I will chwck tire pressures tomorrow. Any recommendation on PSI? I am running 33x10.5x15 KM2's on stock 15x5.5 steelies.
Just like toe-in, this recommendation is for a starting point that you can then tweak as you go until you find the sweet-spot for your particular setup.
Just don't go by the max. pressure listed on the side in this case. On a big truck, or on a tire with a low-pressure rating, maybe. But in most cases modern truck tires are way overkill in their ratings for our weight.
So in the front maybe start at 30 and drive it a bit, then let 2 pounds out at a time until you get to about 24 or so. Probably don't want to go less than that on the front.
For the rear, start at 28 and use the same pattern to reduce it two psi at a time. And not necessarily at the same time as the front either. You might find that your rig likes 30 in the front and 24 in the rear, or you might have a different result.
If those don't give you some happy moments, you can go above the 30 psi range again, just for comparison purposes, but you'll likely settle on the lower numbers initially.
Thinking the tire/wheel combo is not helping with all that extra sidewall ballooning out.
Maybe, maybe not. The tread design definitely makes a difference, but the age and condition of the tire is even more important. But yes, the tire/wheel combination is a big factor always.
Definitely don't lose heart on the existing setup just yet. Wait until you experiment with pressures and toe-in settings.
You can always try the chalk test as well, while you're doing your pressure experiments. The bottom line of course is how it feels, but a common test of proper pressures on any given rig is to see if the wear pattern is spread evenly across the whole tread.
This is effected by the pressure for any given combo. And narrower wheels can tend to need less pressure on lighter vehicles as the weight capacity of the tires is not even taxed with a 4000 lb rig compared to the typical 6,000 to 10,000 lb rigs these were designed to work with.
Run a thick line of chalk across the tread and drive down the street a few hundred yards or so. See where the chalk wears off.
If it's worn in the center and leaves chalk on the outer edges, the pressure is high.
If it's worn all the way to the edge you could add pressure until you see a line.
This is much easier in the rear where the tires are pretty evenly loaded on the street. In the front, your camber is going to make reading towards the edges difficult. But you'll get the hang of it.
Thinking of going to a less aggressive BFG KO All Terrain tire on a wider (16x7 or 16x8) wheel vintique repro wheel.
Should work even better. I forget which size, but if it's less than 12.50" wide, I would tend to stick with the 7" wheels myself. Just a personal preference though, as the 8's are probably within the manufacturers specs too.
Will also check the angles and see if I can adjust anything there.
Good. Critical point in a good driving EB.
You've got the angle of the centerlink pretty dialed it looks like. Just looks like the trackbar angle is shallower than that draglink to me. Let us know what you find.
Paul
