Lifted 2014 explore sport eating tires

[Ben Cregger]

I have awd Explorer sport, I lifted it about a month ago and went up 2 tire sizes. I think something about the AWD system is eating at the front tires. Every time I make a sharp slow turn you can hear the wheels chirping and the tires are being worn down at an alarming rate, anyone else have experienced this or know if there is anything I can do with out having to go back down to OEM size.

 

[peterk9]

I have awd Explorer sport, I lifted it about a month ago and went up 2 tire sizes. I think something about the AWD system is eating at the front tires. Every time I make a sharp slow turn you can hear the wheels chirping and the tires are being worn down at an alarming rate, anyone else have experienced this or know if there is anything I can do with out having to go back down to OEM size.

Welcome to the Forum.
What tire size did you install?

Peter

 

[Ben Cregger]

275 55 20. I would upload a photo but can't figure it out.

 

[peterk9]

That size is just over twice the accepted 3% maximum diameter variance at 6.2%. While that may not be the reason for your issue it will put undo strain on the suspension parts and brake system such as the ABS which is programmed to operate with the factory setup.
https://www.tacomaworld.com/tirecalc?tires=255-50r20-275-55r20
To post pictures you will have to find a 3rd party hosting site or take out a $20 Elite membership which allows you to post directly from your device using the Forum's uploading feature.

Peter

 

[supr squirrel]

I have awd Explorer sport, I lifted it about a month ago and went up 2 tire sizes. I think something about the AWD system is eating at the front tires. Every time I make a sharp slow turn you can hear the wheels chirping and the tires are being worn down at an alarming rate, anyone else have experienced this or know if there is anything I can do with out having to go back down to OEM size.

1) When you say tires being worn down at an alarming rate are you talking inside, outside or generally all across the tire? Any time you change the suspension (raise, lower, etc) you're best to have the vehicle realigned afterwards to either lessen or avoid issues like this. If you can show us photos perhaps someone who is better schooled in this than I (I know enough to get by, there are some really smart people here) can jump in and offer up some suggestions.

2) You can use a hosting service like One Drive to host your pictures and then use the 'media' tab to insert your links. The actual 'image' tab at the top is for Elite Explorers and allows this site to host said images and directly upload to the post. It's only $20 a year and helps support the site (and makes sharing images easier, as well.) If you hold off until around the holidays you can usually get a '2 years for the price of 1' deal (so $20 for 2 years) and it ends up costing less than a dollar a month for the simplicity of sharing and as an added bonus no ads.

Finally, welcome to the forum.

 

[Ben Cregger]

Its mainly been the outer edge of the tire. I did have it aligned at the shop after I installed the spacers.

 

[RangerX]

Did you stay with the stock rims, or get aftermarket rims.

 

[Ben Cregger]

stock

 

[Ben Cregger]

..

 

[blwnsmoke]

My guess is that because you went too wide with the factory rims, the outer edge has more play in it flexing when cornering/turning.

 

[KayGee]

I don't know how your lift affected your vehicle's tire wear characteristics and it may end up eating tires faster than before it was lifted, but you should be able to tweak the alignment to at least even out the wear and maybe reduce it some. You should be able to tweak camber and maybe make a toe adjustment also (if it's feathering), to get the wear more even across the tire. Talk to your tire/alignment guy and see what they say and might be able to do.

 

[Ben Cregger]

would the alignment cause the front tire to chirp as I make slow sharp corners as in when I turn into a parking sport or a sharp right at a stop sign? I was thinking maybe something in the computer is making the tires spin at the wrong rate. Its a lot like my wrangler use to do with the locker engaged.

 

[KayGee]

I don't mess with lifted stuff, but it could be something binding in the driveline or it could be a toe issue causing your tires to scrub differently from each other that is causing the chirp.

Find a good tire/alignment guy that knows their stuff and they should be able to sort it for you or direct you on where to go next if it isn't an alignment issue.

 

[peterk9]

would the alignment cause the front tire to chirp as I make slow sharp corners as in when I turn into a parking sport or a sharp right at a stop sign? I was thinking maybe something in the computer is making the tires spin at the wrong rate. Its a lot like my wrangler use to do with the locker engaged.

All the programs for ABS and perhaps Traction Control are set up for the factory tire size. The fact that you have more than doubled the accepted tire diameter variance may have something to do with it. In the 2016 and 17 Explorers there are pre-programmed acceptable sizes that can be selected to update the modules.

Peter

 

[KayGee]

All the programs for ABS and perhaps Traction Control are set up for the factory tire size. The fact that you have more than doubled the accepted tire diameter variance may have something to do with it. In the 2016 and 17 Explorers there are pre-programmed acceptable sizes that can be selected to update the modules.

Peter

Some AWD vehicles are more picky about tire diameters than others, but generally as long as all tires match (same diameter) that should prevent issues as the feedback the computers get will be consistent and you shouldn't be causing unnecessary wear/damage to any driveline components. When you have mismatch tires that are different diameter front to back or side to side, that's when you start causing unnecessary wear/damage to driveline components and ABS/other errors due to mismatched wheel speeds.

The bigger problem is the lift has changed the driveline angles and could be inducing a bind at some point, or the alignment isn't ideal for the lift which is causing the premature tire wear and chirping. As long as there isn't any driveline bind, the tire wear and chirping should be able to be corrected/mitigated by altering the alignment.

 

[peterk9]

Some AWD vehicles are more picky about tire diameters than others, but generally as long as all tires match (same diameter) that should prevent issues as the feedback the computers get will be consistent and you shouldn't be causing unnecessary wear/damage to any driveline components. When you have mismatch tires that are different diameter front to back or side to side, that's when you start causing unnecessary wear/damage to driveline components and ABS/other errors due to mismatched wheel speeds.

The bigger problem is the lift has changed the driveline angles and could be inducing a bind at some point, or the alignment isn't ideal for the lift which is causing the premature tire wear and chirping. As long as there isn't any driveline bind, the tire wear and chirping should be able to be corrected/mitigated by altering the alignment.

Don't forget bigger wheels/tires = more weight and increased pressure would be required to stop in the same distance as the OEM ones. The exceeded diameter variance may not be the cause of the issue here but 3% is the accepted variance for a reason.

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=25

Plus Sizing supports the premise that it's important to maintain the same overall tire diameter whenever changing tires and wheel sizes to ensure sufficient ground clearance, appropriate driveline gearing and accurate speedometer readings. Large changes in overall tire diameter can alter the accuracy of the speedometer as well as the effectiveness of anti-lock braking system (ABS), traction control and vehicle stability system.

And finally, the maximum Plus Size applications for pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles result in wheel and tire combinations that are significantly heavier than the vehicle's Original Equipment (O.E.) tires and wheels. This increase in weight can lead to longer stopping distances, as well as increased suspension and brake wear.

A Plus Sizing rule of thumb is to increase tire width by 10 millimeters and decrease sidewall height by 5 to 10 percent for each 1-inch increase in wheel diameter.

 

[KayGee]

Of course, every change has the potential to cause a host of other issues and impact a host of other areas. Every car is also different in how the sensors and other computers in it will react to changes, such as a different tire circumference than standard.

At the end of the day, the "industry" says the max difference in circumference from factory is 3% and the reason is typically because changes larger than that "may adversely affect the safety and performance of the vehicle" or as your example states - "alter the accuracy of the speedometer and effectiveness of ABS/TC/VSS". Every vehicle is different and what they will tolerate and how they will react is going to vary.

I'm sure you know that some cars have sensors to monitor washer fluid level and they get wonky if the "wrong" washer fluid is used. Other cars have bulb monitors that sense when a bulb burns out and can even identify which bulb, but they may not work properly if a different style bulb is swapped in.

Any change in wheel/tire size can impact ride quality, cause excess wear and tear, affect speedometer, impact the effectiveness of braking/TC/VSS, and more.

I know a lot of people just do stuff without thinking things through or understanding the implications, but I would hope the OP knew what he was getting into before he decided to go forward with the lift and larger wheels/tires. If so, the only real option he has is to check for driveline bind and re-align to reduce/alter tire wear and hopefully reduce/eliminate the chirping. If not, his only other option is to remove the lift and go back to "normal" size wheels/tires (assuming tire wear was fine before the changes and there was no chirping).

 

[stroker70]

What size of lift did you put in your Explorer Sport . The 2.25'' ( front lift ) from Traxda or the 2.5'' or 3'' ( front lift ) that you can buy off ebay ? Reason I ask, is, The greater the strut extender ( spacer ) the more excessive positive camber there will be and that can wear out the front outer edge of tires. If it is the Traxda lift, I would contact them about this problem .

 

[stroker70]

Also I believe the Sport sits like my PIU , in the front end , which is lower then the Base , XLT and Platinum. I believe that would need to be accounted for, as those two ebay lifts I think would put you at the extreme for positive camber.

 

[KayGee]

What size of lift did you put in your Explorer Sport . The 2.25'' ( front lift ) from Traxda or the 2.5'' or 3'' ( front lift ) that you can buy off ebay ? Reason I ask, is, The greater the strut extender ( spacer ) the more excessive positive camber there will be and that can wear out the front outer edge of tires. If it is the Traxda lift, I would contact them about this problem .

The following are excerpts are from the Traxda lift kit instructions (which would pretty much apply to any lift kit):

"When aligning, to get the best tire wear use our supplied specifications. OEM specifications are for trucks with stock wheels and tires. Larger tires will wear differently."

"Alignment Notes.
We recommend that a technician with experience doing alignments on lifted trucks perform the alignment. Large tires wear differently than OEM sized tires."

This is exactly the issue the issue the OP has and should be able to be resolved with an alignment at a competent shop. What problem would he need to contact the lift manufacturer about?

If I had to guess, either an alignment was not done after installation of lift kit, or it was done to OE specs which are not suitable for the OP's choice of tire size.