If cupped tires not covered by Ford, what would you buy?

[Jeffrey Travis]

Bought my '03 ST used in August '05 - front tires severely cupped. I have done two things - moved them to the back, turned up the radio. This has kind of resolved it, for now.

I am taking the ST to Ford tonite for them to look over various things tomorrow, will hopefully get them to cover some new tires but I am not holding my breath. If they do not spring, what tires are suggested that would match to stock size? I also plan on putting new shocks on (Monroe Reflex or Rancho RSX).

Appreciate any feedback.

 

[EddieS'04]

for mostly street service I would get the yokahoma geaolander HT/S G051....they have 8.5 to 9 ratings at tirerack.com...I have used other yok styles on other cars and they have been dependeble and priced right....for off road I will let others chime in, Iam not an offroader....

 

[Andy G]

Whether you get new tires or not,



Change the shocks, get it aligned and see what happens. Monroe Reflex are good.



I have heard a theory that much of the cupping is caused by excessive oscillation in the suspension, and good shocks reduce this.



The shocks that Fords puts on the ST are really really really really really really crappy......



As far as good tires, BFGs are always good IMO, Dualler Revos get pretty high regard around here too...



Me personally, I would match the stock size. I never was one to put oversized tires on my trucks. I do too much highway driving....

 

[Gerald Pierce]

My Coopers were starting to cup, most likely due to the bad shocks and the fact that I waited to long to rotate once. I cross rotated front to rear and swapped the rears when putting them on the front and it seems to have worked the cupping out of the tires. Of course, they were just starting, but I think I saved them.

 

[Chris Taylor]

Michelin LTX M/S. I've got 60,000 on them right now with no complaints. Will probably replace at about 70,000 with the same tire.

 

[TrainTrac]

I dealt with this issue at the dealer just this week. They only cover this issue for 12 months, 12K miles.



My tires are cupping, and I only have 32K miles on the Trac. When I replace them, I'll probably get Goodyear Fortera Silent Armors. These seem to be the best highway SUV tire on the market right now. The Michelin Cross Terrain is close, but all the research I've found indicates that the Fortera Silent Armor is better.

 

[Hal S]

I'm only at 36k with the stock Michelin cross terrains, but my tire wear is perfect.



I've only aligned it once (around 4k), but I rotate (using the Ford recommended x-pattern) and re-balance religiously.



I see cupping on Chevys, Dodges, imports, as well as Fords, iy doesn't seem to matter what brand is on it, if the alignment is off, once the cupping starts there's no stopping it.

 

[Dre L]

"Pirelli Scorpion STRa" tires. Check them out.



Oh, and definitely new shocks.

 

[Eduardo Bailey]

Hey travis, aside from all the excellent info here, let me add some more. Some tires wear in a rounded fashion and that aids in poor wear on the tires part. Good tires like some Michelins and some Goodyears run on flat belts. Michelin incorporated an X type tire that runs flat on the street. I used the X one and other Michelins on my Aerostar, which, theoretically was known for chewing up tires. I now have Goodyear Wrangler AS/T's on my ST as replacements for the Wrangler RT/S's that came with the vehicle. No prob on any of those tires. I cannot recommend the AS/T's to you because they are "LT" rated. I left the "P" tire world in favor of the LT because here in ND, you need tough tires. So, here's what I would do: Check your tire wear history, check your shocks, check your alignment (in some cases, you can lay down in front of your truck [hopefully in your driveway] and see how your tires are standing. If they are flat and straight up and down, then the misalignment may be minimal), check your tire pressure. Make sure it is not too high. The sidewalls can be misleading and cause you to over inflate the tire. In fact, my first tire rotation showed cupping and the reason was overinflation. Hope this helps.

 

[Terry Schultz]

There was an earlier post about our ST --- an alinement (sp) per spec or one perferred --- both by Ford.



Terry

 

[David Torres]

Had the same problem on my '04 and dealer said it was the alignment. Moved cupped tires to the rear and had front alignment done (I had to pay for alignment). So far I've put 6K miles on it and the cupping hasn't occurred again.