Re: 97 jeep wrangler mismatched tires causing steering problem??
 

Thing is too, that the steering was fine until I had the 2 new tires
put on, so I am a little confused. If it was the ball joints wouldn't
that have shown up awhile ago? Or would the new tires have compounded
the ball joint problem without the alignment?


bspear78 wrote:
> Thanks Steve, makes sense. I'm also running at 25 PSI all around. Is
> that a good pressure? I was trying to get more traction by lowering the
> PSI.
>
> Steve Foley wrote:
> > "bspear78" <bspear78@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:1163604960.249333.190820@k70g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> > > Wondering if anyone could help me out here. I just got 2 new tires (BFG
> > > AT 30 x 9.5) put on the back of my jeep. I kept the 2 old ones
> > > (previously from the back) and put them on the front. also 30 x 9.5's.
> > > even though there is some tread wear the tire guy said they should be
> > > good for another 5-10,000 miles.
> > >
> > > In addition, when they went to do an alignment, they said I need new
> > > ball joints.
> > >
> > > The problem now is that when I'm steering the jeep I feel like it is
> > > wandering a little bit, and not taking corners well at all. feels like
> > > the back end wants to slide out.
> > >
> > > So, my question is, is this a ball joint problem, alignment, or the
> > > tires not being matched up or all of the above. What should I get done
> > > first? I am on a budget, which is why I opted for only 2 tires, instead
> > > of all 4.
> > >
> >
> > Ball Joints first. It's a safety item. Also, you cannot properly align the
> > front end with bad ball joints.
> >
> > Alignment second.
> >
> > Tires third. No point in putting on new tires with bad ball joints or out of
> > alignment.

Re: 97 jeep wrangler mismatched tires causing steering problem??
 

Thing is too, that the steering was fine until I had the 2 new tires
put on, so I am a little confused. If it was the ball joints wouldn't
that have shown up awhile ago? Or would the new tires have compounded
the ball joint problem without the alignment?


bspear78 wrote:
> Thanks Steve, makes sense. I'm also running at 25 PSI all around. Is
> that a good pressure? I was trying to get more traction by lowering the
> PSI.
>
> Steve Foley wrote:
> > "bspear78" <bspear78@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:1163604960.249333.190820@k70g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> > > Wondering if anyone could help me out here. I just got 2 new tires (BFG
> > > AT 30 x 9.5) put on the back of my jeep. I kept the 2 old ones
> > > (previously from the back) and put them on the front. also 30 x 9.5's.
> > > even though there is some tread wear the tire guy said they should be
> > > good for another 5-10,000 miles.
> > >
> > > In addition, when they went to do an alignment, they said I need new
> > > ball joints.
> > >
> > > The problem now is that when I'm steering the jeep I feel like it is
> > > wandering a little bit, and not taking corners well at all. feels like
> > > the back end wants to slide out.
> > >
> > > So, my question is, is this a ball joint problem, alignment, or the
> > > tires not being matched up or all of the above. What should I get done
> > > first? I am on a budget, which is why I opted for only 2 tires, instead
> > > of all 4.
> > >
> >
> > Ball Joints first. It's a safety item. Also, you cannot properly align the
> > front end with bad ball joints.
> >
> > Alignment second.
> >
> > Tires third. No point in putting on new tires with bad ball joints or out of
> > alignment.

Re: 97 jeep wrangler mismatched tires causing steering problem??
 

Thing is too, that the steering was fine until I had the 2 new tires
put on, so I am a little confused. If it was the ball joints wouldn't
that have shown up awhile ago? Or would the new tires have compounded
the ball joint problem without the alignment?


bspear78 wrote:
> Thanks Steve, makes sense. I'm also running at 25 PSI all around. Is
> that a good pressure? I was trying to get more traction by lowering the
> PSI.
>
> Steve Foley wrote:
> > "bspear78" <bspear78@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:1163604960.249333.190820@k70g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> > > Wondering if anyone could help me out here. I just got 2 new tires (BFG
> > > AT 30 x 9.5) put on the back of my jeep. I kept the 2 old ones
> > > (previously from the back) and put them on the front. also 30 x 9.5's.
> > > even though there is some tread wear the tire guy said they should be
> > > good for another 5-10,000 miles.
> > >
> > > In addition, when they went to do an alignment, they said I need new
> > > ball joints.
> > >
> > > The problem now is that when I'm steering the jeep I feel like it is
> > > wandering a little bit, and not taking corners well at all. feels like
> > > the back end wants to slide out.
> > >
> > > So, my question is, is this a ball joint problem, alignment, or the
> > > tires not being matched up or all of the above. What should I get done
> > > first? I am on a budget, which is why I opted for only 2 tires, instead
> > > of all 4.
> > >
> >
> > Ball Joints first. It's a safety item. Also, you cannot properly align the
> > front end with bad ball joints.
> >
> > Alignment second.
> >
> > Tires third. No point in putting on new tires with bad ball joints or out of
> > alignment.

Re: 97 jeep wrangler mismatched tires causing steering problem??
 

bspear78 wrote:

> Wondering if anyone could help me out here. I just got 2 new tires (BFG
> AT 30 x 9.5) put on the back of my jeep.
> The problem now is that when I'm steering the jeep I feel like it is
> wandering a little bit, and not taking corners well at all. feels like
> the back end wants to slide out.

Running BFG's with 25 psi. in the rear will get you fishtailing pretty
quickly on pavement. You get what you pay for.

Do the ball joints first; you can't align anything unless everything is
within spec. Put the best tires you have on the rear axle for safety.
If you're on pavement, 30 psi. makes more sense to me.

Re: 97 jeep wrangler mismatched tires causing steering problem??
 

bspear78 wrote:

> Wondering if anyone could help me out here. I just got 2 new tires (BFG
> AT 30 x 9.5) put on the back of my jeep.
> The problem now is that when I'm steering the jeep I feel like it is
> wandering a little bit, and not taking corners well at all. feels like
> the back end wants to slide out.

Running BFG's with 25 psi. in the rear will get you fishtailing pretty
quickly on pavement. You get what you pay for.

Do the ball joints first; you can't align anything unless everything is
within spec. Put the best tires you have on the rear axle for safety.
If you're on pavement, 30 psi. makes more sense to me.

Re: 97 jeep wrangler mismatched tires causing steering problem??
 

bspear78 wrote:

> Wondering if anyone could help me out here. I just got 2 new tires (BFG
> AT 30 x 9.5) put on the back of my jeep.
> The problem now is that when I'm steering the jeep I feel like it is
> wandering a little bit, and not taking corners well at all. feels like
> the back end wants to slide out.

Running BFG's with 25 psi. in the rear will get you fishtailing pretty
quickly on pavement. You get what you pay for.

Do the ball joints first; you can't align anything unless everything is
within spec. Put the best tires you have on the rear axle for safety.
If you're on pavement, 30 psi. makes more sense to me.

Re: 97 jeep wrangler mismatched tires causing steering problem??
 

My advice is to air up the tires to the recommended pavement values, and if
you still have problems then jack up the vehicle by the front axle and see
how bad the ball joints are for yourself. Put a crowbar under the tire and
see how far you can move it.

Earle

"bspear78" <bspear78@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1163609744.995705.191980@f16g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...
> Thing is too, that the steering was fine until I had the 2 new tires
> put on, so I am a little confused. If it was the ball joints wouldn't
> that have shown up awhile ago? Or would the new tires have compounded
> the ball joint problem without the alignment?
>
>
> bspear78 wrote:
> > Thanks Steve, makes sense. I'm also running at 25 PSI all around. Is
> > that a good pressure? I was trying to get more traction by lowering the
> > PSI.
> >
> > Steve Foley wrote:
> > > "bspear78" <bspear78@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > > news:1163604960.249333.190820@k70g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> > > > Wondering if anyone could help me out here. I just got 2 new tires
(BFG
> > > > AT 30 x 9.5) put on the back of my jeep. I kept the 2 old ones
> > > > (previously from the back) and put them on the front. also 30 x
9.5's.
> > > > even though there is some tread wear the tire guy said they should
be
> > > > good for another 5-10,000 miles.
> > > >
> > > > In addition, when they went to do an alignment, they said I need new
> > > > ball joints.
> > > >
> > > > The problem now is that when I'm steering the jeep I feel like it is
> > > > wandering a little bit, and not taking corners well at all. feels
like
> > > > the back end wants to slide out.
> > > >
> > > > So, my question is, is this a ball joint problem, alignment, or the
> > > > tires not being matched up or all of the above. What should I get
done
> > > > first? I am on a budget, which is why I opted for only 2 tires,
instead
> > > > of all 4.
> > > >
> > >
> > > Ball Joints first. It's a safety item. Also, you cannot properly align
the
> > > front end with bad ball joints.
> > >
> > > Alignment second.
> > >
> > > Tires third. No point in putting on new tires with bad ball joints or
out of
> > > alignment.
>



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Re: 97 jeep wrangler mismatched tires causing steering problem??
 

My advice is to air up the tires to the recommended pavement values, and if
you still have problems then jack up the vehicle by the front axle and see
how bad the ball joints are for yourself. Put a crowbar under the tire and
see how far you can move it.

Earle

"bspear78" <bspear78@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1163609744.995705.191980@f16g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...
> Thing is too, that the steering was fine until I had the 2 new tires
> put on, so I am a little confused. If it was the ball joints wouldn't
> that have shown up awhile ago? Or would the new tires have compounded
> the ball joint problem without the alignment?
>
>
> bspear78 wrote:
> > Thanks Steve, makes sense. I'm also running at 25 PSI all around. Is
> > that a good pressure? I was trying to get more traction by lowering the
> > PSI.
> >
> > Steve Foley wrote:
> > > "bspear78" <bspear78@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > > news:1163604960.249333.190820@k70g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> > > > Wondering if anyone could help me out here. I just got 2 new tires
(BFG
> > > > AT 30 x 9.5) put on the back of my jeep. I kept the 2 old ones
> > > > (previously from the back) and put them on the front. also 30 x
9.5's.
> > > > even though there is some tread wear the tire guy said they should
be
> > > > good for another 5-10,000 miles.
> > > >
> > > > In addition, when they went to do an alignment, they said I need new
> > > > ball joints.
> > > >
> > > > The problem now is that when I'm steering the jeep I feel like it is
> > > > wandering a little bit, and not taking corners well at all. feels
like
> > > > the back end wants to slide out.
> > > >
> > > > So, my question is, is this a ball joint problem, alignment, or the
> > > > tires not being matched up or all of the above. What should I get
done
> > > > first? I am on a budget, which is why I opted for only 2 tires,
instead
> > > > of all 4.
> > > >
> > >
> > > Ball Joints first. It's a safety item. Also, you cannot properly align
the
> > > front end with bad ball joints.
> > >
> > > Alignment second.
> > >
> > > Tires third. No point in putting on new tires with bad ball joints or
out of
> > > alignment.
>



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Re: 97 jeep wrangler mismatched tires causing steering problem??
 

My advice is to air up the tires to the recommended pavement values, and if
you still have problems then jack up the vehicle by the front axle and see
how bad the ball joints are for yourself. Put a crowbar under the tire and
see how far you can move it.

Earle

"bspear78" <bspear78@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1163609744.995705.191980@f16g2000cwb.googlegr oups.com...
> Thing is too, that the steering was fine until I had the 2 new tires
> put on, so I am a little confused. If it was the ball joints wouldn't
> that have shown up awhile ago? Or would the new tires have compounded
> the ball joint problem without the alignment?
>
>
> bspear78 wrote:
> > Thanks Steve, makes sense. I'm also running at 25 PSI all around. Is
> > that a good pressure? I was trying to get more traction by lowering the
> > PSI.
> >
> > Steve Foley wrote:
> > > "bspear78" <bspear78@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > > news:1163604960.249333.190820@k70g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> > > > Wondering if anyone could help me out here. I just got 2 new tires
(BFG
> > > > AT 30 x 9.5) put on the back of my jeep. I kept the 2 old ones
> > > > (previously from the back) and put them on the front. also 30 x
9.5's.
> > > > even though there is some tread wear the tire guy said they should
be
> > > > good for another 5-10,000 miles.
> > > >
> > > > In addition, when they went to do an alignment, they said I need new
> > > > ball joints.
> > > >
> > > > The problem now is that when I'm steering the jeep I feel like it is
> > > > wandering a little bit, and not taking corners well at all. feels
like
> > > > the back end wants to slide out.
> > > >
> > > > So, my question is, is this a ball joint problem, alignment, or the
> > > > tires not being matched up or all of the above. What should I get
done
> > > > first? I am on a budget, which is why I opted for only 2 tires,
instead
> > > > of all 4.
> > > >
> > >
> > > Ball Joints first. It's a safety item. Also, you cannot properly align
the
> > > front end with bad ball joints.
> > >
> > > Alignment second.
> > >
> > > Tires third. No point in putting on new tires with bad ball joints or
out of
> > > alignment.
>



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Re: 97 jeep wrangler mismatched tires causing steering problem??
 

I find 25 is too low for my 33x9.5's. The sidewall is too tall for that
low of pressure so the tall skinnies are supposed to be run aired up.
Even off road I have 'never' needed to air down my tires. I always
figured if I can't make something due to traction loss, I would then try
them aired down. 7 years later and I still run them street hard at
about 30 psi and most everyone still tries to get where I am already at
taking photos of them trying to get to me. ;-)

To see the best footprint for 'your' tire and weight combo, you can take
chalk and run a bunch of chalk lines across the tread, then drive in a
straight line, stop and see how much chalk is left. The best footprint
should have about 1/4 to 1/2" showing on the edges or as some folks say,
just enough to slip a credit card in that much between the tire and
road.

If you are wondering if the tire mismatch is affecting the handling, you
can just rotate the good tires to the front and see if that makes any
difference.

You don't say if the brands are the same!!!!

If the brands are different, then your steering will be unsafe as well
as the vehicle is considered unsafe and unfit for the road. If you get
in an accident with off brands of tires on a 4x4, you can be charged
with driving an unsafe vehicle and at least up here in Canada be
'automatically' considered the vehicle at fault in an accident. I was
told this by the OPP and my insurance company. Insurance coverage would
be denied too.

If money is tight, start with the ball joints. Even one side at a time
will help.

If the ball joints weren't worn out, you can do your own alignment.
There is only a toe in adjustment on Jeeps so it can be done quite well
with a tape measure. I use the seam in the tire as my measuring point
and just compare the front seam to seam on the tires with the back
measurement seam to seam. You should have a little less than 1/4" in
the front measurement.

Mike
86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00
88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's
Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view!
Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pi...?id=2115147590
(More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page)

bspear78 wrote:
>
> Thanks Steve, makes sense. I'm also running at 25 PSI all around. Is
> that a good pressure? I was trying to get more traction by lowering the
> PSI.
>
> Steve Foley wrote:
> > "bspear78" <bspear78@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:1163604960.249333.190820@k70g2000cwa.googlegr oups.com...
> > > Wondering if anyone could help me out here. I just got 2 new tires (BFG
> > > AT 30 x 9.5) put on the back of my jeep. I kept the 2 old ones
> > > (previously from the back) and put them on the front. also 30 x 9.5's.
> > > even though there is some tread wear the tire guy said they should be
> > > good for another 5-10,000 miles.
> > >
> > > In addition, when they went to do an alignment, they said I need new
> > > ball joints.
> > >
> > > The problem now is that when I'm steering the jeep I feel like it is
> > > wandering a little bit, and not taking corners well at all. feels like
> > > the back end wants to slide out.
> > >
> > > So, my question is, is this a ball joint problem, alignment, or the
> > > tires not being matched up or all of the above. What should I get done
> > > first? I am on a budget, which is why I opted for only 2 tires, instead
> > > of all 4.
> > >
> >
> > Ball Joints first. It's a safety item. Also, you cannot properly align the
> > front end with bad ball joints.
> >
> > Alignment second.
> >
> > Tires third. No point in putting on new tires with bad ball joints or out of
> > alignment.