Did bad shocks make these tires bald?

[Burla]

Chalk test your tires is prob the best way to find how are they're going to wear down, Also use the TRA tables to give you an idea how much PSI you need to match your tires to carry truck loads.
I was running my BFG KO2 37x12.5x17 at 30 PSI, my Falken AT3W 315/70/17 at 35 PSI. i Run my current Patagania MT's 315/70/17 at 39PSI, and it's mostly cause the Pats have a tire thread that in theory actually wear down better if the center of the tire have a bit more contact with the ground as opposed to having the tire full contact path laying flat against the ground, otherwise i'll run the size at 35PSI. My tires do wear down evenly.

In Burla's cases he's running BFG KO2's in 295/70/17 now, i'll run them at 39-40PSI , rotate every 5k miles and measure the tires to verify even wear.

do you recall the load rating on your ko2's? mine is E 10 ply.

 

[canadiankodiak700]

Whenever I put on a new set of tires, I fill them to the PSI on the door jamb sticker, and then chal test them to fine tune the PSI.
Last set, I had to raise the front by a couple psi, and lower the rear.
Chalking the tires will give you the best psi for even tread wear, for your specific truck and tire combo.


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Just as a heads up, your talk test method is totally pointless when it comes to actual tire wear. When you're in the tire industry and you end up going to multiple seminars this topic is brought up with every single manufacturer. You're putting chalk on the tire to try to see when it's getting the most contact but you're doing this at a speed of less than 1 mile an hour to miles an hour max that tire is nowhere near the same shape when you're travelling at your normal highway speeds or even a regular Road tires balloon out in the centre when you're driving just physics you can't change that fact you can talk your tires all you want but you're never going to account for the fact that the centre of the tire will always be balls do more at speed then the shoulders.

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[ram1500rsm]

do you recall the load rating on your ko2's? mine is E 10 ply.

They were D rated, My Falkens were E, the Pats are D

 

[canadiankodiak700]

So oem tires at 30k miles, some would say that is all the are really good for? What say you to the cause of this? Two back tires bald in center, 2 front tires still like new. No I didn't rotate, I always planned on getting new tires just didnt care like I should have, but admittedly took too long to do it. Now they are worthless on craigslist, I will keep them for spares or yard art.

I always thought it was freeway driving with tailgate up putting downforce on them. The book says over inflation, but I never was above 35psi like ever! You have to be at 35psi to clear the TPMS so how could that be it? Could be alignment maybe? Interesting, my tire guy said it was the shocks, mind you the shocks only have 30k miles on them as well. He said he could tell by the way the wear was bumpy, and he has been doing this for 8 years, I think it is possible, but I think the tailgate is to blame, hard to say, convince me your opinion. I put new shocks on front pretty soon after buying the truck, but never did backs, something I will be changing. I think kyb for backs, bills up front.

That is 100% over inflation issue coupled with definitely lack of rotation. On the regular pickup the inflation pressure is 37 PSI or 38 somewhere right around there the TPMS will not trigger until approximately 32 psi but it doesn't trigger with overinflation for some strange reason.
Your suspension has had absolutely nothing to do with the wear on those tires, nor does your tailgate provide enough downforce to ever affect your tires wear.
The reason the rears have done it and not the front is possibly different inflation pressurs front to rear, but mainly because they are the drive tires, they spin ever so slightly every time you start from a complete stop, even when you don't think it spins, that movement from stop is extremely high friction that the fronts don't see unless in 4x4.

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[Burla]

Always the same psi, my compressor set to shut off at 35psi. But good possible answer I hadn't thought of, power to rears could account for some of it.

Drop Tail is designed to take out the drag of an closed tailgate, don't really know how much they work, just interesting imo. Still allows downforce but takes it from the closed position.

 

[Brandon-w]

Just as a heads up, your talk test method is totally pointless when it comes to actual tire wear. When you're in the tire industry and you end up going to multiple seminars this topic is brought up with every single manufacturer. You're putting chalk on the tire to try to see when it's getting the most contact but you're doing this at a speed of less than 1 mile an hour to miles an hour max that tire is nowhere near the same shape when you're travelling at your normal highway speeds or even a regular Road tires balloon out in the centre when you're driving just physics you can't change that fact you can talk your tires all you want but you're never going to account for the fact that the centre of the tire will always be balls do more at speed then the shoulders.

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That and you're also not accounting for road crown and the ruts in the road from highway tractors. You'll never get an accurate reading as no road is the same and it's ever changing.

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[canadiankodiak700]

Always the same psi, my compressor set to shut off at 35psi. But good possible answer I hadn't thought of, power to rears could account for some of it.

Drop Tail is designed to take out the drag of an closed tailgate, don't really know how much they work, just interesting imo. Still allows downforce but takes it from the closed position.

Just for fun, search youtube for mythbuster tailgate and tonneau cover videos. They did a couple shows on this. Busting the myth. Surprisingly a truck gets better mpg with gate up, it's the way it's designed a in the wind tunnel, you see the air off top of cab drops just behind the gate.
Back in the late 90s, i had an 88 gmc 2500 reg cab with sliding rear window. The box was my garbage can fit coffee cups and pop cans (soda cans for you guys without pet polar bears and beavers). 120kph down the highway nothing flew out of the box, then one day i hit a chunk of leaf spring on the highway and it jarred the truck enough my tailgate dropped. The alumin cans and plastic bottles were twirling around but didn't fly out... My small little bare essentials tackle box however caught enough air to fly out of my box straight into the moose bumper on the semi behind me....
No damage to his truck, but he was laughing as he helped me pick up tackle from all over the highway. He said he was behind me for 1/2 an hour and not one pottle flew out, he said he was sure something would the way it was twirling around.

There's just a void there, no drag, no down pressure.
If you notice on most new trucks, they build the tailgate lip out at the top behind the truck as that's where the air started to come down and create a bit of force.

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[Burla]

will do, I like that show.

Just trying to figure out why backs are like they are while fronts show no wear, with same tire same psi. I learned a lot so far.

 

[crazykid1994]

Your front tires have more weight on them due to engine placement. Same for most cars. However. Cars being smaller there is less of a difference. Trucks have very little weight in the rear so would require less tire pressure

 

[Burla]

Your front tires have more weight on them due to engine placement. Same for most cars. However. Cars being smaller there is less of a difference. Trucks have very little weight in the rear so would require less tire pressure

Yeah plus the ranch bumper, but I would have thought heavier weight would cause more tire wear? Another twist to this deal, the lower the weight the more wear you can see over the heavier weight? And that wear would only show up in the middle of the tire?

 

[crazykid1994]

Yeah plus the ranch bumper, but I would have thought heavier weight would cause more tire wear? Another twist to this deal, the lower the weight the more wear you can see over the heavier weight? And that wear would only show up in the middle of the tire?

If it’s over inflated for that weight than yes. You’ll get more center wear. There is a lot to take into consideration.

 

[crazykid1994]

Another thing could be the front bumper cantilevers weight off the back as well if you’re running a heavier front bumper.

 

[ripping r]

Yeah plus the ranch bumper, but I would have thought heavier weight would cause more tire wear? Another twist to this deal, the lower the weight the more wear you can see over the heavier weight? And that wear would only show up in the middle of the tire?

If you have a LSD that is a little tight. Than its taking rubber in every turn. And with to much air will accelerate the ware.

 

[crazykid1994]

Think of it this way. 1500 lbs per front tire. 1200 lbs per back tire. 1500lbs spread across 9” vs 1200 lb spread across 4”. Smaller contact patch has more pressure per inch

 

[Gr8bawana]

Just as a heads up, your talk test method is totally pointless when it comes to actual tire wear. When you're in the tire industry and you end up going to multiple seminars this topic is brought up with every single manufacturer. You're putting chalk on the tire to try to see when it's getting the most contact but you're doing this at a speed of less than 1 mile an hour to miles an hour max that tire is nowhere near the same shape when you're travelling at your normal highway speeds or even a regular Road tires balloon out in the centre when you're driving just physics you can't change that fact you can talk your tires all you want but you're never going to account for the fact that the centre of the tire will always be balls do more at speed then the shoulders.

 

[huntergreen]

Over inflation, at 35 # psi my truck felt squirrelly on the hWy. mine wore the same and were done at 25000 miles.

 

[Burla]

Think of it this way. 1500 lbs per front tire. 1200 lbs per back tire. 1500lbs spread across 9” vs 1200 lb spread across 4”. Smaller contact patch has more pressure per inch

awe, now we are talking, good one bro.

 

[Burla]

If you have a LSD that is a little tight. Than its taking rubber in every turn. And with to much air will accelerate the ware.

it's an open diff.

 

[canadiankodiak700]

View attachment 238852

Nice to see you are uneducated in the facts

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[RamInfo]

Possibly overinflated, but most likely a result of a heavy foot and no rotation. The OEM tires are absolute s**t. I got 40k out of mine by running 40psi all around and rotating every 5k. But even with that, I was chasing balance and runout problems the entire time. Spooned on a set of Michelins and my ride has never been smoother. Plus, when I had the Michelins mounted I asked to have the rims checked for runout as I was sure I had a bad rim, with as much shake as I had going on. Rims checked OK and with new rubber and a road force balance I am gliding down the highway.

Those crappy OEM tires did you a favor by dying early.

DG