, the OEM shocks may be due for replacement. I know in the 1st gens, they are shot by 50K if not sooner.

My only alignment was at 40K because the driver front was worn on the outside. I'm running General Grabber HTS 275-70-16 with about 43K and both fronts are worn. They are inflated to 35 lbs.

Driving is 90% street for work moderate driving style giving the handling limitations of the X. Off road is limited to beach driving, no serious rocks/roots.

This could simply be time for an alignment. Our could also be symtematic of stock shocks being worn. I just want to make sure to fix the issue before buying new tires.

OK, assuming your sidewalls on that tire state ~ 2,600 lb at a max of ~ 44 psi, the 35 psi is probably a reasonable pressure.

If the tires have 43k miles on them, and you last had an alignment because ONE tire was showing the same type of wear...the other one is probably simply next in line for the same issue, etc.

The shocks being worn can lead to cupping, and other types of tire wear, but not typically outer lug wear....so, they ARE probably shot anyway, but, are not the cause.

If tie-rods ends or ball joints start to wear, the tire has more play, as its not being positioned as precisely...and it will tend to follow the paths of least resistance...which, if already set for toe-in, will often be MORE toe-in, etc....as you are rolling.

(Like what you feel when you turn your ski tips in towards each other to "snow plow")

The tires will continue to wear like that even if you get an alignment, and even if the rod ends and/or ball joints are fixed, etc....its just taking a set in wear pattern at this point.



Have you been ROTATING the tires?

I have not been diligent with rotation, but have done it twice during the past 40K. It would be hard to imagine tie rod or ball joints wearing with the miles and road conditions.

Sounds like this is more normal maintenance and time to pony up for alignment, tires, brakes & shocks. Yes, I'm still running the original brakes if that helps define my driving style!

If it hasn't been done, then definitely take care of that first. If the problem continues, then we will take it from there and help you out. Sounds like you've answered your own question though. It is just due for a little TLC. :)

~ 30k is about the time it takes for an alignment to drift for most people....and after that, its just a question of degree. (Or degrees...)

:D

Rotations work best if you do them more often than at the half life of the tires....about when you change the oil is a good guideline.


As I use more than one set of tires, I just rotate them myself when I swap on the MT's for the swamps or the AT's for the DD, etc.


Most tire places will do free rotations if you got the tires from them...some also offer life time alignment, etc.


See what's available by you.

:D

Thanks for all of your feedback! This is my first non GM truck in the past 16 years. It has been very reliable and low maintenance, aside from Mobil 1 regularly and Amsoil in the trans and diff's.

my shocks were DEAD at 55k

my shocks were DEAD at 55k

Yeah the OEM shocks on the 1st gens are bunk. When I swapped mine out I felt like a slinky would have better dampening than those things. :D I swapped mine out around 50K.

Geeze I get 4-5 alignments a year, infact I am getting another one on saturday. Something about wheeling around rocks likes to move stuff around a little bit.

Can you post pictures of the worn tires? This will help us figure out your issue.