Aero mode vs. tire wear for a long trip

[Bay Area RAM]

I’m almost embarrassed to ask but figured I’d give it a go…. i have a lifted limited, I’m about to take a 2000 plus mile round trip with the family and would like to maximize my fuel mileage … anyone have any experience with using aero mode on the limited vs not using it for a long trip ? Would it really even do anything in a lifted truck ?

I’ve had it in the ‘off’ position since the lift due to the problem with uneven tire wear that is inherent in the limited truck because of suspension geometry changes when in aero…. Just curious if anyone has any real world experience in long drive vs. gas mileage gains vs. Bad tire wear…..

 

[djevox]

I don’t have all the answers to your questions, but in general, toe being off will eat tires very quickly. The truck can change ride height, but if height is changed at all from where it was when the alignment was set, toe will be off. The wearing of the tires will negate the mpg benefits, so will it be worth it?

 

[ChrisID]

my 20 and 21 air ride units have mostly seen highway and in aero-mod a lot. 15-20K miles on each and I have not seen any abnormal tire wear and the tires appear to be in normal position in the lowered mode. I certainly can't comment on your lifted truck, but maybe just visually look at them in normal vs aero position to see if you can see any difference?
Now I will add that in exit mode the front tires tip in slightly, but it won't drive in that mode.

 

[StuartV]

I put 72K miles on my '19 with air suspension. That was a LOT of 80 MPH driving on Interstates. I always let it use Aero mode. Never had any odd tire wear.

 

[User_18352]

I had abnormal tire wear on the 2019 Limited that I had on all of the tires I had on that truck with the exception of the 20" winter tires, they wore great.
I feel like the uneven tire wear isn't due to the suspension as I had my suspension geometry corrected by the dealer and the issue still persisted.
What the actual issue is I don't know for sure, but I feel like its somehow connected to the 22" wheel/tire setup.
On my 2022 Limited I peeled the 22" wheels and tires off the day I brought it home and put on a set of Rebel Wheels w/ Toyo Open Country AT3's, so far only 7000 km's on the odometer but no tire wear issues. The tire wear issues were definitely noticeable by the time I hit 5000km on the 2019.

 

[djevox]

I had abnormal tire wear on the 2019 Limited that I had on all of the tires I had on that truck with the exception of the 20" winter tires, they wore great.
I feel like the uneven tire wear isn't due to the suspension as I had my suspension geometry corrected by the dealer and the issue still persisted.
What the actual issue is I don't know for sure, but I feel like its somehow connected to the 22" wheel/tire setup.
On my 2022 Limited I peeled the 22" wheels and tires off the day I brought it home and put on a set of Rebel Wheels w/ Toyo Open Country AT3's, so far only 7000 km's on the odometer but no tire wear issues. The tire wear issues were definitely noticeable by the time I hit 5000km on the 2019.

This is the last thing I’ll say in this thread, but all that shows is that the tires presented the issue quicker. The underlying issue is still there and will eventually present itself in the same manner.

 

[cartunes25]

I had the factory installed tires on my '21 Limited, they only lasted 20K miles and they could no longer be balanced, I had to balance the tires every 5k miles. The Air ride seemed to have destroyed the tires or the tires were just complete garbage from the factory.

 

[Trooper4]

Problem tires will always be around. Some are bad right out of the box. Tires from the same manufacturer, same size, rating, and kind/type, will be good, or bad. I run 20's all year, and the factory tires did 25000 and had to be replaced. bought a set of takeoffs(near new) and run them when not towing. They are wearing great. When I replaced the others, I put on LT's for towing and don't use them much. Maybe 4000 a year when I tow. The air suspension on my limited hasn't made a difference that I can see on either set and I am just under 40000 now. No noticeable tire wear problems at all.