17.5 in VS 19 in Tires

[JEsterline]

Can anyone give me any insight on tires? Will a 19 in give me better fuel mileage than a 17. 5? I don't know a lot about tires but I have 17. 5's on now, and that they have 110,000 miles on them with about 10,000 to go. Just wondering if the bigger tire might give me a little better mpg's.

 

[jelag]

I have 19. 5's on a Ford 550... . and we get 2 times the mileage as I got out of the stock 17" on my 04... and the 19. 5's are less money... . we've been buying Michlein RVX tire at Costco for about 125 each as I remember...



I can't find steel wheels that fit my 04,,, don't want allow wheels, just some plain steel wheels that center off the hubs... as the lugs don't center the wheel... .



Jim



BTW my 04 now has 81K miles

 

[DPKetchum]

Rickson has had the steel 19. 5s out for well over a year.

 

[JEsterline]

Twice the mileage?!! Wow!! I have a 03 2500 4X4 and it takes about 1 1/2 weeks to put 10,000 miles on it. Did you get any better mpg's by any chance?

 

[Task125]

here are my 19. 5s. they still look like this with 18000 on them

 

[TAllen]

task125

Are your wheels chromed steel or alloy, or did you find wheel covers?



Tim

 

[Task125]

They are chromed steel.

 

[XJSuperman]

I think JEsterline is talking about 17. 5" tire/wheel combo vs a 19. 5" tire/wheel combo... . not compared to the 17" on a stock 3rd gen... I think this is what he means.



If so I have looked for the 17. 5" wheels to fit our trucks and have yet to find any. They do make G and H rated 17. 5" tires... which would be terrific IF someone had wheels to fit our trucks because the wheels shouldn;t be much if any heavier than our stock 17" steel wheels... whereareas most folks point out the rickson 19. 5" steel wheels are heavy... anyone know how much heavier vs our stock 17" steelies???

 

[SRadke]

Rickson steel wheels weigh in around 65 lbs depending on width. Add to that a load range G tire that is generally larger in diameter than stock and you've more than doubled your rotational mass as well as tire/wheel mass in general.



-Scott

 

[jelag]

We use the RVX on the front... . and have been buying from a local retreader the retreads that UPS uses on their local trucks... . the 4 retreads we mount as a set on the rear have a different tread pattern which works well for us in the winter... very good cap..... and they always have lots on hand... Because of UPS... .



Your right, their a higher load range and just seem to wear and wear.....



Jim

 

[XJSuperman]

If memory serves the 315 BFG weighs in at about 64 lbs... and I'd venture the stock steel wheels weigh around 40?? So that's 104 lbs per wheel/tire.





If the ricksons weigh 65 lbs... and say the G rated 265/70/19. 5 (at ~the same height as the 315's) weighs 80 lbs???? (I'm guessing) That's 145 lbs per wheel/tire. THat's only 40 more lbs per wheel/tire and only 160 lbs total (for a SRW with 5 wheels/tires including spare). If my weights are correct... (and I honestly don;t know if they are) then 160 lbs isn;t squat for our trucks... it's like adding a passenger. (yes I realize to a degree tires/wheels/ are unsprung weight but we're not driving drag cars).

Compare that to the aluminum wheels should rickson ever make them with the right offset etc... @ 35 lbs a piece... that's only a wieght savings of 30 lbs per wheel/tire which is only a 150 lbs total less weight (again for a SRW with spare included).



Again I'm not trying to dispute anyone... BUT show me the weights so we know for fact how much difference there is.

 

[TSpecht]

Unfortunately adding up the extra weight of the tire (rotating mass) is much different from a performance standpoint than simply putting that much static weight in the truck.



There's a bunch of physics involved which I'd rather not get into, but suffice it to say that increasing the rotating mass significantly will kill acceleration (and will make it harder for the brakes to stop the vehicle as well). The amount varies with the added mass and how it's spread out across the diameter of the tire. This works on the same principal as adding a heavier or lighter flywheel, lighter flywheel will allow the engine to rev up faster, while a heavier one stores more energy but won't rev as fast (and conversely won't be slowed down as fast)...