Just for curiosity sake, I'd be interested to know what kind of tire life most of us are getting on TIB and TTB frame trucks. The reason I'm asking, is I've had FANTASTIC life out of tires on mine. This is completely contrary to the common tire eating habits of Ford Effies with Twin I beam. I'd also be interested in knowing what some have done to prolong the life of their tires.
Since I've owned my truck, it's currently on it's 3rd set of tires after 155K. This set actually went on at about 104K. It came with a General brand LT tire. From that, I went to Goodyear Wrangler HT's. Got about 48K outta the Generals, and about 56K outta the GY HT's. This set, with 51K on 'em (and probably that much more left in 'em) is the Michelin XC-LT4.
I do mostly highway mileage in my truck, so the most common wear is the inside edge on the fronts. This is an inherent flaw of the Twin I beam, with the steering box mounted above the centerline of the tie rods. Down force on the front of a vehicle with the aerodynamics of an outhouse causes some toe out because of the triangle in the tie rod design and negative camber because of the pivot points. That will sacrifice the inner edges of the tires for steering performance at higher speeds. Starting with the 3rd alignment of the GY HT's, I had my favorite tire shop come in 1/4* on the toe, and 1/4* positive camber. This is a little noticeable at low speed, but not enough to bother me. Put it on the highway at 75-80 MPH, though, and the steering is about as neutral as anyone could ask for. The change over spec was enough to neutralize the wear on the fronts, but not enough to make it squirrely on rutted highway. The largest improvement, though was tire wear, Like I said, I've got 51K on the Michelins, and probably that much more left. They're simply not wearing. I was having to rotate every 6K (every 2nd oil change) before to get any life from tires, but in 51K, these Michelins have been rotated ONCE. The tread is still flat all the way across, with no indication of excessive wear on the edges.
Anyone else got some tricks like this?
Since I've owned my truck, it's currently on it's 3rd set of tires after 155K. This set actually went on at about 104K. It came with a General brand LT tire. From that, I went to Goodyear Wrangler HT's. Got about 48K outta the Generals, and about 56K outta the GY HT's. This set, with 51K on 'em (and probably that much more left in 'em) is the Michelin XC-LT4.
I do mostly highway mileage in my truck, so the most common wear is the inside edge on the fronts. This is an inherent flaw of the Twin I beam, with the steering box mounted above the centerline of the tie rods. Down force on the front of a vehicle with the aerodynamics of an outhouse causes some toe out because of the triangle in the tie rod design and negative camber because of the pivot points. That will sacrifice the inner edges of the tires for steering performance at higher speeds. Starting with the 3rd alignment of the GY HT's, I had my favorite tire shop come in 1/4* on the toe, and 1/4* positive camber. This is a little noticeable at low speed, but not enough to bother me. Put it on the highway at 75-80 MPH, though, and the steering is about as neutral as anyone could ask for. The change over spec was enough to neutralize the wear on the fronts, but not enough to make it squirrely on rutted highway. The largest improvement, though was tire wear, Like I said, I've got 51K on the Michelins, and probably that much more left. They're simply not wearing. I was having to rotate every 6K (every 2nd oil change) before to get any life from tires, but in 51K, these Michelins have been rotated ONCE. The tread is still flat all the way across, with no indication of excessive wear on the edges.
Anyone else got some tricks like this?
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