Truck Tires and Pickup Truck Service

With nothing in the bed, a pickup carries most of its weight on the front axle. The rear tires are light, which means they can spin more easily and wear in odd patterns. Once you add a load, the rear springs compress and the rear tires carry much more weight.

That swing affects maintenance:

• Tire pressure should change with the load. The placard or owner's manual often lists both values.
• Rotation keeps front and rear wear balanced since each axle works differently.
• Rear shocks control bounce when the bed is empty and sag when it is full.

We ask how you use the bed so the recommendations match. The work trucks page covers trucks that carry tools every day.

Rear-wheel-drive and 4WD pickups send power through a driveshaft and differential. Those parts are simple but they do wear.

Gear oil in the differential takes a beating when you tow. We check level and condition and recommend service when the schedule or wear calls for it. More on 4WD systems.

Pickups often run all-terrain tires, leveling kits, or larger wheels. Each of those changes alignment angles and tire wear. Leveling kits raise the front, which can push camber out of range and cause edge wear.

Common findings:

• Outer-edge wear after a leveling kit without an alignment
• Chopped tread on aggressive all-terrain tires that are not rotated
• Steering pull from a heavy toolbox on one side

A truck alignment with a printout shows whether your angles are still adjustable into spec. If they are not, we tell you what parts would be needed.

Before any tow, look at the hitch receiver, ball mount, pin, and safety chains. Plug in the trailer and test running lights, brake lights, and turn signals. Check tire pressure for towing and brake pad thickness.

If you are renting a U-Haul trailer or tow dolly here, we can check your hitch at pickup. Call (909) 608-7699 to reserve. The team will confirm current trailer specs and walk the trailer with you before you leave.

Two identical pickups can need very different care. One carries a lunch box to the office; the other hauls gravel, pulls a boat, and idles on job sites. Many owner's manuals count towing, hauling, dusty roads, and long idling as severe service, which shortens several intervals.

If your truck does more than one of these jobs, plan around the hardest one. A digital vehicle inspection at each oil change gives you photos to compare from visit to visit.

Pickups are built to work, so owners tend to trust them with more than they should. These are the habits that turn a routine visit into a bigger repair.

• Leaving the spare hanging for years. Many pickups store the spare under the bed on a cable winch that can rust or seize. Lower and raise it now and then so it works when you need it.
• Changing tire size without correcting the speedometer. Taller tires make the truck read slower than it is going, and shift timing can change on some models.
• Using one tire pressure for every job. An empty bed and a loaded bed often call for different settings. The placard or tire guidance lists them.
• Forgetting the rear brakes. The fronts do most of the stopping, but rear brakes on a loaded truck work harder than owners expect.
• Loading past the payload number. It is printed on the door-jamb sticker and includes passengers, tools, and the tongue weight of any trailer.
• Ignoring a dead tail or bed light. Wiring near the hitch takes water and road grime first.

Not sure where your truck's numbers are printed? The towing and hauling page walks through where to find each one.