19.5 drive tires

[Schumacher]

I thinking of up grading to 245/70r19. 5 goodyear g124's or toyo 608z all around. I tow a 6-7k trailer every day and on weedends tow my offroader on dirt roads, and there's also hunting season. I don't want to change tires for the seasons. I know there is'nt a perfect tire for every condition. My question is, is it ok to mount drive tires on the front of a 4x4? do they wear out quicker? do they handle well? I have read it is not a good idea to run them on the front. What are your experiences. Thanks for the input.

 

[Midnite]

I haven't done this myself, but I've read of lots of people who have. From what I've read the issue is that you can't really air them down as well as a typical light truck tire, like you might need to do if you have to go into sand or loose dirt. A dirt road wouldn't be a problem at all. Hopefully one of the guys who've done what you want to do will chime in.

You might read some of the stuff that Dave Fritz has on his site, Fritz's Dodge Ram Tech . His original truck was a 1994 that he put 19. 5" wheels and tires on, and he did quite a bit of driving on logging roads. It's been awhile since I read his stuff, but I can't recall any negative stuff about the tires in off-highway situations.

Mike

 

[HHhuntitall]

Schumaker,

Drive tires are not designed to run as steer tires, but with regular rotations, they will work fine. Retreads do not go on the front. Peterbilt, Ford, and Chevy all build, or at one time built, 4x4 trucks with 19. 5 tires. I see them regularly at the local Peterbilt plant, and they all have something similar to the Toyo 608 all around, in everything from 11R24. 5 to 255/70R22. 5. Performance will suffer on soft surfaces, as the heavy tire was designed for holding up weight. But when you need another driving axle, the added traction is a must. Oilfield uses them extensively, especially in the F650s. I see a large number of them in use locally with service beds and such. Expect tire life to suffer, but still be greater than conventional 10 ply tires.



God bless.

 

[Schumacher]

thank you for your input. Midnite and HHhuntitall

 

[wcjp]

I'm running those tires on my 06'. No problems. However, I don't see sand with the truck.

 

[BDaugherty]

A few years ago, I had a F550 4wd service truck with the Goodyear G124's on front and rear. The only issue that I had was getting rocks stuck between the rear duals. I would go with the Toyo's if I had to make the decision today.