I finally signed up tonight after reading the forums many many times. Such good info here.
I'm having an issue with my wifes 2014 JKU.
We recently cut the stock fenders and put 35x12.50x15 Good Year MTR tires on it with Summit 85-5873 wheels.
We had the tires mounted and balanced and then I brought them home and mounted them. The second we got out of the driveway I noticed it pulled hard right. I took it into the tire shop and they said the allignment was off (hard to believe it was since there was less than 2k miles on the jeep and the stock tires and wheels didn't pull). They "adjusted" the allignment and surprisingly enough, the issue still remains. I contacted the company that I got the tires from, they sent me 2 new ones and I went down to the tire shop and had the two new ones put on the front. Sadly, the issue still lies.
They are thinking the wheels are possibly bad/bent/broken/etc. Yet, they balance just fine. However, they use 16 oz of weight....
I'm clueless. nothing in the suspension has changed. the stock tires and wheels track straight. So it must be the tires/wheels. Any ideas?!?
Oh, and the tire shop said the TPMS sensors didn't fit/work in the Summit steelies. Is that true?
Did you put 35s on with no lift? I hope you just omitted the detail of what lift you have. Your issues may be a bit bigger than just wheels and tires if you are not lifted.
I am not a tire expert but that seems like a lot of weight?
15" wheels? Are the wheels dragging on the brake caliper?
At 16oz of weight is RIDICULOUS in my opinion. They need to spin the tire on the rim until almost no weight is required. Ive seen guys spend a while spinning the tire on the wheel and get so close only 1 or 2 weights were required.
No dragging on the caliper. I checked the clearnaces before and after the tires were mounted. There is also no signs of them rubbing when you pull the wheels/tires off.
I agree on the weight, I guess I just thought it was "ok" since it's a lot of meat with a big sidewall.
The only thing adjustable on a stock jeep is toe. Without adjustable control arms, that is all you can do. Keep that in mind while trying to figure out your issue.
If you didn't have the pull prior to the new tire/rim combination, it pretty much HAS to be the tires. Have you tried rotating the tires left to right and/or front to back? You might be able to narrow it down to a singe tire.
You caster numbers look a bit low (desired is ~4.2*), but as already mentioned, without adjustable arms, those numbers are what they are.
That's what I'm thinking. I've tried rotating the tires in every which way, some ways it pulls worse and in some ways it pulls less. I've already replaced the front two with 2 new replacements from good year. The issue still lies. Is it the rims??
Just swap the front tires and see if there is ANY change. Those tires are known to use a lot of weight to balance and have rolling resistance issues sometimes.
After they put the toe back into alignment did they readjust the trackbar to center the steering wheel? I went to a Goodyear shop in San Diego and I actually had to show them that adjusting the track bar would center the steering wheel. They just didn't want to believe me. Did you go to a tire shop that commonly deals with trucks and 4x4's, or are they just drones that do what the alignment computer tells them to do?
You should be adjusting the track bar to center the axle, not the steering wheel. Center the steering wheel by adjusting the draglink.
OP, some tires have some radial pull to one side. I have toyo mt's and they are well known to have a pull to the right. If I release the steering wheel, the vehicle will pull about 2 feet to the right in about 40 feet of road. How much is yours pulling?
Also, that is a lot of weight on one wheel. My best has 1/2 oz and my worst 2 oz.
Oops, typed up the wrong part. Guess that's why I should always use pictures to illustrate something. I didn't know that Toyo M/T's pulled to the right, guess that explains my slight pulling.
computeruser6, that is your track bar that your hand is on in the picture. Adjusting it "will" move your steering wheel, but that's not its purpose. The track bar centers the axle and controls horizontal axle movement. If you look on your dranglink, there should be a similar turnbuckle close to the pitman arm. Use this to center your steering wheel after the axle is centered correctly.
I also have a slight pull to the right that I have tried to track down with no avail.. I have a 2014 JKUR with a MetalCloak 3.5 inch lift, front and rear track bars, front lower control arms and OME shocks.... I also have 315/70/17 Treadwright Guard Dog tires mounted on the stock rims... It did not pull until I put the 35" tires on. I have tried swapping front tires side to side and front to back with little or no change. I have had it aligned after the lift and everything else seems to be dialed in yet it still pulls.. It does seem to be worse when the road crown is present which is on most US roadways... So maybe it's neutral because it will pull left if the road is crowned to the left... I'm at a loss and have just decided it live with it for now.
If anyone else has any suggestions please reply.
The MTR's are asymmetrical, your tread should be running in opposite directions for the left and right side.... make sure each tire reads " this side outboard".
Since you will end up with variable road resistance from the reverse tread on one side it will pull to one side... it should be inversely effected when you rotate your tires. It should also be minimal, meaning you don't have to fight to keep it on the road. I only notice it if i let go of the steering wheel. Uneven roads exacerbate the issue.. 99% of the roads around here are crowned for rain run off.
My pressure is 28psi, I have tried different pressures but have seen little change. I'm not sure if the Treadwright's are asymmetrical or not. I will look on the tire and see if it states "this side out" or not..
whoa! that's pretty high. When I got new tires the shop put 40psi in them and it was all over the road. I kept lowering it and finally at 32psi it rides great with zero pull.
I actually just realized that when rotating the tires the tread pattern stays the same.. so you should always experience slight pull in one direction.. It really depends on the tires though, the MTR's have a very aggressive pattern and its noticeably flows in a specific direction.
I think jeep goes with the lowest bidder on calipers, I've had a frt. and a rr. caliper stick and ruin the rotor. ullinghair:
After you drive for a bit get out and feel the rims and you will be able to tell if you have a sticking caliper by the amount of heat relative to the other wheels. If one wheel is noticeably hotter, bingo- theres your problem.
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