BFG A/T Tires - question

RaptorEnthusiast · Oct 29, 2016

I'm a recent 2013 Raptor owner and am still learning and getting used to driving a truck (been driving sedans and compact cars) my whole life.

Long story short, I noticed the tires especially on the hwy ride a bit bumpy so to speak. I noticed some vibrations so I took them in and got them all balanced. It's much better now but I still notice the tires don't seem to ride as smooth on the hwy compared to a sedan.

Stupid question but are the BFG A/T tires naturally "louder" than sedan tires? And they ride a bit bumpier than regular car tires?

The axles are fine and rims aren't bent.

Any insight on this would be appreciated.

Thanks

David

NE Ford · Oct 29, 2016

Those are all terrain tires on a full size pickup truck which will ride significantly different then highway or even all season tires on a sedan.

The BFG AT is probably the most common tire used on these trucks (when replacing the OE tires).

RaptorEnthusiast · Oct 29, 2016

NE Ford said:
Those are all terrain tires on a full size pickup truck which will ride significantly different then highway or even all season tires on a sedan.

The BFG AT is probably the most common tire used on these trucks (when replacing the OE tires).

By different, would that be aligned with the "bumpiness" and loud noise I was indicating?

Thanks

CoronaRaptor · Oct 29, 2016

With those tires you need to rotate them every oil change to prevent "cupping", a lot of dealers will switch the front to the back and visa versa , but they should be rotated as per the manual in the glovebox. The tires should ride smooth without issues, as yours are most likely not new, rotating them frequently may help the ride in the long term until you upgrade to ko2s

2014RubyRed · Oct 29, 2016

It's not a sedan. It's a truck with a much different suspension. The AT tires are made for a wide range of driving surfaces so they will sacrifice a little compared to a street tire. You will get used to it.

RaptorEnthusiast · Oct 29, 2016

CoronaRaptor said:
With those tires you need to rotate them every oil change to prevent "cupping", a lot of dealers will switch the front to the back and visa versa , but they should be rotated as per the manual in the glovebox. The tires should ride smooth without issues, as yours are most likely not new, rotating them frequently may help the ride in the long term until you upgrade to ko2s

What is "cupping"?

The tires are practically brand new (as far as tread goes and looks).

David

---------- Post added at 10:10 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:08 PM ----------

CoronaRaptor said:
With those tires you need to rotate them every oil change to prevent "cupping", a lot of dealers will switch the front to the back and visa versa , but they should be rotated as per the manual in the glovebox. The tires should ride smooth without issues, as yours are most likely not new, rotating them frequently may help the ride in the long term until you upgrade to ko2s

Also what's are ko2s?

CoronaRaptor · Oct 29, 2016

Cupping only happens on the front tires and it's the outside edge of the tires usual that this happens to.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XG2mmIcQRIA

WRCRaptor · Oct 29, 2016

Cupping is on the inside edge for Raptors. If you run you hand along the edge of the tire you will feel that one side of the tread block is higher then the other indicating cupping. Another way to describe it is the blocks look like a series of waves. Rotating helps to prevent it but once it starts it's no really reversible.

Cupping can cause some bounce but if it is really bouncy it could be worn out shocks, bushings or upper or lower ball joints. The shocks on these trucks do ware out millages vary depending on use. I ran mine until 80k and that was about 20k to long. My upper a arm/ball joint was toast at 75k.

It is possible to have tires go bad get a road force balance to verify the tires. As stated BFG AT tires are a bit louder then a car tire when new but should not be noticeably loud. I would find a reputable shop to give the suspension and tire a good look over to start.

By the way how many miles do you have on the truck and are they to original tires?

RaptorEnthusiast · Oct 30, 2016

WRCRaptor said:
Cupping is on the inside edge for Raptors. If you run you hand along the edge of the tire you will feel that one side of the tread block is higher then the other indicating cupping. Another way to describe it is the blocks look like a series of waves. Rotating helps to prevent it but once it starts it's no really reversible.

Cupping can cause some bounce but if it is really bouncy it could be worn out shocks, bushings or upper or lower ball joints. The shocks on these trucks do ware out millages vary depending on use. I ran mine until 80k and that was about 20k to long. My upper a arm/ball joint was toast at 75k.

It is possible to have tires go bad get a road force balance to verify the tires. As stated BFG AT tires are a bit louder then a car tire when new but should not be noticeably loud. I would find a reputable shop to give the suspension and tire a good look over to start.

By the way how many miles do you have on the truck and are they to original tires?

My truck has 38,500 miles on it and I bought it certified with new tires a little over a month ago. The balancing did improve the sounds and vibrations significantly.

Truck rides pretty nicely but I just didn't know how smooth the tires are supposed to ride on the road and hwy. If I listen closely while driving on the hwy, I can hear a subtle high pitched whirring from the rear tires. Is that normal because they are BFG AT?

And if I roll slowly in bumper to bumper traffic it feels as if the rear tires are rolling over really minor pebbles if that makes sense. In other words it's as if every contour of the road can be felt when rolling idle or slowly. Does this make sense?

WRCRaptor · Oct 30, 2016

If they are new tires then cupping is unlikely. Did the new tires get road force balanced? That style of balancing would show if the tire is to far out of round from the manufacturing stand point. Some tire noise is normal. The shocks could be worn at that mileage and can be rebuilt. As for the low speed sensitivity you are describing that seems odd. It is possible you are overly aware of this because you are use to cars. Check air pressure also I run 44-46

BFG A/T Tires - question

RaptorEnthusiast

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NE Ford

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CoronaRaptor

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2014RubyRed

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CoronaRaptor

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WRCRaptor

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