I have searched and read and now I'm typing! My truck, 05 FX4 4x4 with AS 2" has a wander to the steering on any road. It will drive straight as an arrow, but randomly satrts pulling very minor to one side or the other. Stock it did not do it. I added the AS and 265 tires and it seemed to start sometime in there. I got it aligned added 285's and the steering wheel is dead on. IT will drive perfectly straight, even with my hands off the wheel. But randomly will still pull slightly one way or the other. Would the AS lift affect the steering geometry enough to cause this wander? Everything is tight, by my eyes and the alignment shop. The only thing I can figure is the steering box is loose, just slightly or the AS lift threw off the oem steering geometry.

I had a ranger with a 3" coil spring spacer and it drove horrible. Perfect alignment but would wander all over the road. I noticed it the day I added the longer coils. THis is why I think my f150 is doing it.?.?.

What to check? I can live with it but I'd like some feedback...

 

Could be the wider tires "tracking" on certain road surfaces. My Bronco with 39.5 Swampers is a bear to drive on certain roads around here. Really fun going over metal grates on a bridge. Here, we offset the caster 0.5 degrees less on the driver's side to offset the crowning of the streets. A vehicle will pull to the side with less caster.

 

I tell u what in my 2008 f150 reg cab I can't move the steering up or down..
so the dealer's about to replace it under warranty.. and I notice this wander also, hope disapears after they replace it

 

Catwalking is definitely caused by wider tires. The wider the tire, the more the catwalking. Wider tires tend to grab the ruts in the road, and yes, sometimes it catch you off guard.
My stock tires were 255's, and there was no catwalking. Then I changed to 275's, and again, I didn't notice any catwalking. Now I have 305's, and from time to time, she'll grab the ruts and want to pull, but the road has decent sized ruts in it. I can live with it, and it's not all that bad, but it's definitely something to keep in mind when driving on those types of roads.

Don't worry about it because it's perfectly normal when driving on a wider tire.

 

I understand bigger tires will pull, and mine do very little. While driving I can move the steering wheel left and right maybe an inch with no effect on the direction I am traveling. I feel something is loose and its in the steering box, rack or whatever. is there a way to tighten the steering 'box'. This is the only point I have not put my eyes on to see if there is any play in motion. tierods to the tires on both sides are tight, 100%. I only have 64,000 road miles, 0 offroad.

 

check the upper/lower balljoints too. that's what it sounds like to me.

 

I'd say get it aligned and looked at... but don't expect much.

I say this because even my truck does funky things on roads. I noticed lately because the roads are "crowning" because they are getting messed up from the cold weather, that my steering on my country roads is erratic -- and I'm stock. Yet on the highway, it's fine and dandy... its just when I hit the rough stuff.

My Dakota has aftermarket 17's, with wide tires, and that thing catwalks like no tomorrow on certain roads. I've had it aligned like 2 times already, and I lessened the caster on it myself about 1 degree, and it seems to be pretty good.

 

hope u get it fix