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OK- Bias tsl swamp owners...have a driving down the road question

J

jakeslim

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I have recently got my k5 road worthy again and I am now getting to "feel" the "gentle" ride my 38" swamps(non radial) are giving me. I do have a question though regarding what i am experiencing..

1) When I start driving I am gettin a pretty sizable rumble and shake. This smooths out at aroun 40 mph....is this the tires? I ask because I don't know if its the driveshaft, tires, alignment or all of the above! Since it does smooth out, I was thinking it was the tires...

any thoughts?
 
How do the tires normally handle on the road (before the shaking) and what size of lift do you have? Im trying to find something for my truck.
 
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ride like supreme ass

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/forums/images/graemlins/histerical.gif /forums/images/graemlins/histerical.gif

Its ok if its just the tires, but how the hell can you figure out what else is shaken or vibing with these!?!
hmmmm....
anyone else?
 
i have a 6 inch ROUGH country lift. So put that with my 38's and you have quite a ride /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif
 
I dont mean to keep hi-jacking your post but would 38 TSL's be okay for a daily driver/trail tire for me? I hit mud, and other stuff.
 
that's what mine will be...well i intend to drive it majority of the week.....so sure. If I wanted a soft ride I would have put marshmellows under it(or bds) /forums/images/graemlins/woot.gif
 
I'll probaly getting BDS springs and a shackle flip. Does your tires have alot of clearance with the fenders with the 6in lift?
 
well, i am anti-trim so I will wait and see if I have clearance problems. Since I will not be going up the rubicon anytime soon i should be ok for now. I will most likely throw a 2" body lift on it at some point to help with clearance.
 
Okay thanks, I hope I wasn't too much of a hassal to you, but you really helped alot. Thanks /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif
 
Borrow some street tires from someone and take a ride

I'mma drive my truck all the time and just gut out the [darn] ride

I used to run Rough Country, now I'm on Tough.... Country I hope it improves ride

Rough Country, Tuff Country, Buff Country, Stuff Country, Fluff Country....
 
Yes it is normal.. Bias tires get a "Flat spot" when setting.. Then once they warm up it goes away.. /forums/images/graemlins/yikes.gif
 
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well, i am anti-trim so I will wait and see if I have clearance problems. Since I will not be going up the rubicon anytime soon i should be ok for now. I will most likely throw a 2" body lift on it at some point to help with clearance.

[/ QUOTE ]I am an "anti-trim" guy myself and will never do it on my K5...ever! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif But to clear 38" TSL's I think you are going to need more than a 6" lift to miss the fenders. I have 10" and could clear 38's but they would be tucked. hipinion and I are planning to take his up to about 11" to clear his 38's.
 
Welcome to our little club, I like to call it.............

My tires are square blocks till they warm up club.


Perfectly normal with a bias ply tire. Give it a month with daily driving and you wont even notice it anymore /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

Just make sure all your fillings are good, or you'll be going to the dentist when they fall out. /forums/images/graemlins/yikes.gif /forums/images/graemlins/hack.gif
 
Mine are funny. They never really flat spot that I can notice, and they vibrate a little at low speed, but on the highway they're smooth as silk, just louder than hell.
 
Man, when I had my 42s on I never had any of the complaints you all do, or at least the didnt bother me. They werent loud, rode good, and were AWESOME!! /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif Man I want to put the back on!!
 
hey now /forums/images/graemlins/rotfl.gif I'm not complaining, I just wanted to be sure it was not my driveshaft or something else /forums/images/graemlins/peace.gif. I did a boat load of work to it before I started driving her /forums/images/graemlins/woot.gif /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I am gettin a pretty sizable rumble and shake. This smooths out at aroun 40 mph....is this the tires

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes it is. I was running 38 TSL's on my DD and they did the exact same thing. The reason is that bias tires do not stay "round" unless they are warmed up. They will sit and get a flat spot over night. Also, bias tires "push" down the road more than "roll" like a radial until they are warmed up. If you were to take a high speed camera and film a bias tire, you would see what almost looks like a little "wave" of rubber as the tire rolls. Once the tire warms up it starts to smooth out, but that "wave" is always there. Bias tires definitely have different runability and driving charachteristics than radials. When I run radials, the morning bump'n'grind is gone. I have a set of 35's BFG AT's for DD and I keep my 38's for off road use.
 
sqare blocks /forums/images/graemlins/histerical.gif /forums/images/graemlins/histerical.gif i think the smaller the tire size the worse it is. my 38's and 40's were never as bad as my 33's.it must get to the flat spot faster with the smaller distance it has to travel /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/k5.gifto /forums/images/graemlins/truck.gif
 
I drive on 38.5" TSLs (bias ply) and because I'm so damn stubborn I was able to get them to ride REALLY nice and smooth.

Here's a simple test:

Air the tires up to a normal pressure (I run 17 psi on the street) and drive around long enough to get the tires warm and "round" (HA HA). Then, pull it onto the driveway and get it up on jackstands while the tires are still warm.

Spin each tire by hand and fix your stare across the top edge of the tire as it rotates.....the tire tread should pass through your field of vision with no obvious "dips" or "bulges". On my truck, when I did this test my front tire had about a 1/4" dip where the tread was non-round...even when they were warm.

No amount of balancing is going to smooth out something like that....so I had mine "trued" on what amounts to a glorified "tire lathe". It works slick as heck, and the truck runs AMAZINGLY smooth at highway speeds now. I have told the story before about how I can now drive at 75MPH with one hand casually resting on the wheel. No drama, and no vibes!!! /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif


It's possible to make the TSLs run "true".....but most people don't want to spend the time and money especially if it's mostly a trail vehicle. /forums/images/graemlins/thinking.gif
 
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