My old tires were "scrambler" from pep boys (P265 70R15) about $70 each. They are more of a highway tire but still looked good on the montero. The new tires are not as rugged looking but there higher milage tires and I got them even cheaper with a rebate.
Before a sway bar will make any noticable differance on ride you would hear it making noise. I it has to come off to make any differance on ride.


Go test drive one on a used car lot to have somthing to compare yours to.

 

I went through the same issue with my '99 - i.e. it seemed to roll more than other SUV's and in fact more than other Montero's I'd driven. So I don't think you're making it up. But even though Monteros are a bit on the tall and thin end of the spectrum they are very stable and safe when properly set up - and by properly I mean exactly as they came from the factory. I can go into a whole bunch of background on my situation but here's what I think you should consider:

Sway bar bushings: They are cheap and easy to replace so change all 10 of them. (Four round ones on each side drop link and the two block bushings where the bar attaches to the axle.) It's not cracking that is the issue it's firmness of the rubber.

Shocks: After trying 3 different aftermarket and advanced "highly recommended" alternatives I gave up and bought factory shocks. Others may argue for HD gas filled replacements but the fact is that as soon as I went to the stock shock my truck was dramatically more stable. For what it's worth I used to drive stock Montero's at speed around Laguna Seca Raceway as part of my job so I know the factory set up is good. Rear shocks are only $77 at www.mitsubishiparts.com and I really recommend them.

Finally: You do indeed have a tire and/or tire pressure issue. The stock 265/70/15 size is an "oddball" size according to most tire shops (I know becasue I just bought a set) They are certainly available (Yokohama highly recommended) but they usually have to be ordered in and some shops will try to talk you into an "equivalent" and more numerous LT tire, which is no doubt why your truck has the 30x9.50's. The dimensions may be close but they are vastly different in construction and purpose and are more about vertical load rating (think pick up trucks) than about resisting side deflection. In fact, Yokohama and other companies refer to them as Flotation Tires. However they are listed as an acceptable substitute but require much higher tire pressure as noted in this Yokohama tech bulletin:
http://www.yokohamatire.com/pdf/tsb-070302.pdf

So richbix is right about the 50psi (assuming he as the flotation type tire) But if you can, I would recommend going to the stock 265/70/15 at the pressures specified on your label.

Hope this helps,

Ron

P.S. If you have the fold up third row seats and don't use them, take them out. You'll improve MPG slightly and lower the center of gravity. Nothing adds to roll tendancy better than bolting 120 lbs or more way up high in the back of your truck.

 

One more thing while you're at it......

You don't mention whether or not you have the SR version. Your door jam label info is no-doubt correct but in the Yokohama tire guide book they list all 94's as having 6" wide wheels and 235/75/15's. For 95 they show only the SR version moving up to the 265/70/15's, and a 7" wheel.

The point is that it might be worthwhile to have a tire shop check the width of your rims (they have big plastic calipers and should do it for free without needing to raise the vehicle.) If for some reason you do have 6" rims then the 30x9.50s are not a good fit as they require a minimum of 6.5" rims.

Also, going back to my last post, note the fine print at the bottom of the chart which warns that switchinig to an LT tire "may affect the handling of your vehicle"
Ron

 

That is SO helpful! I do have the SR. Read the articles. Great stuff. SHould I go to the max 50psi? I bumped them up to 43 psi and notice a huge improvement.
I will go with stock tires later this year when I need to replace them.

I will next replace the sway bar bushings. SHould I use Mitsub parts or is there an acceptable aftermarket?

I think all my probs will be solved after that. It is already way better. Thanks guys.
John

 

Glad to help. As far as proper PSI you should find a really good tire store rep (if you can) to confirm - perhaps take in a copy of the tech bulletin. Note that even the Yoko document does not list our 265/70/15's but reading between the lines it looks like most of the recommendations in that size range are door sticker spec +15. It's also interesting to note that they show your 30x9.50's as replacements for smaller tires (235/75/15') but for the 255/70/15's (closest, but thinner, than the 265/70/15's you're supposed to have) they recommend 31x10.50's so you're really running with a sub-optimal set up - at least according to this document. And having to run anything with close to 50 psi is no doubt not helping your ride quality.

As far as sway bar bushings, I may have put too much emphasis on that in my prior post but if you're going to replace, stock is what I'd recommend. As a simple test to see if yours are too squishy try cranking down on the nuts on the ends of the drop links (you can do this with the truck on the ground) If you squeeze most of the play out of the bushings and the truck feels better you can then decide to replace or just keep it that way. You should also be able to visually check the block bushings on top of the axle to see if they're worn.

Once you've got the tire situation sorted I still recommend the stock shocks. I can't explain why they made such an improvement over supposedly firmer replacements but I suspect that Montero's represent such a small relative market for aftermarket shock mfg's that they do not really inventory a shock with valving specifically tuned for and tested with Monty's. Rather they match up the closest version from their range of SKU's.

Ron

 

Thanks again. I am +10 psi right now and together with the Bilsteins HDs (i'm stuck with them, and happy i'd say) they have made a big difference. I will try tightening up on the sway bar bushings. It is a much more firm ride but doable. If I go off road would u recommend dropping down 10 psi to absorb more of the terrain?

What about the front bushings? there are no drop down bushings just the sway bar links right? I looked hard but I don't think i can tell if they are worn. They make no noise though. How do I know if they are worn?

Thx.