What the heck....

[SangerDude]

I recently picked up a 68 F250....It had the original tires with split rims....since then I picked up some 16 inch wheels with some radials on them...here is the thing, on the front end, they howl and feel like they are not touching the road completely, like I am literally having to PUSH them down the road, and it seems really squirelly as it goes....I had to take them off and put the bias plys back on...any ideas? alingnment? although, I know there isnt much to align on the fronts of these...tie rod? Any ideas before I take it to an alignment shop would be great! Thanks Guys!

[SangerDude]

anyone????????????????????

[Bullitt390]

Sounds like you need to adjust your toe-in. just use some 2x4s and a tape measure. Have them toe-in about an 1/8th inch and see how "squirrley" it is.

Josh

[m-mman]

You say "radials" but that doesnt really mesh with the problems you are describing.
Noise and increased rolling resistance points more to tread design than construction.

My guess is that the split rim tires are a highway design with a very smooth tread pattern.
Are the 'radials' an agressive or off road tread design?

If the truck drives well with the stock tires and you are having any problems with it wearing the replacement tires, then by a simple process of elimination the problem is in the tires and not any suspension or alignment problem.

Years ago there were big discussions about mixing radials & bias plys and whether the radials should be on the front or back. I never felt any real difference one way or the other.

Is there anything you have not mentioned about width or offset of the replacement tires/wheels?

[fordman]

here is a post from another similar subject that may help you. http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... =4&t=42446

If i remember correctly you would have to get into your way-back machine to find "stock" 16" tires on a F-100. If my memory serves me even better, it wouldn't even be an F-100, it would be an F-1 ('48-'52).
I would not recommend using those with a P-metric radial. If i'm right, me thinks the rims were only 5 inches wide.
Ok for bias plys, not good for P-metric radials.

Check with the dodge department. If my memory isn't completely whacked, Dodge used a 5 X 5 1/2 pattern with a 16" tire in the early nineties??? Bigger vans, 4X4 trucks ????

Two-bit

[SangerDude]

They are a little wider, but not aggressive at all. They are an all terrain/ all season tire... I drove the truck around the block a few different directions and the front tires had an area of about 1.5" where they looked like they didnt even contact the pavement????

[fordman]

how much air is int he tires? maybe its over inflated? and only running on the center of the tires instead of the whole surface of the tread.

[SangerDude]

When the truck is sitting on the tires...it looks like it is sitting on the outside edges to middle of the tires....I know they arent over inflated...this really has me baffled....

[m-mman]

Tires contacting only part of the pavement? Having trouble picturing that in my mind.
Sounds like it it time to post pictures of the problem.

[Bullitt390]

Are we talking about a 2WD or 4WD?

If 2WD, and the tires are only contacting the outsides you need to either have the beams bent to adjust camber or install lowering springs or cut the coils.

Josh

[fordman]

yes it is a tire tilt problem. have the front end looked at. it could be the camber is off.

[SangerDude]

Are there shops that actually can bend the i-beams? to adjust the camber? If so, does anyone know of a shop in Central California that does this? OR is this a procedure that just about any shop can perform?

[fordman]

probably a large truck shop would have the equipment to do it. most alignment places might not have the i beam bending knowledge any more. you will just have to call around to alignment shops and find out for sure who will and who can.

[rlgrantjr]

I made the same switch and now have an evil handling truck. The tire shop said it needed king pins and front wheel bearings re-packed before they could align it. The 16" rims and tires fit perfect and look great, but right now this thing is a handfull to drive, feels toed-out big time. I bought the parts, now if I could just buy some time to fix it...

[TNIceWolf]

Fact is that a new set of tires is going to amplify the effect of any worn or misadjusted parts in any steering system. The misadjusted wheel bearing and incorrectly set I-beams on mine were a real hard to handle combo when I added new tires to the front. The alignment and adjustment turned it into one much nicer handling and easily controlled vehicle. An investment well worth the money from several angles.