After we had our new tires put on the steering seems to be extra sensitive,every time you drive over a small bump etc..Took it to Johnson Tire for an alignment but they decided it didn't need one.Took it to Clayton Imports to have steering box tightened but they said that the steering box was fine but that that the ball joints were binding.Took it back to Johnson since we had them replace the ball joints in Sept. but they said we needed different tires (radial instead of all terrain) Went today to have diff. tires put on at Johnson but the owner was in and my husband asked her why we needed new tires since the one's we had installed (at Walmart) were the correct one's according to Ford (LT265/75/R16),they were going to put on LT245/75R16's today BUT my husband showed the shop owner the number on the inside of our truck and after that she told everyone there that he did not need any tires. So,tomorrow he's supposed to come in and they will put in on the lift and see.If it's the ball joints shouldn't they fix it for free since it's still under warranty? Any ideas on what else it could be? It's nothing major as far as the steering goes but just enough to notice every once in a while. Just in case-does Brain do this kind of work?
Set the air to what the badge on the door frame says, it should be right next to the size that you husband showed Mrs. Johnson. Aftermarket ball joints do bind on occasion which can cause the symptom you are describing. I'd suggest you get either Mrs. Johnson or the frond end technician to take a test drive with you and make sure they feel what you are talking about - what speed, what type of road surface. That way, they can drive it again over the same road and make sure the symptom doesn't surface again. If you can't duplicate the problem during test drives and visual inspection of the ball joints doesn't show any problems it might be hard to detect what is causing your issue. Intermittent problems can be one of the toughest things shops deal with, so its very important to be persistent and not replace any parts as a "guess". Keep coming back and trying again until you can make it happen with someone from the shop. Brian can definitely do ball joints if that is the cause but I'm not sure if he has an alignment machine. If he doesn't, just ask him who he recommends for that service... Maybe he can even handle having it done for you while he's doing your service - that way you can deal with only one service provider. Good luck.
Good call. I noticed a similar effect when I went from 'P' to 'LT' on my truck. the passenger tires required 35 psi and the light truck required 60 psi. I expected a little extra bounce, but it was a trade off for better off road durability. Sounds like the OP's truck had LT tires from the OEM, but a more aggressive tread pattern could account for the nervousness. Also, sounds like cycleman1979 knows his stuff. Solid advice.
Just wanted to provide a quick update: Went to have the truck looked at the other day,it was put on the lift,checked ball joints,steering,both were fine.Took a test drive on 70 and 210.Checked pressure.The tire on the front passenger side had more pressure than it should have and more than the other three,they adjusted that. Mrs.Johnson went on the test drive herself,she determined that it did not need an alignment. I'm hoping that the adjusted tire pressure did the trick! Thanks once again for all the great advice!!
