19.5" rims & tires - I hear a lot of good, but what about the bad?

[Dan_69GTX]

I'm tossing around the idea of 19. 5" tires. I've read a lot of good (mileage, wear in particular) but - What are the downfalls of these tires/rims? If you have them why would or wouldn't you do it again?



Thanks!

Dan

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Dan, the main downside I can think of is the weight of the weels & tires add quite a bit of unsprung weight which will put a little more strain on your brakes, steering & suspension. It will be noticeable over bumps too.



The great news is Rickson is now taking orders for their new aluminum wheels for the 2500 trucks. These weigh about 100lb per wheel instead of 120 for the steel ones (weight depends on what size/type tire you get). The stock aluminum wheels and 265/75/16" weigh about 80lbs, so they aren't much heavier than stock.



Another downside is gearing. I would definitely do some speed/rpm calculations and see where these tires will put you RPM wise on the highway. I am seriously considering Rickson and this is my greatest concern, gearing. I like my gearing just the way it is now and I'm afraid my highway RPM would drop too far. I have a 2wd with 3. 54 gears.



Vaughn

 

[RADdodge]

I had basically three concerns with 19. 5" wheels and tires when I upgraded. Cost, Cost, Cost. Seriously, the only one I knew about going into the deal was the cost. You know you spell EXPENSIVE in all caps. Anyway, two points I didn't know about were, with the 7. 5" width Alcoa rims and the 19. 5x285 tires, the rims and tires stuck out 3" past the fenders. Second, the pedal pressure to stop goes up. I fixed the fender issue, I will fix the brake issue (not really an issue, but I'm going for larger rotors, calipers and discs all around. ) Anyway, bottom line is - I'd do it again if I had the money. No question. I'm planning on keeping the truck for a long time. I see it as an investment in recreation, driving pleasure, and tinkering enjoyment. It's a very satisfying truck to drive. And man those wheels look good!



p. s. The biggest improvement was tracking. With stock tires, the cornering and lane changing, etc. was mushy, with the larger tires and stiffer sidewalls, it tracks like a sports care carrying the camper! The ride didn't get rougher unless you inflate the tires to 70psi unloaded! BTW, for those of you running the 19. 5s, what tire pressures do you use?

 

[15w40]

I can give you some pros and cons about the 19. 5" wheels and 245/70 tires. They definitely ride rougher than the stock E rated tires. (I run the pressure at 80-psi front and 70-psi, rear) At 120 lbs per wheel and tire they are a chore to mount and dismount. (I'm 6'3" 220 lbs) The 225/70 tire will fit between the bed rails, the 245/70 will not. If you have a limited slip differential and the stock size spare tire on the rear, there may be trouble with the differential clutches. The 19. 5" rims have no safety beads to keep the tires on if you lose pressure or run at low pressure. I use to run the rears at 45 lbs for a better ride until the sidewall gave way and the tire rolled off. I also found at this low pressure it was possible to spin the steel wheel and shift the position of the tire causing the balance to be thrown off. The Bridgestone M724F tires I run are rated for something like 4500 lbs each, for the G rated tire, verses 3400 for the stock tires. They wear like iron. With about 50K miles on mine with light towing they have lost only about 6/32 of their 21/32" tread depth. In wet weather they can be scary if you have a heavy foot. I take it easy in bad weather and have no problems in snow. And, yes they are expensive. If I had it to do over again, I would go with the 19. 5s.

 

[fest3er]

I've got the Rickson 19. 5" wheels with Yokohama TY303s (225/70). Strangely, I found the Yokos give a smoother, softer, yet firmer ride. WIth the OEM Goodrears I felt each and every bump and crack in the road. The TY303s made the cracks pretty much disappear.



I haven't really noticed any difference in mileage or braking. I did get an early set of wheels which are rated at about 3100 lbs (I think), and a bunch of them have bent to some small degree. I don't know if this is because I've hauled 4K lbs of stuff in the bed, or if I have hit nasty chuckholes (I did live in No. IL for two years with the truck!) That said, Rickson's new wheels have a higher weight rating (3500 lbs?) and should hold up better.



I have noticed that the wheels *can* spin inside the tires under hard acceleration or, perhaps, under very hard braking on a washboard. But it's probably nothing a set of 'Beadlocks' wouldn't cure!



Another drawback is the TY303s are more sensitive to alignment. Find yourself a *very* good truck alignment shop and have yours set. Then put the new tires on and have it set again. My TY303s always feather in front, so they can get kind-of loud, but the 12V is almost always louder, so I don't much care.



In the rain, I've found the TY303 to have *very* good traction, although on wet, oily roads they're not as good - but then few tires do handle that condition well! While they are not fantastic in snow, I've never gotten stuck, nor have I slid off the road or had an accident with them due to traction problems.



The control the TY303s give is *far* better than the OEM tires. Steering is more solid and firm.



I now have 50K miles on them and they look like they should be good for at least another 50K, if not more.



I would definitely do it again, even if I have to pay full retail for the tires.



Good luck!



Fest3er