I always have rearend traction issues with my 2002 Sierra rcsb with the 4.3. I guess its because it is so light? I always spin the tires in the rain under 20 mph, and even on dry pavement, it is easy to spin the tires.

I have 265/75/16 Hankooks on there now, and I used to have 265/70/16 Dominators (sucky tire btw). Its hard for me to believe that all the rcsb trucks are like this, as it could be a serious safety issue if it happened to a bad driver.

Are you sure you are not running spare tires off of a Toyota Prius?

Check your front fenders for even hieght adjustment on the torsion bars. If one is drooping it will unload the opposite rear corner and prevent good traction.

Vernon

Are you sure you are not running spare tires off of a Toyota Prius?
Last time I checked, 265's weren't exactly Prius tires. ;)
Check your front fenders for even height adjustment on the torsion bars. If one is drooping it will unload the opposite rear corner and prevent good traction.

Vernon
Its a 2wd half ton. It doesn't have torsion bars. I will measure the front fenders, although if they are drooping, it is very slight, not noticeable to the naked eye.

Just checked and the front passenger side is at 34.25 inches and the driver is at 33.5 inches. The tire pressures are 35 front and 28 rear. The driver front tire bulges more due to the weight.

Anything I could check since I have coil springs and no torsion bars?

We have a similar long box truck at work. I drove our shop truck daily on an off for a long time while i was hop scotching from one truck to the next. I have 2 possible explanations for your issue. I mean no dis respect and im being 110% serious. Either your hangook tires are an issue( you never mentioned which hangook they were). Or you lack the patience required to drive a 4.3L truck and your foot is to frequently very close to the floor mat.

He's running the RF10 Dynapro ATM, and I believe that is a large contributor to the traction issues. A low torque, lightweight truck such as his would perform more "predictably" with a tire that has smaller treadblocks and more voids. I like the RF10 a lot on high torque, heavy trucks.
So far, there has been no mention of air pressure, nor what ply rating was chosen.

It could be tires although it has been the same with the last 2 sets. I don't believe it is my driving as I take it very very slow to 20 mph in the rain...

Just checked and the front passenger side is at 34.25 inches and the driver is at 33.5 inches. The tire pressures are 35 front and 28 rear. The driver front tire bulges more due to the weight.

Anything I could check since I have coil springs and no torsion bars?

I've spent some time tuning suspensions for static rear axle traction. This information leads me to think it could be two things. I agree that tires can make or break traction but I assuming that tires are not the issue here.

1 - If you are sure the drivers side tire is bulging more than the passenger side and that fender hieght is lower then the most likely reason is that your truck wasn't parked on level ground when you measured and the D/S front was on a higher point than the P/S front increasing it's share of the load to a majority. Or the D/S rear spring is sagging and that would be obvious by looking at the back and or measuring hieghts there.

2 - I don't know how you could tell by looking that one identical tire is bulging more than the other with similar pressures and weights unless there's something wrong with the tire or the wieght load is drastically different. Assuming it just looks fatter on one side than the other and the fender heights are indicating a true unequal load then here's the things to look into. Keep in mind that with a single driver and no passengers the situation you have will be even worse. Have a friend sit behind the wheel and remeasure to see what I mean. Your situation where the LF corner is drooping is the worst case because drive shaft torque unloads the opposite RR corner by twisting it up and the suspension will teeter on the RF and LR giving you a no traction RR drive wheel that just floats and spins.

Has the truck ever been in a accident where frame or suspension damage was possible? Also look over the bushings and pivot points for excess wear or damage. This goes for front and rear on the LH side. If you find any address that first.

If everything looks ok then you have an issue with springs. If the rear isn't leaning more than the front it's front springs. A fast and cheap fix if it works would be to purchase a couple coil spring boosters that twist into the coils and expand it. Two placed at opposite side of the LF spring will increase it's load and raise that corner and load the RR tire more. The next thing to do would be swap the front springs from side to side. This will probably bring the truck close to level with a driver and if so will increase the traction considerably due to more of the load being pushed onto the RR counter acting the drive shaft twist. If cost and labor are not an issue get some new springs and put the longest if perceptable on the LF. If you can find a race shop such as circle track or road racing you can check the springs and put the stiffer at an equal height on the LF.

To go further you can do what I did to easily and cost effectively redistribute some weight and move the battery to the optional second battery location of the RH rear fender against the firewall. This moves 35-40 lbs. from the far edge of the heaviest corner of the truck to the lightest side and behind the front axle as far as reasonable keeping it under hood. This requires a RH (AUX) battery tray and hardware from the dealer parts and a new battery cable(s). I measured from the starter up to the battery and got a new side post cable from NAPA that fit. Seems like since I already had dual batterys the negative was already there. But in your case you could relocate your NEG cable or get a new one and run it down to the block on that side or use a starter stud bolt like Ford does. Take the short positive off the junction box and that's it. This isn't really as hard as you might think and by going to a single battery in this location on my big truck it made a significant difference in handling and traction. From the factory these trucks have all the weight in the worst place. Ford has done at least one thing right by mounting all primary batterys in the best place to distribute load. Not only will this increase static load on the RR it helps increase turning speed, control, shorten stopping distance, and improves ride. I spent about $60 doing this because I replaced my rusty AUX tray.

Vernon

The whole drivers side is leaning. I did some research and it apparently is common. (Infamous Chevy Lean) I did measure with a full tank of fuel. I do need to replace my rear leaf spring bushings due to age, but I don't think that is the issue.

The truck was in an accident when my cousin owned it, but I don't believe it was that bad, as he had to scramble to get it fixed in a couple days when my aunt and uncle went to visit him at college.

I can get more measurements for you if it would help, or if you think this is normal with a light single cab truck, I can live with it.

I wouldn't know about normal but if you can live with it and it's effect on your traction I know I can. It is fixable by the ways I mentioned if that's what you decide to do.

Vernon

I appreciate it. I will try your suggestions. Thanks man!

No problem.

Vernon