I checked out Rickson's offerings and noticed they do not offer forged aluminum at all anymore. They do offer Chinese cast aluminum, and, of course, their own in-house super-heavy-duty steel wheels (but you can't get chrome anymore).
My concern is the HUGE increase in unsprung weight the steel wheels and HD tires will be. Unsprung weight is undesirable weight adding stress and wear to the suspension, brakes, shocks, driveline, etc. due to the Law of Inertia. The company I work for is very money-tight and fuel-economy oriented. All of our new semi tractors have forged aluminum wheels that the company believes pay for themselves over steel wheels in fuel savings. Our old tractors had a mix of steel and aluminum so they could compare costs and savings. They would not have paid the large extra money for all-forged-aluminum wheels if the math had not been positively on that side.
That may be true, but they aren't changing from a completely different type of tire at the same time; they're using the same tire on a different wheel.
I'm not sure I'd call 25% a *huge* increase in mass. I got the powder-coated steel wheels and the 225/70 tires. They weigh a good bit more, but the difference isn't *huge*.
When I put the 19. 5s on (at 60K miles), I didn't notice any change in fuel economy or performance; the added mass made no difference. When I out Amsoil in the engine (at 50K miles), I didn't notice any difference. It was only when I put Amsoil in the diffs and auto trans (at 90K miles) that I noticed a definite improvement in fuel economy.
I believe the four steel tread belts of the 19. 5s (and the single steel sidewall belt) lower the rolling resistance enough to overcome the loss of having a heaver tire/wheel; the net effect on economy is neutral. The rock-solid sidewalls both greatly enhance steering and control and keep the tread firmly planted on the pavement, thus garnering a significant improvement in overall operational safety, whether the pavement is wet or dry (snow is dicey however you slice it).
Years ago, Dan was having trouble with the quality and consistency of the product his suppliers were sending him. When he moved to his 'new' location, he had the room to install the equipment needed to finish (weld, drill and punch) the wheels himself, so that he, and only he, is responsible for the final quality of each wheel. I think whatever he sells today will be a quality product regardless of the origin of the components. Rickson probably do not offer forged aluminium or chrome steel wheels for the simple reason that they could not find a quality supplier of them; most likely the wheels he got too far out-of-round and out-of-true to be comfortable on a lightweight P/U truck.
Remember, the larger and heavier tire needs more overall effort to balance them and make them 'round'. Most medium- and heavy-duty trucks have sufficient mass (weight) to prevent 10-15 pounds of 'out-of-round' mass from being noticed. However, a light P/U will let that weight bounce it around. This is the reason Dan goes to so much trouble to match each tire with each wheel. It's also the reason I have always gone back to his shop for the few adjustments I've needed: local shops, even if they have the Hunter matching balancer, just don't know how to handle a medium- to heavy-duty commercial tire on a light truck. And adjustments became even less necessary once he started using an adhesive to 'bind' the bead to the wheel (yes, I'd had trouble with the wheel slipping on the bead), and once he started using the glass balancing beads inside the tire.
People have spoken disparagingly (though humorously) about the skinny-a. . ed tires on my truck. They just won't understand the huge difference those 225/70s make in handling and safety, especially for someone who keeps forgetting that he isn't Speed Racer driving an uber-ideal sports car. I *like* my 6000# sports car simply because it dern near handles like one, and the tires are a large part of that.
If you really want a 33-35" tall tire, stay away from the 19. 5s, because the 245 and 265 series tires are simply far more than a light pickup truck needs or can use; they're also far too heavy. The 225/70/19. 5 tire is all any pickup truck needs; they exceed the vehicle and axle ratings of nearly all pickup trucks and nearly all P/U truck usages. If bling is more important, get a 17", 18" ,or 20" wheel with appropriate heavy-car tires. But if you're willing to trade a little bling for extra performance and significantly more operational safety, get the 225/70/19. 5 tire/wheel from Rickson.
Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
:-laf
