Bridgestone Dueler AT Revos caused differentail failure?

[spta97]

Hey guys, been a while since I posted but looking for some help. My sister is the current owner of my old 2000 V8 explorer and has had front end noises.

The first shop changed the wheel bearing and front linkage but the problem persisted so she took it to aamco.

The mechanic said the front diff was bad and needed replacement. He said to me that the explorer was known for bad transmissions although I dissagree with that point for the V8 model as everyone here always said it is bullet proof.

He said he checked with ford and they said the cause of the diff failure was the agressive tread on the revos (mind you, they are the stock size). I think this is total bs but I wanted to check with you to see if there are any reported issues of these tires and diff or tranny failures. She has about 60k miles on the truck.

Thanks..

 

[Dannyboy]

Some mechanics are the most bull headed people I've ever met. They'll say stuff that just is plain foolish and are convinced in their mind you will believe them.

Tread pattern = no problem on tranny/drivetrain.

running different size wheels/tires on each corner would be the only reason this could cause differential failure. Dueler AT Revos are far from a "too aggressive" tire as well.

My advise, go to a 3rd shop, or do it yourself ( if in fact the differential is bad) and we will get you through it.

 

[spta97]

Thanks Dannyboy. I was thinking the same thing myself but my sister is the panicky type and goes off on her own. She is now requiring her 3rd set of rotors / pads in 40,000 miles - a feat which I doubt she could do unless she has her foot on the brake all the time.

I will drill it into her head that this guy is full of it. Even if it were possible the treads are flat on the bottom just like every other tire made. Unless she was running sand flappers I do not see how this is physically possible.

 

[Dannyboy]

I'm sure someone in New York, New York can point her to a good shop. We've got several members in that direction.

 

[spta97]

So I spoke with the mechanic and what the sound actually ended up being was uneven wear on the tires. They tried to blame the tread pattern but when he told me that the tires were cupped it seems as if they were wearing unevenly.

I replaced the shocks 30k ago so perhaps they went bad. I am going to take it back to the tire place and see what they have to say.

The mechanic did not charge for replacing the diff or front wheel bearing which I thought was a stand up move on his part. The good news is that she has a sound that does not seem to be causing any problems, although I wonder why the revos would wear unevenly.

They confirmed this by putting on a different set of tires and rims so in my mind it is either a balance issue or uneven wear.

 

[kert0307]

How are the ball joints?

 

[spta97]

Hmmm...not sure. However we had the road hazzard protection on the tires so took them to be balanced and rotated. The noise seems to have subsided.

They are still louder than the Revos on my Armada but I attribute that to better insulation on my truck which cuts down on the road noise. Also, the Explorer Revos have about 40k on them (still 9-10/32's of tread).

Thanks all for your help with this.