New Tire Symptoms - LT275/55R20 D-Rated BFGoodrich T/A KO2 - Question/Documentation (1 Viewer)

[GOLIGHTLY]

Shocker, more questions about tires. Didn't find anything in north-of-100-pages of tire discussions, so posing the question and documenting here, in case others come across anything similar.

Just mounted up a set of KO2's on 2010 LX570 factory wheels at a formerly-trusted Goodyear shop around the corner from me. Coming from Michelin LTX's, installed long before I bought the vehicle last year.

Symptoms in order of concern:

1. EXTREMELY light steering above ~50mph. Significantly more on-center-vagueness, vehicle wanders without input, seeming to "fall into a groove" every couple seconds, as if slightly changing steering input.
2. Mild vibration above 65mph, through steering wheel and seats

No sketchiness under braking, regardless of braking force. There was play in tie rods/steering rack prior to having the tires mounted. I'm aware of the impacts of unsprung weight, moving from passenger tires to LT (new tires approx. 48lbs each), but I never had any issue when I went from 31's to big 33" LTs on my 100 series, certainly nothing like this. Performance at lower speeds is effectively unchanged.

Am I mistaken in assuming that an alignment shouldn't be needed, given that there is no appreciable change in the SIZE of the tire, or can WEIGHT of the tire mandate an alignment?

 

[TeCKis300]

What tire pressure are you at? And how many miles do you have on it so far?

It's common when fitting new tires, that they need a few hundred miles to scrub in. Scrub in the shine so to speak, as the new carcass can be somewhat slick and slippery. Like new sneakers, the tire treads and sidewall do need some time to break in as well.

 

[GOLIGHTLY]

What tire pressure are you at? And how many miles do you have on it so far?

It's common when fitting new tires, that they need a few hundred miles to scrub in. Scrub in the shine so to speak, as the new carcass can be somewhat slick and slippery. Like new sneakers, the tire treads and sidewall do need some time to break in as well.

I'm at 40 PSI on the dot (max pressure of 65 PSI) on all 4 corners. No more than 20 miles on them so far, but I haven't run into this kind of issue before, even in those first couple miles. Most recently had 33" M/T's mounted on the 100 and they were butter the moment they rolled out of the same shop.

Any idea whether this is common for KO2's? I suspect it's merely a thrown wheel weight or something, but curious if that would induce the lightness in steering.

And thanks for your time and response!

 

[TeCKis300]

Unless I'm mistaken, you'll want to be at ~45PSI RCTIP for LT275/55R20s.

Not sure this will address your issue and may actually exacerbate it. What's the deal with the tie and steering rack play?

How was the wear pattern in the old tires? If you're alignment is pretty off, then it's wholly possible that it's impacting the new tires in a way that's effecting steering feel.

 

[GOLIGHTLY]

Unless I'm mistaken, you'll want to be at ~45PSI RCTIP for LT275/55R20s.

Not sure this will address your issue and may actually exacerbate it. What's the deal with the tie and steering rack play?

How was the wear pattern in the old tires? If you're alignment is pretty off, then it's wholly possible that it's impacting the new tires in a way that's effecting steering feel.

Tie rods and steering rack are good, no play or slop as of inspection date of May 5, 2021 (last Wednesday, routine maintenance conducted).

Wear pattern on the prior tires was great, no feathering or uneven wear, leading me to believe my alignment was good, at least before the truck went into the shop on Tuesday for the tires.

 

[bwell]

I've played this game more than I care to admit. Where are the wheel weight located? Right behind the front face and along inside of the edge of the wheel lip towards the center of the vehicle? Or just in one spot?

Are the any yellow or red 3/4" dots on the sidewalls of the new tires?

There are so many issues with the employees of said tire shops, that I would honestly cut my losses, and find the nearest shop with one of these.

404 | Hunter Engineering Company®

www.hunter.com

road-force-elite model

I would highly recommend a alignment also unless you have had one done recently.

 

[GOLIGHTLY]

I've played this game more than I care to admit. Where are the wheel weight located? Right behind the front face and along inside of the edge of the wheel lip towards the center of the vehicle? Or just in one spot?

Are the any yellow or red 3/4" dots on the sidewalls of the new tires?

There are so many issues with the employees of said tire shops, that I would honestly cut my losses, and find the nearest shop with one of these.

404 | Hunter Engineering Company®

www.hunter.com

road-force-elite model

I would highly recommend a alignment also unless you have had one done recently.

None of those little dots, thought they were on my 33's... I assume those are an indication of heavy-spots or something?

Thanks a lot for that advice, seeking one out as soon as work lets up. Looks like a couple of the Elites around me.

 

[bwell]

Yes they are. I didn't think BFG used them, but couldn't remember.

I have had great luck with road force elite's on both my 100 series and our LX570.

That being said, both of these vehicles I have had more trouble with sensitivity to tire balancing than any other that I've owned, but am beyond willing to deal with.

 

[GOLIGHTLY]

Yes they are. I didn't think BFG used them, but couldn't remember.

I have had great luck with road force elite's on both my 100 series and our LX570.

That being said, both of these vehicles I have had more trouble with sensitivity to tire balancing than any other that I've owned, but am beyond willing to deal with.

Can’t tell you how much it helps to know I’m not the only one.

 

[gaijin]

I'm at 40 PSI on the dot (max pressure of 65 PSI) on all 4 corners. No more than 20 miles on them so far, but I haven't run into this kind of issue before, even in those first couple miles. Most recently had 33" M/T's mounted on the 100 and they were butter the moment they rolled out of the same shop.

Any idea whether this is common for KO2's? I suspect it's merely a thrown wheel weight or something, but curious if that would induce the lightness in steering.

And thanks for your time and response!

FYI:

The Recommended Cold Tire Inflation Pressure (RCTIP) for those LT275/55R20 tires on your LX570 is 46psi F/R.

HTH

 

[1world1love]

I experienced similar issues with 285/55/20 KO2 and a good alignment helped, but it will not go away completely. The problem is that the required tire pressure is so high and there is not enough sidewall. It causes odd tracking issues and amplifies every imperfection in the road.

 

[Madtiger]

Correct PSI. ROAD FORCE BALANCE. if no good then do alignment.

 

[GOLIGHTLY]

Update/solution as of 5/15/2021:

Road Force Elite balance, pressure adjusted to 46PSI at all 4 corners (thank you @gaijin ). Location that did the balance said they had to add 2oz to the front right, which makes me think I probably just flung a strip of weights or something. Very brief run up to ~75 confirmed that the vibration and sketchy steering responsiveness was gone (it began demonstrating that behavior around 60mph before).

Caliber Auto Care on 1488 here just north of The Woodlands, TX were great, in case anyone in the area is in a similar situation. Seemed to know their s*** and didn't look at me sideways when I explained my request.

Thank you all very much for the guidance. Will follow up in the near future with a more comprehensive status update. Headed to CO in 10 days.