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.

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.

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

That might be why you feel like you are wandering in the rear around
corners. I would suggest a street pressure of about 29lbs. for a 30 x9.5 x
15 tire.

That is only 4psi more than you are using, but it might make a slight
difference. Also, check your gauge. If your guage is high, your tire
pressure is lower than you think.

Tom

"bspear78" <bspear78@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1163606603.870175.241300@m7g2000cwm.googlegro ups.com...
> 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??
 

That might be why you feel like you are wandering in the rear around
corners. I would suggest a street pressure of about 29lbs. for a 30 x9.5 x
15 tire.

That is only 4psi more than you are using, but it might make a slight
difference. Also, check your gauge. If your guage is high, your tire
pressure is lower than you think.

Tom

"bspear78" <bspear78@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1163606603.870175.241300@m7g2000cwm.googlegro ups.com...
> 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??
 

That might be why you feel like you are wandering in the rear around
corners. I would suggest a street pressure of about 29lbs. for a 30 x9.5 x
15 tire.

That is only 4psi more than you are using, but it might make a slight
difference. Also, check your gauge. If your guage is high, your tire
pressure is lower than you think.

Tom

"bspear78" <bspear78@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1163606603.870175.241300@m7g2000cwm.googlegro ups.com...
> 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??
 

The factory door sticker on my '02 TJ, with original factory 30 x 9.5 x 15
Goodyear GSA Wrangler tires was 29 lbs.

Tom

"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.
>

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

The factory door sticker on my '02 TJ, with original factory 30 x 9.5 x 15
Goodyear GSA Wrangler tires was 29 lbs.

Tom

"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.
>

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

The factory door sticker on my '02 TJ, with original factory 30 x 9.5 x 15
Goodyear GSA Wrangler tires was 29 lbs.

Tom

"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.
>

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

mabar wrote:

> That is only 4psi more than you are using, but it might make a slight
> difference.

Slight difference? HUGE difference. I run 30x9.5's on factory rims,
and run 32 psi on the street. The handling difference from the OEM spec
of 29 psi is astounding. Easier steering and better mileage as well,
while maintaining excellent traction in the rain. Big tires like this
generate a lot of rolling resistance and internal heat can be a problem,
even if you've invested in very high quality rubber.

When in doubt, air it up. If you're running decent quality tires to
begin with, traction will never be a problem.

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

mabar wrote:

> That is only 4psi more than you are using, but it might make a slight
> difference.

Slight difference? HUGE difference. I run 30x9.5's on factory rims,
and run 32 psi on the street. The handling difference from the OEM spec
of 29 psi is astounding. Easier steering and better mileage as well,
while maintaining excellent traction in the rain. Big tires like this
generate a lot of rolling resistance and internal heat can be a problem,
even if you've invested in very high quality rubber.

When in doubt, air it up. If you're running decent quality tires to
begin with, traction will never be a problem.