wider offset rims same tires, drives like sh*t.

[fcluddington]

:banghead: well it's a 2001 2500 cummins with a 2" spring lift in the front otherwise stock. After 50,000. miles my Dueler AT's needed replaced. I bought some used rims and powder coated. well they offset out about 3-4" per side compared to oem rims. tires are a 285/70/16. I installed new tires on the diff. rims and had aligned. I can't even keep truck going down highway at 60 with out about crossing center line. it is all over the road. Is all this because of the wider offset? If i have to go back to original rims I will. The truck is not driveable like this, I look like a drunk going down the road, it will randomly go either left or right 2-3 feet. It droove like this after I 2 # lifted it, then aligned fixed. I can't believe they can't align to drive correct. any help much appriciated.

[War Eagle]

If you are using offset wheels then I think you have created at least a 3 or 4 inch moment arm on the wheel assembly on each side of the truck. I think this would not only make the track wider but it will allow the suspension to sag and wonder as the tires grip the road while your are driving. The moment arm basically increases the load on your suspension. The faster you go the worse the felt effect will be. I suspect they were able to align it sitting still ( not sure this shouldn't have been an issue in the alignment process) but the dynamic up and down the suspension goes through as you drive down the road with the tires gripping at the uneven road surface coupled with the moment arm is what is making your truck drive like sh*t.I think you are going to find that you need the change those rims out. IMHO!

[fcluddington]

well I still have my original rims with tires that I am going to install on the front today and see if a difference. I just have seen so many pick ups with a off set like mine that don't have this driving issue. Thanks for the input.

[Wild and Free]

I had the same issue with my 02, 2 different sets of tires on 16 " moto metal rims and the problem went away with factory 17 " rims off a 3rg gen. The offset with the rims being wider on the rig didn't make the rig handle well at all.

[War Eagle]

Some offset rims can over come this issue if the overall width of the rim is made wider (extra rim width goes in the opposite direction of the offset) so the center line of the mass of the rotating wheel assembly is still in the same relative position as the stock wheel setup.

[fcluddington]

Well first I had made a mistake the actual offset is 1.75 in. per wheel. the offset is away from the axle, but to me that isn't much. I put my original same size tires and rims back on and I do not have a constant pull to the right. Only I still have the truck wondering all over the road. 45-65 is the worst. I tried several different surfaces also. bottom Line I think they should be able to get the new rims and tires to work. Because truck drives worse than before. Thanks for input.

[dripley]

What condition is the rest of your front suspension in? Ball joints, tie rod ends and such.

[flagmanruss]

Steering box lash? Cracked steering box mount?

[Mopar1973Man]

Steering box lash? Cracked steering box mount?

That's my thought because if the box is sloppy then the truck is hard to control. If the sector adjustment (or lash) is done properly to take up the slack in the box then the control is maintained. Like right now I've also got a slight offset with my aluminum mags and no issues with wandering even with a RV in tow.

But steering linkage is a sum. So if everything has a bit of slack then there is a lot of slack from the steering wheel to the the axles themselves. Also have to remember that all modifications have a effect to the geometry of the front axles.

[fcluddington]

Ball joints are good, track bar new, not really that much movement in rest of steering. the thing that gets me is before the alignment I had a constant pull to the right started about 3 monthes ago. No weird tire wear just a constant pull. If it is in fact in perfect alignment and the gearbox is allowing it to wonder the road sounds like I will have to look into that. I guess when I told them to align it. I thought they would have checked. 50,000 miles ago when I put all new ball joints and track bar on and the 2in lift in front the truck drove the exact way. I took it in to a reputable place in another city and they were able to align with no problem. I will update once I get resolved thanks for the help guys.if the gearbox was bad or out of adjustment wouldn't it have been wondering the road before the alignment? thats what gets me. Why would they have even aligned it with so much gearbox play I have been told it takes a knowledgeable person to get to drive correctly.

[flagmanruss]

Did you get a 4 wheel alignment? What are you running for tire pressure? If you spred the sidewalls wider with wider rims, are you gettng the correct footprint on the ground?

[Rogan]

Did you get a 4 wheel alignment? What are you running for tire pressure? If you spred the sidewalls wider with wider rims, are you gettng the correct footprint on the ground?

How's that work on a fixed point suspension in the rear? I had 295/75-16s on wide offest 16x10 wheels on my 01. It would definitely wander around and find every imperfection and groove in the road surface, then chase it.. I went back to a 265/75-16 on stock wheel offset and the problem disappeared... POOF!

[fire176969]

Ball joints are good, track bar new, not really that much movement in rest of steering. the thing that gets me is before the alignment I had a constant pull to the right started about 3 monthes ago. No weird tire wear just a constant pull. If it is in fact in perfect alignment and the gearbox is allowing it to wonder the road sounds like I will have to look into that. I guess when I told them to align it. I thought they would have checked. 50,000 miles ago when I put all new ball joints and track bar on and the 2in lift in front the truck drove the exact way. I took it in to a reputable place in another city and they were able to align with no problem. I will update once I get resolved thanks for the help guys. if the gearbox was bad or out of adjustment wouldn't it have been wondering the road before the alignment? thats what gets me. Why would they have even aligned it with so much gearbox play I have been told it takes a knowledgeable person to get to drive correctly.

I took my truck to get an alignment from someone that had been doing alignments for 25 years. Talking to him he seemed to know what he was talking about however I soon found out he had no clue. I watched him turn the steering wheel back and forth until the computer screen said everything was good then print the page and take my truck back outside. He never even looked under it. I had 4 bad ball joints, a bad track bar, and destroyed suspension arm bushings when I took it there and nothing was mentioned and they weren't very happy when they found it out. Sent from my DROID BIONIC using Tapatalk 2

[flagmanruss]

I think the 4 wheel alignment on our trucks would check frame straightness, wear on the rear spring bushings, axles on the springs w/o shifting. I've followed trucks down the road where the rear was not tracking behind the front... stock work trucks, not lifted.

[Rogan]

I think the 4 wheel alignment on our trucks would check frame straightness, wear on the rear spring bushings, axles on the springs w/o shifting. I've followed trucks down the road where the rear was not tracking behind the front... stock work trucks, not lifted.

Yeah, I've see some "dog-walkers" too.. Usually it is bent somethings, or broken pins on the alignment blocks, etc.. :-)

[flagmanruss]

Just a thought... how they set up the alignment... devises on the outside of the rims. Wider rims & greater offset puts the alignment laser further out from the ball joints where the action is. As the tie rod ends swing through their ark, the alignment is supposed to shift. With the offset rims the percent of change changes. You've changed the lever on one side but not the other. So is the greater wheel track messing with the toe in. I don't know the answer but maybe someone here does?

[fcluddington]

Well to answer about the alignment I just had the front end aligned. I have measured from back axles to the front and they are equal. I really think this guy who aligned it put my truck to factory specs. and called it a day. I am not sure if he has the skill to compensate for the offset and 2" front lift which does effect things. I have another person who is real good and I don't know why I didn't just have him do it in the first place. I might just eat the 70 bucks and get my truck to a experienced align guy. The shop I took it to wants to try and keep fixing it I asked for a refund they said no. All I really want is to be able to drive my truck. I thought I was saving time and now this has turned into a 2 week ordeal.

[Haggar]

ahhh, trying to find a front end guy that will shoot straight. I think too many of the newer guys just know how to read the computer, and if it is only telling them half the story, they don't understand suspensions well enough to realize it is only a half answer.I definitely got the guys to do a 4 wheel alignment on mine, as it is (was) a 4WD and wrecked. I wanted to know the relative position of the rear axle to the front axle. (both in parallel offset, and angular) (I have an adjustable track bar.) and all the suspension mounting points were mangled.In a 2wd most of the wear should show up in a normal alignment. On the 4wd the longer 4 link suspension may not show up, as all the steering is in the axle knuckles.It is pretty close, although my thrust angle is still a bit wrong. (I could have some bad rear spring eyes, or my frame is tweaked... lol imagine that.)Keep looking for a good tech. It will take awhile to find them, but don't lose their number when you do!!!Hag

[fcluddington]

Well finally got my truck into the real good alignment man. I was suppose to pick it up yesterday, well he left me a messege to call him asap this am. don't sound real good. will post what I have to end up changing what happens.

[JOHNFAK]

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