Getting pissed with my new truck

Wayne3593 · July 9, 2019

What tires were on your Ford as opposed to the Chevy? Tire size? If they're still using the crappy GY Wrangler tires, I would say that's half the problem. It sounds like a traction issue to me and my locker only engages if traction control is off as it won't generate enough wheel slip otherwise to engage. If I am not mistaken, I believe Ford generally uses a slightly wider tire than GM does. Honestly the only time my truck has slid sideways was to much throttle on the Wrangler tires covered in mud. Once I put the Michelins on, I never had to concern myself with the mud or wet roads. Another factor is that the 8 and 10 speed transmissions offer more aggressive gearing than the 6 speeds from GM and Ford. Combined with lighter weight and more power being multiplied to the wheels as well as tires could be the source of your headaches. You can also try and rent a new F150 and drive it down the same road, just make sure it comes with a 10 speed and see how it behaves. As far as weight in the bed of your truck, I have found that mine has gotten better MPG's on the highway with my bed loaded with camping gear for scouting trips as well as a smoother ride. I do lurk on the Ford truck forums as I really like the STX packaged F150's and seeing how I can find Ford trucks better equipped and cheaper than GM trucks. Let us know what you try!

Wiggums · July 9, 2019

13 hours ago, Wayne3593 said:

What tires were on your Ford as opposed to the Chevy? Tire size? If they're still using the crappy GY Wrangler tires, I would say that's half the problem. It sounds like a traction issue to me and my locker only engages if traction control is off as it won't generate enough wheel slip otherwise to engage. If I am not mistaken, I believe Ford generally uses a slightly wider tire than GM does. Honestly the only time my truck has slid sideways was to much throttle on the Wrangler tires covered in mud. Once I put the Michelins on, I never had to concern myself with the mud or wet roads. Another factor is that the 8 and 10 speed transmissions offer more aggressive gearing than the 6 speeds from GM and Ford. Combined with lighter weight and more power being multiplied to the wheels as well as tires could be the source of your headaches. You can also try and rent a new F150 and drive it down the same road, just make sure it comes with a 10 speed and see how it behaves. As far as weight in the bed of your truck, I have found that mine has gotten better MPG's on the highway with my bed loaded with camping gear for scouting trips as well as a smoother ride. I do lurk on the Ford truck forums as I really like the STX packaged F150's and seeing how I can find Ford trucks better equipped and cheaper than GM trucks. Let us know what you try!

My 2012 F-150 XLT had Michelin tires (don't recall size) and traction on snow was incredible! Best tires I've had on a 4x4. My 2016 F-150 XLT with 302A had the cheap 275/65R15 Wrangler SR-A which really sucked on snow but didn't wear out fast. Strangely, factory Wranglers didn't wear out as fast as ones bought from tire shops as I learned from other forums. The new 2019 Cheyenne Z71 has the 275/60R20 Wrangler TrailRunner AT. There's the cheap Wrangler SR-A at $150 each with 4.0 stars in Goodyear.com and the good TrailRunner AT at $203 each with 4.6 stars in Goodyear.com. I read the reviews on the SR-A and a lot said it was bad for winter, but not with the TrailRunner AT, both branded as Wranglers. So I am sure my 2019 has better tires than my 2016.

When I was younger, I drifted frequently on a 1974 Mercury Comet with the 351W so I know a lot about it. The first time my truck did that, it was on an asphalt road with about two inches of caked dirt on top with many ripples. It was completely straight and I had just turned from another street, so I was slowly accelerating when it happened. My tires were 45 psi from the dealer, way beyond the recommended 32! I had all four reduced to 32 and the next two times it happened, it wasn't as bad as the first one. If I didn't drift when I was younger, I would probably have crashed the first time it happened. The whole back shuddered violently and the rear tires lost traction, not because they were cheap, it has to vibrate at the right point to lose traction. I've learned that going 33 to 35 mph will get it to do that, but not at other speeds, faster or slower.

The locker will not engage at above 25 mph, but all three times, I was accelerating slowly from below 10 mph so it is very likely it remained engaged causing my Cheyenne to fishtail. As long as the transmission stays in the same gear, the locker will not disengage even past 25 mph. The first time it did that, I quickly took my foot off the gas pedal but it was still moving and shuddering, I didn't want to brake but the back end kept swaying to one side and I had the steering wheel in the opposite direction for a good five seconds as it slowed down to stop shuddering and I braked afterwards, probably at 15 mph. The truck was at a 45-degree angle, that really pissed me off. The next two times it happened, it wasn't as severe as the first probably because I had the psi lowered to 32. What if it happened to an inexperienced 18-year-old who has never drifted? That is a recipe for disaster.

Tires won't get traction if it's off the road and I am sure the rear end was off the road about half of the times while the tires shuddered excessively. I have had all four tires in my F-150 shudder wildly but I was able to keep it in control on the dirt road at 65 mph. Been going up and down for over ten years and I know it by heart. Strangely, the rear end of the Cheyenne doesn't vibrate as much when I go faster or slower than 33-35 mph on the rough patches. Like old cars and a tire shaking the car at a certain speed.

HondaHawkGT · July 14, 2019

Comparing your current truck to past trucks doesn't do much good. Your last F-150 could have had a different GVWR and lately Ford has typically been tuning their suspensions to be a little softer and with a larger range of travel. Take a GM truck and an F-150 with the same GVWR and the Ford will sag almost an inch more when both truck carry 1,500+ lbs of weight in the bed. GM sets their 7,000+ lb GVWR trucks to ride level with a lot of load on them. That means a firmer ride on the highway, firmer ride on washboard roads, etc. They're designed for work. Want a better ride on rough dirt roads? You need a softer suspension (lower GVWR truck or softer leaf spring pack) and shocks designed to absorb the energy of a washboard road. The vibration and the back end kicking out (lateral stability) can be a combination of factors. It honestly sounds like you would have been better off in a ZR2.

Wiggums · July 14, 2019

Both GVWRs were almost identical. The Ford F-150 was a bit softer than the Silverado, both on dirt roads and highways. In fact, the Silverado handles better on highways than the F-150, but the F-150 handles better on dirt roads. Some have mentioned the shocks and I do think it is. Twin tubes instead of monotubes found in the Z71 package, other users have mentioned the same situation. The road is all dirt, no rocks. It's strange but I don't run into that problem driving at 55 mph or 25 mph, it's just the right combination of ripples and speed. I haven't run into that problem since then. I drive on dirt roads every day, way more than others, so I am more likely to encounter that than others. I estimate about 200 miles every month is on dirt roads, almost every day.