TOD & Tires...

OK, so I bought my VX just over a month ago. The poor thing had horribly bald front tires and not so much tread left on the rear tires, and one of them had a plug in the side wall. I knew buying it that I would need new tires asap.

You can actually see how bald the front tires were in this photo, and if you look close you can see the plug sticking out of the side wall on the back tire!

http://www.nofuture.com/myvx/myvx.jpg

I had to drive on these tires for about a month simply because I did not have the money together right away after purchasing the vehicle to begin with. The tires were so bad on the front I could feel them slip a little around corners at speed. But, I've only really gone back and forth to work so I figured it would be ok for a few weeks. Luckily, no blow outs occurred.

So, this past Saturday, I got the money together and put some nice new BFG street tires on my stock 18s. They look pretty nice and I notice a BIG difference in handling.

Now, I am wondering about the relationship between the TOD and tires. Could bald front tires cause my TOD to slightly malfunction? As some of you may know, I experienced some harsh shifting between 2nd and 3rd gear a few times over the last month while driving in Power Mode. And now I am wondering if this could have been somewhat due to having crappy bald front tires slipping and messing up the TOD? Now that I have new tires, it seems to be shifting a lot smoother, but then again, it could all be in my head!

So, is it just in my head?


:) Bart

I'd say the bald tires were messing with the TOD system in your case. Those tires in the pic are pretty bad so I would suspect when ever you hit the gas or got on it around a corner this was causing the equivalent of the tires slipping (which they most likely were) causing TOD to kick in.

As far as the hard shifts, If they've smoothed out with the new tires then you're good to go. If the problem persists, I would take more of a look at your fluid levels in the tranny and transfer case.

Did you have your VX inspected by a trust worthy mechanic before purchasing?

Hey, Thanks. I was thinking the same thing. I'm going in to have the transfer case and tranny fluids checked and switched to full synth soon. That is my next investment into my VX.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by VehiX

Did you have your VX inspected by a trust worthy mechanic before purchasing?

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Haha, no. Actually, I was kind of in a bind when I bought it. My Xterra broke down out of state and I was 100% without a vehicle. Having to get to work on Monday I kind of needed to get some wheels asap. It just so happened that this black VX was just traded in at a Mercedes dealership down the street. My wife was on the fence about buying a used vehicle, but I just wanted to look at it since I have ALWAYS wanted one. So, we went to the dealer and they showed me the VX. It had only 26,000 miles and was in really nice shape (save for a dent on the back above the small piece of cladding). I test drove it and inspected it as best I could. I knew the tires needed to be replaced right away, and given the nasty ding on the back I was able to talk the dealer down more than $4000 from the asking price. Once he agreed to sell it for that amount, I bought it on the spot. It was just one of those things. I know it sounds stupid, but it was destiny if you ask me.

It was BLACK, super low mileage even for a 2001, drove nice, super clean interior...can you blame me? I was nervous, yes. This was the first time I ever bought a used vehicle. I definitely had reservations, but my heart was in for it 100%. The cool thing is, I actually tracked down the original owner. He told me the dent in the back was from a hurled brick (funny) and that he had the oil changed religiously every 3000 miles. He had no reason to lie. He also found the extra key and remote, so now I have both (it only had one coming from the dealer).

And, I was also banking on the fact that 2 of my good friends are mechanics, specifically on trucks and off road rigs, so....here I am!

Bart

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/el_barto.gif

Greetings & welcome...I had the same "ME GOTTA HAVE IT" feeling the first time I saw mine.
One thing I would recommend...show your mech. this handy page from the svc. manual:

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...mbs/fluid1.png

Since you're close, maybe we'll be seeing you at a MWIOR meet in the future? :naughty:

Ck.Noctournal VX or yal^'s profile for a link...me, I'm link impaired. :_confused

Here ya go ---> http://www.mwior.com/

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ldub

Greetings & welcome...I had the same "ME GOTTA HAVE IT" feeling the first time I saw mine. One thing I would recommend...show your mech. this handy page from the svc. manual:

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...mbs/fluid1.png

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Absolutely! Thanks for this sheet. I will certainly use it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ldub

Since you're close, maybe we'll be seeing you at a MWIOR meet in the future? :naughty:

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Fo'shizzle! I'm there. I will say this tho, since my VX is my daily driver, no rock climbing or sinking in 5 feet of mud on the agenda ;) I definitely want to get her out on the trails soon tho!

Probably in August or Sept, these will be coming off:

http://www.nofuture.com/myvx/newtires.jpg

And some nice ProComp X-Terrains and Rock Crawlers will be going on!

I can't wait! Gotta start saving for those tires. They are gonna kick my bank account's @55!

Bart

Dood,
Those new skinz rock!... those were my first choice last summer when I put on my dubz (ck. my gallery), however, Mr. wallet couldn't handle. :(
Another tire you may want to look at are these:

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...d_Grappler.jpg

I'm throwing on a couple inches of lift & some Nitto Terra Grapplers (285/75 R 16)
for the present time (already getting ready for Moab nxt. yr.) but will be keeping an eye out for some Mud Grapplers (33/11.5-12.5 R 20) in the future.
IMO, the Mud Grapplers would look way nazty on the dubz. :cool:
As for "wheelin' wit Da Gang"...I think there is a gathering scheduled (not yet in stone) for this fall sometime...again, ck. my gallery for pics of "Badlands" in Attica Indiana.
Most obstacles are optional and nobody gives you too bad a time if you decide to opt out.(I know...I'm the opt out king!)
Sorry for jackin' your thread with all my OT junk. :rolleyes:

The real truth of this bald tire situation is that on dry pavement they actually offer more grip!!!. I read this once on the Goodyear FAQ's web site. Yes, bald tire are better. Ever notice that serious race cars run slicks. They do so to put more rubber in "contact" with the road. Treaded tires have air gaps that keep rubber off the road but provide water pumping action in the rain/snow. Your TOD issue probably is not tire related unless you were noticing it in the wet.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by blacksambo

Your TOD issue probably is not tire related unless you were noticing it in the wet.

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I thought most any 4wd/AWD system got really upset if the tires were different sizes? Having the front tires visibly more bald than the rear would probably put the gear ratios far enough out of whack to make the TOD behave poorly, IMHO.

Yeah, the new treads aren't bad at all. They actually look pretty tight.

I do like the Nittos, and I may concider them over the ProComps. It will all depend on what I can fit and what kind of pricing I get.

Most of my off road buddies go down to the badlands every few months or so. But I myself have never been. I want to go, but at the same time I wish I had 2 VXs so I could afford to really rough one up. :) I really want to get out to Moab next year.

Bart

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ldub

Dood,
Those new skinz rock!... those were my first choice last summer when I put on my dubz (ck. my gallery), however, Mr. wallet couldn't handle. :(
Another tire you may want to look at are these:

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/da...d_Grappler.jpg

I'm throwing on a couple inches of lift & some Nitto Terra Grapplers (285/75 R 16)
for the present time (already getting ready for Moab nxt. yr.) but will be keeping an eye out for some Mud Grapplers (33/11.5-12.5 R 20) in the future.
IMO, the Mud Grapplers would look way nazty on the dubz. :cool:
As for "wheelin' wit Da Gang"...I think there is a gathering scheduled (not yet in stone) for this fall sometime...again, ck. my gallery for pics of "Badlands" in Attica Indiana.
Most obstacles are optional and nobody gives you too bad a time if you decide to opt out.(I know...I'm the opt out king!)
Sorry for jackin' your thread with all my OT junk. :rolleyes:

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do you have a ball park price on what you paid for your tires? it looks like my right front might be doomed... i noticed a nice big tear in the sidewall this morning.. im expecting to see it bubble up by the end of the day :( i may be able to get away with just replacing the fronts becuase they were considerably more worn than the rears... but if it wont cost me a fortune.. maybe ill just strap on some nice non stock tires

I just bought my second set of Nitto Terra Grapplers. The first set lasted me about 4 years ~ 50,000 miles. They would have lasted me longer but my front end alignment was shot. The two on the rear still had a lot of tread.

Discount Tire Direct has them for $133 each w/free ground shipping, or if there is a local Discount Tire store near you, they should match the price online. A good looking, semi-aggressive tire that's a good match, especially for lifted VXes. The LT285 / 75R16 is just shy of 33" tall.

Nitto Terra Grappler (LT285 / 75R16)

OK, I just took these shots 5 minutes ago. Here is a better view of the new tread. I washed her last night and today the sky is blue and the sun is shining. Scroll down past the first pic...

http://www.nofuture.com/myvx/vxhome.htm

Bart

Ya, I have been in the market for some good AT shoes for my VX for some time now. It's been upgraded to part time insuarnace and is JUST a weekend/winter ride now that I have the Sube. The accident I had in the VX a few years ago caused the front driver side tire to be replaced. The passenger side was ok and only had very minor wear. Unfortunately, over the years, they continued to wear at their install rate. TOD is hating the extreme minor tread difference and I get seriously heavy pull which creates a very difficult drive. I am always fighting the steering wheel. Even on straight, even roads, the TOD lights will max out for split seconds occasionally just because of the wear. I talked to my speedshop about this and my tech said he was 99% sure it was the tread causing that. So, it's a good thing she is a weekend ride now so I don't damage the TOD unit. So.... it's a good time to get me some rubber. It's summer.... maybe I can get a good deal on some winter shoes, heh. :_snowplow

Funny you should mention the "pulling" and "fighting the steering wheel". Since I have gotten the new tires, I get some serious pulling on uneven roads (which in Chicago are most). On nice newly paved roads she rides straight and true, but with all the old concrete and pot-holey asphalt around here I really need to keep both hands on the wheel most of the time. I'm not sure why I would get this pulling effect with new tires, anyone have any ideas? Maybe the new rubber is just grabbing the road better and causing the front wheels to grip and pull when I'm on crappy streets....

Bart

Quote:

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Originally Posted by WormGod

Ya, I have been in the market for some good AT shoes for my VX for some time now. It's been upgraded to part time insuarnace and is JUST a weekend/winter ride now that I have the Sube. The accident I had in the VX a few years ago caused the front driver side tire to be replaced. The passenger side was ok and only had very minor wear. Unfortunately, over the years, they continued to wear at their install rate. TOD is hating the extreme minor tread difference and I get seriously heavy pull which creates a very difficult drive. I am always fighting the steering wheel. Even on straight, even roads, the TOD lights will max out for split seconds occasionally just because of the wear. I talked to my speedshop about this and my tech said he was 99% sure it was the tread causing that. So, it's a good thing she is a weekend ride now so I don't damage the TOD unit. So.... it's a good time to get me some rubber. It's summer.... maybe I can get a good deal on some winter shoes, heh. :_snowplow

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the new Nitto Dune Grapplers look sweet. shawn

A wider tire will grab more so keep that in mind. I just put some new tires that are a bit wider on my WRX even and it's started to gain some added pull on uneven roads. Just something you get used to. My VX however.... there is enough pull in it now that it makes it one hell of a hard ride. She is next for new shoes.