uneven front tire Wear

[Agnem]

Passenger side front tire wear is a 4X4 TTB attribute for as long as I can remember. Even when the Moose Truck was new, it started digesting tires on that corner at a faster rate then the other 3. It drives streight, has great components, doesn't pull, and has ALWAYS had this problem (probably even from the moment I ordered it and it wasn't born yet). Tire rotation is key. Move the front to the back, and cross the back over to the front. Do this regularly and you will get maximum tire life. The Moose Truck does it, the Moosestang does it, and just looking at trucks over the years I've noticed that 9 out of 10 do it.

 

[david85]

I have about 40K kilometers on a brand new set of Toyo open country highway ribbed tires. I get regular free rotations every 10k and have a hard time even finding any wear since I had them put them on. I am running everything bone stock. Stock springs, stock ride height, stock 235/85 tire profie, and stock rims. Only thing I changed recently was the radius arm bushings in an effort to get a little more caster angle.

I am of the opinion that the further away you get from the original design, the worse the performance will be. However, admittedly, I have never owned a 4x4 TTB in this size of truck so I can't fairly comment on that.

 

[Goofyexponent]

Passenger side front tire wear is a 4X4 TTB attribute for as long as I can remember. Even when the Moose Truck was new, it started digesting tires on that corner at a faster rate then the other 3. It drives streight, has great components, doesn't pull, and has ALWAYS had this problem (probably even from the moment I ordered it and it wasn't born yet). Tire rotation is key. Move the front to the back, and cross the back over to the front. Do this regularly and you will get maximum tire life. The Moose Truck does it, the Moosestang does it, and just looking at trucks over the years I've noticed that 9 out of 10 do it.

You know....thinking back to my 1996 F150...it did the same thing, and the passenger side front tire of my D50 setup was the same way.

THANK GOD I now have a solid D60 under there holding things up.

I noticed that with a TTB system, that if there is spring sag on one side and not the other side, that the sagged side will cause the toe angle to change, as well as the camber angle. This would double the forces working on the tire, making it wear faster.

I am not saying that this is the problem, as I said before, both TTB trucks I had before had this problem, but it's something to keep in mind!

 

[MIDNIGHT RIDER]

Just sit and observe any Ford truck, be it Twin-I-Beam, TTB, or whatever, when it is maneuvering slowly around a parking-lot; watch the front tires --- not the truck.

They will get into all sorts of weird contortions while making a simple turn, making one wonder if they are even safe to be on the road.

 

[matt-jenkins]

Well I guess its something I'll just have to live with, thanks guys.

 

[Willie Two]

Nice to read this thread seeing as how I am having the same problem, sorta.

 

[david85]

Is the geometry between 2wd and 4wd front ends that different?

 

[plywood]

Just sit and observe any Ford truck, be it Twin-I-Beam, TTB, or whatever, when it is maneuvering slowly around a parking-lot; watch the front tires --- not the truck.

They will get into all sorts of weird contortions while making a simple turn, making one wonder if they are even safe to be on the road.

That's not when the wear happens though.

Is the geometry between 2wd and 4wd front ends that different?

It is quite a bit different, the 2wd has a radius arm hooked to the I beam where the 4x4 is on leaf springs. I can't think of how to explain the geometry of that in words, but the 2wd is connected under the engine and under your feet so it is sort of a triangle and pivots up and down in a different way.

The F-150 and Bronco also do like our 2wds in 4wd version.

 

[david85]

I knew about the leaf spring difference and lack of a solid radius arm, but I was wondering if the "radius" or axle pivot length was different. I realize the leaf spring instead of solid radius arm will not hold the axle beam quite the same way but does that make such a big difference?

Has me thinking because I would like to install a D44 TTB some day to get 4wd. I never off road my truck and can't use a Dana 60 because of my axle ratio (D60 would also raise the front of the truck and I like the ride height where it is).

 

[plywood]

Boy I don't know for sure but the big questions of course are whether the crossmember is the same and how hard it would be to get the brackets on the frame to hold the leaf springs.

I wonder if you couldn't do some sort of half ton four by set up where you use your existing radius arm like a Bronco.

I though about it when I had a Bronco and wanted to make it diesel. I know you can put a 3/4 ton 2wd coil spring on the Bronco front end so there may be a possibility there.

I think the half ton four by design is better in some ways with the radius arm. Don't know if they deemed it not strong enough for 3/4 and 1 ton or if they couldn't get a coil spring strong enough to fit or what.

Sometimes trying to figure out Ford's thinking is a futile exercise in futility.