What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

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candymancan
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What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by candymancan »

I have mastercraft mxt mud terrains. Had em maybe 15k miles ?

3 are fine. The drivers side though is noisy. And i noticed looking the center lugs are very uneven. Half of a lug is lower the other half of the same lug is higher. And its exactly like this on every cebter lug. Half high half low.

Its very weird. The rear drivers is fine. This is new too im noticing. Noticed it wanted to pull right too and this Jeep never pulls. Passenger front tire is fine.

Checked the air pressure yesturday it was 38 psi. Driven a mile To the station all 4 of em so slightly high.

But ya
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited 219k
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 I6 laredo 430k
1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer 155k
1976 Jeep J10.. 85k(repaired)

akguy09
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by akguy09 »

How often are you rotating them? Mud terrains require attention to wear correctly.
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Topic author
candymancan
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by candymancan »

Well i guess now that i remember.. i rotated the passenger side maybe 5 months ago.. but not the drivers side.. as i hurt myself.

I guess i forgot to rotate that side.

Damn. Well ill rotate it. Hopefully it isnt fubard completetly.
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited 219k
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 I6 laredo 430k
1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer 155k
1976 Jeep J10.. 85k(repaired)

sierrablue
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by sierrablue »

Yeah my grandad swears by rotating them every 5 or 7k miles, something like that, no matter what he has for tires; otherwise they get all messed up, and in his case, he has had a TON of death wobble problems on XJs and back when he had his WJ.

If it's just the one that tends to indicate wheel bearings, suspension bushings, ball joints, or tie rod ends. Something is possibly loose. Check all that stuff; make sure it's all good to go.

Do you just rotate them on the one side? Or was that just a one time thing because you got hurt? Because when you rotate them you're either supposed to bring the rears to the front and cross the fronts when you rotate them to the back, OR roll the fronts to the back and cross the rears. The only time to rotate them only front to back would be if you have directional tread, which I doubt mud terrains have.
'71 Wagoneer (DD)
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Yeller
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by Yeller »

Rotation of mud terrains is imperative. It could have a radial pull to making it wear odd and pull that direction too but if you skipped rotation that’s probably the culprit.
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candymancan
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by candymancan »

Well leaf springs shocks wheel bearings are all newer all around. Ball joints are fine. I did the passengers ball joints and u joint on the axle shaft and those were bad.

Maybe its just not from rotating.

Yea i rotated it on passengers.. was gonna do the drivers then i hurt myself. And i totally forgot about that. And started working on the rear main and other stuff recently.

Guess i just totally forgot.

I hope the tire will wear itself back evenly though. Almost wonder if i should put the spare on. And use this as my spare. My spare though is new. These have maybe 70% tread left. Probly not a good idea with the viscous coupler in 4wd
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited 219k
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 I6 laredo 430k
1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer 155k
1976 Jeep J10.. 85k(repaired)

sierrablue
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by sierrablue »

Also yeah overinflation will cause issues. I ran mine at 40-42 psi (SOFT sidewalls) for months...now the middles on two of them are almost down to the wear bars, even though the rest of the tire has lots of life left. But I think I'm done with Hankook all seasons after this set...they're starting to look really beat up and I haven't been THAT hard on them. And they only have like 25k on them out of the 70k they're supposed to have. I'm going Toyo for my next all seasons.

Sorry for the rant. Bottom line overinflation may be hurting too. I think if you're in the 4500-5000 lb range I wouldn't run over 35 psi, especially with the stiff LT sidewalls.
'71 Wagoneer (DD)
-B350 (HEI, iron 4-barrel, Edelbrock 1406), TH400, D20
-'74 D44 front (nonpower discs)
-custom headliner
-Front shoulder belts (rears eventually)

viewtopic.php?t=23070

There are 2 major differences between new Wranglers and FSJs. FSJs are meant to be both utilitarian and capable, not just capable. FSJs are also rarely initially recognized as Jeeps by the average American.

blueday
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by blueday »

Me and a guy at work have mt's on our dailys.... me an 05 sierra z71 with yokos him a 2020 Tacoma 4wd with toyos or whatever. We both have to rotate them every 3k or so. He calls it scallopeming. Basically the middle treads are level with others towards the front and the rears are lifted up.

Once rotated they usually take a week or 2 to smooth out on the rear.

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candymancan
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by candymancan »

sierrablue wrote: Wed Mar 22, 2023 2:47 pm Also yeah overinflation will cause issues. I ran mine at 40-42 psi (SOFT sidewalls) for months...now the middles on two of them are almost down to the wear bars, even though the rest of the tire has lots of life left. But I think I'm done with Hankook all seasons after this set...they're starting to look really beat up and I haven't been THAT hard on them. And they only have like 25k on them out of the 70k they're supposed to have. I'm going Toyo for my next all seasons.

Sorry for the rant. Bottom line overinflation may be hurting too. I think if you're in the 4500-5000 lb range I wouldn't run over 35 psi, especially with the stiff LT sidewalls.

Jeep is 5300 with me in it
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited 219k
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 I6 laredo 430k
1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer 155k
1976 Jeep J10.. 85k(repaired)

Srdayflyer
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by Srdayflyer »

i would say over inflated,i always take a yellow grease pencil and draw a line across the tread, then drive about a mile and check the marked line, and see how the line looks if the proper inflation is set it should be removed if the outer part still has a mark over inflated if the line is in the middle under inflated, it takes a while but once you get it dialed in thats your pressure,forget what your manual says, because thats what they tested it to each tire brand will have different air pressures based on ply rating, vehivle weight, passenger loads, cargo, i run 10 ply tires on my trailer and i had a flat and didnt even know it until i checked the pressures as the side walls held the trailer up. an old timer showed me that tip decades ago.

sierrablue
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by sierrablue »

And again, those LT tires are designed so that people with 1 ton trucks can put them on--35 should be PLENTY. I do tend to run mine a little high just because they have better feel and you get better mileage that way, but still, my incredibly soft sidewalls are only at like 37.
'71 Wagoneer (DD)
-B350 (HEI, iron 4-barrel, Edelbrock 1406), TH400, D20
-'74 D44 front (nonpower discs)
-custom headliner
-Front shoulder belts (rears eventually)

viewtopic.php?t=23070

There are 2 major differences between new Wranglers and FSJs. FSJs are meant to be both utilitarian and capable, not just capable. FSJs are also rarely initially recognized as Jeeps by the average American.

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candymancan
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by candymancan »

Onky thing is if it is overflation why just that side not the lassenger.. it has to be the no rotation as that side is the side i didnt rotate. But maybe. The outer lugs are thick. Inner look like they lost a ton of life
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited 219k
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 I6 laredo 430k
1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer 155k
1976 Jeep J10.. 85k(repaired)

sierrablue
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by sierrablue »

Maybe there's less weight on that tire for some reason? Could be a factory defect in that one tire that makes it more prone to that? Maybe that wheel is slightly out of balance or the bearing rides a little differently? Could be any number of things. But no matter what the reason, your best bet to fix it is going to be to rotate them.
'71 Wagoneer (DD)
-B350 (HEI, iron 4-barrel, Edelbrock 1406), TH400, D20
-'74 D44 front (nonpower discs)
-custom headliner
-Front shoulder belts (rears eventually)

viewtopic.php?t=23070

There are 2 major differences between new Wranglers and FSJs. FSJs are meant to be both utilitarian and capable, not just capable. FSJs are also rarely initially recognized as Jeeps by the average American.
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by Stuka »

Its both factors. Not rotating, and being over inflated. Not rotating causes cupping/scalloping. Over inflation causes only the center tread to have the issue. Under inflation would be mostly the outer.

As mentioned above, rotating a tire with aggressive tread is an absolute must. Every 3K miles, for some tires it needs to be even more often. Especially if you drive primarily on curvy roads, instead of at HWY speeds on straight roads.

You can do the chalk test to see how far over inflated they are. Some newer mud tires are designed to only run on the center lugs, such as the Patagonia MT. But most mud tires want to be mostly flat.
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by candymancan »

Question im rotsting them now. The two rear tires have less tread (slightly) than the front passengers side i rotated like 1k miles ago.... should i put the front passenger on the drivers side thats scalloped ? And move just the drivers rear up front to the passenger ?

I was gonna do x pattern but after measurng, it seems the most tread tire is front passenger.. so to me it would seem that should go to the drivers side. I know its oposite of what you should do.. but ya..

If i put that thicker tread front in the rear.. it almost sounds counter to me wanting to even these tires out
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited 219k
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 I6 laredo 430k
1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer 155k
1976 Jeep J10.. 85k(repaired)
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Yeller
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by Yeller »

Put both fronts on the rear, x pattern like you mentioned. I always move the fronts straight back and cross the tears forward. That way it wears the opposite side of the lug. Has worked for me for a few million miles.
The bus I ride is so short it is a yellow Smart Car full of squirrels, monkeys and clowns.

1970 J2500 Resto Mod
https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewt ... 12&t=21395

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candymancan
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by candymancan »

Well i guess i lied.. i jacked drivers side up. There is a alight very slight pop when i grab under the tire and wiggle.. although very hard to do by hand.

Put a lry bar under there and the lower ball joint does have a tiny bit of play. The knuckl moves.

Damn man, i didnt have this a year ago. So i guess that and other factors is my issue.

I sware this dang Jeep EVERY single joint is or has gone bad.. Did every single U joint minus the drivers front axle. The wheel bearings were all bad 6 years ago when i got it. The ball joints on passenger side were bad and that u joint was horrible.

Now it seems the drivers side is going. Looks like the u joint has a tiny bit of play too....

Gah... well i guess its time to order new upper and lower ball joints and the axle shaft u joint.

Joyyyyyyyyyy....!!!.

After these the only things to go bad would be the steering component ball joints ill be waiting for that !!. Lol

Sorry for the wild goose chase i swore they were fine a year ago..

At keast i have time.. It isnt horrible like my passenger side. Just slight movemen/ pop with a pry bar
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited 219k
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 I6 laredo 430k
1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer 155k
1976 Jeep J10.. 85k(repaired)

sierrablue
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by sierrablue »

Welcome to used 4x4s I guess. Well, used stuff in general. Plus side is it'll be awhile before that stuff goes bad again. Unfortunately it also means when they go bad again, it'll be all at once again.
'71 Wagoneer (DD)
-B350 (HEI, iron 4-barrel, Edelbrock 1406), TH400, D20
-'74 D44 front (nonpower discs)
-custom headliner
-Front shoulder belts (rears eventually)

viewtopic.php?t=23070

There are 2 major differences between new Wranglers and FSJs. FSJs are meant to be both utilitarian and capable, not just capable. FSJs are also rarely initially recognized as Jeeps by the average American.

Topic author
candymancan
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by candymancan »

Well its odd how the zjs took 200-400k miles to do but the SJ is like after 100-150k
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9L Limited 219k
1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4.0 I6 laredo 430k
1990 Jeep Grand Wagoneer 155k
1976 Jeep J10.. 85k(repaired)
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Yeller
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Re: What would cause center Lugs on mug terrains to be uneven ?

Post by Yeller »

I replaced mine 15k ago and and doing the drivers side again tomorrow. These were the “good stuff” replacement parts suck
The bus I ride is so short it is a yellow Smart Car full of squirrels, monkeys and clowns.

1970 J2500 Resto Mod
https://www.fsjnetwork.com/forum/viewt ... 12&t=21395

1974 Bronco “Broncno”
https://classicbroncos.com/forums/threa ... st-3411909
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