My bearings in the front definitely were worn and noisy. After replacing them the noise is gone but I still feel a not so smooth ride, could it be my tires are over ten years old? The tires still have 8/32 tread using a depth guage. I average about 1,500 miles a year. If I need new tires, I can't really budget a pricy brand. The tires I use now are more aggressive than I need, so maybe a milder SUV type tire with less all terrain tread would be better for my use. Can anyone recommend a good value for the money tire, that won't require 4x4 for the rain as these do?

 

These trucks do not give the smoothest ride even when new.

What are you comparing the ride quality to?

Old hard tires with aggressive tread could definitely give you a rough ride, and at 10 + years old, they are probably in need of replacement. I do not have any tire recommendations because I have a 2wd truck and tires vary in cost and quality.

Don't overlook your shocks. If they have been there for a while or are even original, they probably need to be replaced (even if they do not leak). New shocks can totally change how your truck handles.

Bearings should not cause a rough ride.
But if you want to check the bearings for roughness:

With the front wheels off of the ground, spin each of the tires and feel for any grittyness.

If they spin smoothly (as they should because they are new and freshly greased) then the bearings are working as they should.

 

If you don`t drive all that much it is quite possible the tires get a flat spot the longer it sits the worse the get.

I think the wheels are falling off till the tires get warm and even out.

Like was said it depends on what your comparing the ride with

 

My truck rode terrible when I first got it running. I had no shocks on it and the tires were at least 6 years old. I put new shocks and tires on it and what a difference.

I like BF Goodrichs tires. I am not the biggest fan of Wal-Mart, but I like their Goodyear Wranglers. About as cheap as you are going to get and I can get them rotated, balanced, and lifetime warranty at any place I go. The road hazard always pays for itself. I deal with snow and ice where I live and they work great for me and the little off roading I do have to do from time to time always work for me.

It doesn't sound like you do any off roading or similar to what I do, I really like the Wranglers. All season work great and do not put out any road noise. I like the look of an aggressive tire but do not the noise.

 

To answer what I'm comparing to; When I first changed the shocks 4-5 years ago with Gabriel (somethings), the truck was smooth like the road was glass, except the occasional potholes were amplified by the suspension type. My wife would even say, "smooth" while she rode with me. It maybe the tires, I looked up ten year old tires and they're considered unanimously unsafe, even unused tires that old can be a hazard. I have shook my wheels while suspended to make sure the bearings were still tight.

 

I don't want to dismiss your Goodyear recommendation, but I've never had a set I cared for. Has Goodyear advanced their product technology lately? I had a set that came new on a 2003 Silverado, I didn't even keep them for 3 months, they were very dangerous in the rain.