Good day, folks. I purchased a 2022 Ram 2500 Laramie Hemi 6.4L which was delivered in November. From the get go, I noticed the steering feeling "loose". After looking through some forum threads, I found that others experienced the same and described it as "wandering", which describes what I'm feeling. The truck tends to move right or left of center randomly with no feedback in the steering wheel (that is, it's moving and I don't feel it moving, just see it). I correct the wander and when nothing significant happens, I correct more, and suddenly i'm going too far in the other direction. It's like driving a boat down the road. The faster i'm going, the worse it is.
Per the forum discussion, I reduced the tire pressure to what it states on the sticker - 60 in the front, 65 in the rear. That did help, although it still occurs. I took it to the dealer who verified there are no mechanical issues. Here are their findings:
There suggestion was to change to a passenger tire versus light truck tire as they are lighter in the side walls and should cause better responsiveness. It does make sense the suspension may react differently with a much lighter engine and that softer sidewall tires may improve responsiveness. However, I'm not comfortable using a passenger tire on my truck. It seems like that's probably not a good idea. I currently have Firestone Transforce AT 275/70R18. What others have said in other forums is those tires are trash and suggested changing tires helped them. I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience, and if changing tires helped, and which tires helped. In theory, it doesn't make sense that going to a different tire with the same build (i.e they are probably all the same hardness/ply) would change anything. But perhaps there other improvements in the tire quality itself that would make a difference. I was thinking I'd go with Michelin Defender LTX M/S. Any thoughts?
Per the forum discussion, I reduced the tire pressure to what it states on the sticker - 60 in the front, 65 in the rear. That did help, although it still occurs. I took it to the dealer who verified there are no mechanical issues. Here are their findings:
The suspension is much softer with a hemi vs the diesel. Suspension is built for the heavier diesel engine and would increasingly make the suspension more stiff. The lighter engine makes for a softer suspension. Condition is normal. No problem found.
There suggestion was to change to a passenger tire versus light truck tire as they are lighter in the side walls and should cause better responsiveness. It does make sense the suspension may react differently with a much lighter engine and that softer sidewall tires may improve responsiveness. However, I'm not comfortable using a passenger tire on my truck. It seems like that's probably not a good idea. I currently have Firestone Transforce AT 275/70R18. What others have said in other forums is those tires are trash and suggested changing tires helped them. I'm wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience, and if changing tires helped, and which tires helped. In theory, it doesn't make sense that going to a different tire with the same build (i.e they are probably all the same hardness/ply) would change anything. But perhaps there other improvements in the tire quality itself that would make a difference. I was thinking I'd go with Michelin Defender LTX M/S. Any thoughts?