Help on F -450 tires.

[priv8pilot]

Way to much confusion on tires for this beast. This truck has 245-70-19.5 on it. The rear tires are fine but the front has an all season (Ironman) tire on the front. They are all choppy and run rough, causing a pull and noisy as all... heck

Anyway I think I want to replace then. I am finding there are 'drive tires' and 'steering tires' Also looking at speed ratings? What gives there? Speed rating of 70 or 75 MPH? Heck in Utah the speed limit is 80! So I am looking to you F-450 owners or those in the know.

Do I NEED all season?

What speed rating and weight rating do I need?

And what have you used and how did they work out for you?

I checked Discount tire and they don't even sell this size.


Thinking of going to the factory Continental tires? Or Yokahama or Dunlop

Need some good advise here!


Don't want the drift or pull or the noise.


Thanks!
Steve

[artoo93]

A good friend of mine is using Hankook G Rated tires on his F450. He has done a lot of research on tires due to using his truck with a BIG slide in camper and pulling his "jeep" on a trailer. I always had good luck with Hankook and Firestone/Bridgestone tires on my semis.

[bap]

First thing I would would be find a good shop to check your alignment. Don’t use a fly by night or a chain place but someplace that is capable of doing heavier vehicles. By the description of your tires, it is not being all season that is the issue, but an alignment issue causing the tires to wear poorly. There are thousands of trucks in that size range running all seasons on the front without the wear problems you are having. Then find a truck tire place to get some good front tires. From your location, a good quality steering tire will work fine for you. If you don’t get the alignment fixed, the next set will chew off too. A properly aligned vehicle will not cup the front tires.

[DC8Captain]

What the heck are you towing with a 450. By the way you should probably list your vehicle and trailer info in your signature. That way folks can make informed decisions when you post something.


Cheers

[priv8pilot]

Originally Posted by bap

First thing I would would be find a good shop to check your alignment. Don’t use a fly by night or a chain place but someplace that is capable of doing heavier vehicles. By the description of your tires, it is not being all season that is the issue, but an alignment issue causing the tires to wear poorly. There are thousands of trucks in that size range running all seasons on the front without the wear problems you are having. Then find a truck tire place to get some good front tires. From your location, a good quality steering tire will work fine for you. If you don’t get the alignment fixed, the next set will chew off too. A properly aligned vehicle will not cup the front tires.

The whole problem is the guy that had the truck before me never rotated his tires. They are out of balance. The more out of balance they got the worse the chop. Its at a ford dealer right now getting tires and Alignment.

[priv8pilot]

Originally Posted by fdhealy4

What the heck are you towing with a 450. By the way you should probably list your vehicle and trailer info in your signature. That way folks can make informed decisions when you post something.


Cheers

HAHA I have tried to add my Sig. Can't get it to work. Will try again soon. The truck is to tow my new Jayco pinnacle 36fkts.

[prm99v6]

Originally Posted by priv8pilot

The whole problem is the guy that had the truck before me never rotated his tires. They are out of balance. The more out of balance they got the worse the chop. Its at a ford dealer right now getting tires and Alignment.

Good luck. I’ve been to nine tire places (two that deal specifically with semi’s and five of them Ford dealers. Two Ford dealers won’t work on the truck because it’s a 450. The Ford dealer that does work on it can’t get the correct weights for the factory Acloa 19.5 wheels. Of the other tire places no one has the correct weights for the wheels. I finally found another Ford dealer that said they had the correct weights but they are not the weights that came on the wheels. They are the last to “balance” the wheels.

I have tried Centramatics and equal balance and have spent $1300 so far trying to chase a vibration that the Ford insists is the tire balance.

My next stop is trying a specialty shop a couple of hours away that shaves tires.

It a started when I replaced all six tires with the same HSRs that came on the truck. Fords “fancy vibration analyzer” says it’s the tires. I can’t stand the truck anymore.

[Hobiecat7766]

Are the wheels oem or aftermarket? More problems with aftermarket than oem being out of round. Check the wheel run out to insure roundness; otherwise you will waste a lot of money. With good wheels, I would recommend balance beads only on heavy duty truck tires and Michelin tires. Michelin's commercial website can help with choosing the right tire and their Advantage Program can help with pricing and availability that doesn't exist at regular tire stores. MD Alignment is the only operation I would ever let do an alignment on a heavy duty truck.