[D.Camilleri]

I thought that after reading so many people having issues with tread squirm on new tires, it would be good to have a data base on which tires and sizes are problematic.

So, post your size and tire type that you had that eery feeling of tread squirm when new, what it felt like and how long it took to go away.

I will start from way back: 20 years ago I bought a new set of 255/85/16 remington wide brutes, mounted on steel 16x6.5 wheels on a 1970 blazer with a swapped in 6.2 diesel and one ton running gear. The tires scared the crap out of me! I was traveling through N. Ca. from Sacramento to Willits via hiway 20, a winding road. I went into a turn at about 50 mph and it felt like the tires just let go of the road. I stopped, checked the air pressure, all at 50 psi, so I raised it to 60 psi. Went around another turn at about 50 mph and about soiled myself. Finally I figured out that it was the rubber in the tread that hadn't had enough time to fully harden and the tread was laying over (squirming) it wasn't a sidewall issue, just the flex of the tread. It took about 1000 miles and it was gone. Not a good feeling though. I haven't had another set of tires do that to me since, but I am hearing more and more about other people experiencing it. I have heard about a lot of issues with Goodyear Duratracks doing this.

So let's hear what you have to tell.

 

[SKR]

Some Nitto Trail Grapplers do it, and some don't. The ones I had, it never really did go away.

My Interco M-16s do it (33x10.50R17). Put them on 20,000km ago. They might have got a little better, but not much.

 

[LB7Jake]

Had this issue, I had no idea what it was, I was like WTF?! And my dad told me what it was, he told me I should experience virgin tread in an 18 wheeler, that almost a full inch deep of new rubber, talk about squirmish.

 

[65turboman]

My Nitto Trail Grapplers drove a little "squirmish" when they were really new. It took a few thousand miles and lower tire pressures in the rear to improve. After at least 5000 miles + they got much better. Since 10,000 miles they have been great. This is on LT285/70R16 on a 8.5" wheel. I think it was just the tall tread. Lower tire pressure helped me a lot. Great tire once "broke in".

 

[03vorteczr2]

I had the Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S tires. Those ones felt like that for about 1500 miles. After that they started getting a lot better. They were 265/75/16 mounted on pyo's. Pretty crazy feeling for sure.

 

[alleghenyrose]

Michelin

When I replaced the stock tires on my 04 GMC with Michelin LTX LT24575R16's, they were a lot more squirelly.

 

[kcrebel]

Every tire on the market regardless of tread pattern, tire size, etc will be squirrelly when new for a few thousand miles. Doesnt matter if it's on a duramax or a honda civic. Just more pronounced on the heavier vehicles.
I'm running Goodyear Duratracs and I experienced the same issue when they were new for a couple thousand miles. Now they are incredibly stable on the highway, still very quiet considering the tread pattern and have held up quite well so far.
I have run Maxxis Mudders in the past on the same truck which are like the old buckshot mudder tire from years past. Super hard tire that road like a wagon with steel tires and they were just as squirrelly when new.
You just have to remind yourself of this and give the tires a few thousand miles of settling time before getting into them. I've often wondered about the folks you see every day at tire shops loading on new shoes for a long trip. I just cannot even imagine how miserable those first few thousand miles must be for the driver and family.

 

[sanddunesaddict]

my old 84 crew cab.I always ran Michelin LTX M/S 235-85-16...the ass end would feel like this for a few thousand miles

 

[D.Camilleri]

This condition can sometimes be worse with tires that are fresh as opposed to tires that have been sitting on a warehouse shelf for 6 months. Something to due with the way the rubber cures. I have heard tell that if you could let a set of tires age before installing them, the tire would last longer. I don't know if this is true or not, but typically if you were to measure how hard the rubber is on any given tire, it will be harder as it gets older.

I have run many tires that haven't exibited tread squirm: Dick Cepek Fun Country II, Mickey Thompson MTZ, General Grabber A/T2, Michelin M-S2, Nitto Terra Grappler, Firestone Transforce A/t to name a few.

 

[NewD-MaxLLY]

X2 on the Yokohama Geolandar A/T 265 75 16. Not fun to turn the wheel and it goes straight. Wore those out and bought Toyo Open Country AT 2 on PYO's. No problem with being squirrelly.

 

[CrazyMan]

my new 305/70/17 nitto terra grapplers do it bad

 

[mossy]

Every tire on the market regardless of tread pattern, tire size, etc will be squirrelly when new for a few thousand miles.

I agree. Every new set of tires I've ever purchased handled poorly until they've got some miles on them.

 

[rmr]

X2 on the Yokohama Geolandar A/T 265 75 16. Not fun to turn the wheel and it goes straight. Wore those out and bought Toyo Open Country AT 2 on PYO's. No problem with being squirrelly.

Had them on a 01 Dodge Cummins, after I rotated them they
followed every groove on the road, always having to make little
corrections with the steering wheel. I could not believe how just rotating tires could change the way a truck goes down the road that much.

 

[1953drtelco]

I thought there was something wrong with my truck when I installed a new set of Goodyear Wranglers on my truck. At first I thought there was something wrong with the rims since I upgraded from the stock 16's on my 05 to a set of stockers from an 08. With the 17" rims I went with the 265's and the truck was all over the road. It was a bit better when towing my boat and trailer, but on a empty load it wasn't fun. My son thought there was something wrong with the truck the first time he drove the truck....I was glad the problem disappeared after a few runs to the river...

 

[dist3allaround]

Had a set of Toyo A/T's last year and they were real squirmy with a trailer on them and would grab every freaking grove in the road loaded or unloaded. I went to these from Michelin M/S2's. Those never gave us any problems at all. I went to Goodyear Commercial Traction T/A's and they have not given me any grief at all either.

 

[John Deere Boy]

Falken Rocky Mountain 265/75/16 still have terrible squirm with at lest 10,000 miles on them. 75psi. I just bought a set of H2's...can't wait to ditch the falkens.

 

[duramaxman05]

I never really had this problem in a car or truck or at least I never notice it. But on the other hand when I drove a truck with new drive tires, oh yeah definately squirrely. Matter fact I jumped in the mack a few months ago with an empty side dump trailer. Did notice it at first until I was tooling down the road about 60mph and come around the curve and I about crapped my pants. I was like oooohhh ****, its coming around. It was like you were driving on ice. Once I got it loaded it wasnt as bad, but still wasnt very fun to drive. Until they got broke in, absolutely no fun to drive unless you like excitement.

 

[TheBac]

Every tire on the market regardless of tread pattern, tire size, etc will be squirrelly when new for a few thousand miles. Doesnt matter if it's on a duramax or a honda civic. Just more pronounced on the heavier vehicles.

You just have to remind yourself of this and give the tires a few thousand miles of settling time before getting into them. I've often wondered about the folks you see every day at tire shops loading on new shoes for a long trip. I just cannot even imagine how miserable those first few thousand miles must be for the driver and family.

^^ This!

I go thru rear tires on my worktruck every 17,000-19,000 miles, so I get to experience this quite often (a 6.7 Cummins in a "light" medium-duty box truck will do that to tires). The waffle-tread retreads we put on are BAD squirrelly for the first week or so (~1000 miles), then they seem to settle in and drive straight.

I had a set of 265 Coopers on my red truck that were unstable to start with, then wore in. The 285 Hankooks on my blue truck have been fine since the day I bought them.

 

[johnny6.6]

Worst in my experience was when I put on a set of Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armors. I still remember pulling out of the shop and took my first corner. It was so bad I pulled over to the side of the road because I was certain they didn't tighten the lug nuts enough and a wheel was about to come off. But all was tight. It was terrible for the first few thousand plus I grew accustomed. They did stick like a cat on carpet in the snow though. Since both those qualities are mutually inclusive. My Cooper Discoverer At3's mind you, had no such squirm ever. Very tight. But their traction dropped off sooner and they were inferior from the get go in the snow.

 

[Dmax 5th Wheel]

My Michelin LTX M/S2s they were squirelly when towing or hauling. My Michelin LTX A/T2s werent squirelly.