High Speed steering wheel wobble

I recently had my ball joints and outer tie rod ends replace on my 97 2wd explorer. At speeds about about 60 MPH, the steering wheel wobbles back and forth ever so slightly. I had the front end aligned and the truck tracks straight while going down the road, but if you let go of the steering wheel, you can see move back and forth a little. Does this indicate a tire problem or something else? I had the tires balanced a few months ago, but I may try to take it in this week and have it done again to see if it will help. Thanks.

Reply to
Captain Coleman
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Reply to
fordtech via CarKB.com

What are "chopped" tires?

Reply to
Captain Coleman

The tread area is not smooth. if you run your hand over the tread in one direction you can feel the tread is raised like your going against the grain. run your hand the other way and you don't feel that against the grain feel. And it's clearly visible. and when your driving slow it feels like your on a rough road and the tires are noisey

Reply to
fordtech via CarKB.com

I had all four tires rebalanced and things have improved quite a bit, no more steering wheel wobble. Driving at high speed on the new section of interstate doesn't seem quite smooth though, kind of like the road is a little rough even though it's not. I'll take a close look at the tires this evening and look for the chopped condition. What causes chopped tires, is it preventable, and is it a safety hazard?

Thanks for the replies.

Reply to
Captain Coleman

Reply to
Big Shoe

Which is a modified X for my 2000 explorer. I think a lot of places don't do that either. They simply go front to back not crossing any ever. Check your owners manual and see how yours is recommended.

fathergoose

Reply to
Fathergoose

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