Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) 19.5" Wheels and Tires - are they worth it

[hammersley]

Ok OK I see the ads in the TDR. When I go to my local Les Schwaub dealer, who is a man I've known him for 25 years, and is my neighbor, he tells me there is no real reason for me to go to 19. 5" wheel and tire. He says sure they'll go a little longer, but you have few tires available, and never get a deal on them. Plus the conversion cost of wheels is expensive. I don't tow anything really heavy, but would like to get a lot of miles out of the tires. Give me real world data - please. For example what does the conversion to the wheels cost. How much are the tires - how long do they last????

 

[TomGolden]

I, too, am very interested in the 19. 5" wheels. Here are a few links for more data.



http://dodgeram.org/ki4cy/tires/wheel.htm



http://www.ricksontruck.com/home.html



From what I have read, yes, you will get significantly longer tire tread life, and if you haul heavy, they are the best way to go. From what I've seen so far, you can't get very aggressive off-road terrain type tires, and you won't be able to go with very wide tires, if either of those is a concern for you. Of course I don't know it all, and I could be mistaken here...



I don't know whether you have a dually or a 2500 truck. For my 2500 truck, I want two spare tires, so I would buy 6 wheels and tires. For the 2500 series trucks, the Rickson brand 19. 5's are almost $500 each, so that's $3K just for the wheels for me The tires are on the order of $200 - $300 each, depending on brand, size, etc. All this info is on Rickson's web site, which is one of the above links.



Enjoy.



Tom

 

[jerryrigg]

If you want to run bigger wheels consider converting to a 10 bolt pattern instead of 8 bolt. The price of wheels will drop and you can run standard 19. 5, 20, 22. 5 or 24 instead of customs wheels for an 8 Bolt.



The Plus side:

Tire Wear

Load Capacity



The Down side:

(depending on size!!)

instead of 60-80 pound tires they now weight 110-130, add the wheels and you have 250+ lbs more unsprung weight

speed ratings max out around 75 mph, if you like to fly don't do it

tire cost can double

very few tire choices without lifting the vehicle and going to a 22. 5 wheel



Most of the big tire makers do have large aggressive off road tires but they are made for a max for about 50 mph. Your basically stuck with road tires or all-seasons for the big wheels.



These guys have the strongest adaptors I've found, I've never done business with them but others have told me there a good bunch of TX boys who stand behind their stuff.



http://www.chromewheel.com/dominator.htm

 

[RADdodge]

Like they say (who ever they are!), if you have to ask how much, you can't afford it. I bought a dually knowing that the first thing I was going to do was upgrade to 19. 5 Alcoa wheels and 285 tires. Was it worth it? That depends on what you can afford. My cost was over $6K. It was expensive. I could afford it at the time (couldn't now!). But it's a done deal and it feels good. But you never get more than you pay for. Yes, the ride, handling and looks are unquestionably better. Is it worth it? For most people, probably not, but for a few, you won't have rest until it's a done deal! Even if I ever buy another truck, I'm keeping the wheels! Call it a long-term commitment.

 

[DOWG]

I have the Rickson 19. 5 steel wheels and Bridgestone tires. With the tires, wheels and the Abbott speedometer correction box I paid around $2,200. I was wearing out the "stock" tires about every 25,000 miles. I now have over 70,000 miles on the 19. 5's and will probably get to 100,000 miles. As they say here in Texas, "ya'll do the math". I'm happy.

 

[fest3er]

I posted on this subject not long ago. But since I an a very good typist, I'll expound on the subject again.

I've got Rickson 19. 5 wheels and Yokohama 225/70 tires. The tread width is the same as the OEM 245/75. Keeping them balanced and aligned has been a bit of effort. But the imbalance really been annoying. I've got about 62K on them now, and looks like they'll go at leat another 60K. I think I finally solved the feathering problem: I lowered the front tire pressure to 60 PSI. The extra stiff sidewalls make a *large* difference in handling; recently I had the OEM tires on again, and I just couldn't turn corners very well. With the larger tires (about 2" taller) and 3. 54 diff, I turn 2000 RPM at about 75 MPH.

Were I to do it all over again, I would so do. I like the tires, I like the sport-car handling, I like the ride, I like the responsive steering, I like the tire longevity. And I've really only re-balanced/re-matched the tires every 25K miles or so, so I can't really complain there, either.

So, if you aren't *too* picky about the ride (we *are* driving trucks, after all), stick mainly to maintained roads, don't like having to replace tires every time you turn around, and have the cash, I say go for it. I believe you will be pleased. If you regularly haul or tow heavy loads, you'll be even more pleased.

Like all things in life, they aren't perfect. But they're so much better, the negatives are easily overlooked.

If you were closer to VA, I take you for a ride up VA311, which is fun in my truck, but a real blast on my motorbike.

Fest3er

 

[CoreyPerez]

Hey guys,



I know Rickson sells these rims for $500 a piece, but I just got some locally (took 3 months to get them) for around $225 ea. They are Alum. and are supposed to be the same (mostly) as the Rickson. I don't have them yet (still have to drive down to Salt Lake City to pick them up this week, and I can post pictures, but if you shop around, you can get them for well under Rickson's price. My friend and I went in and purchased them together, and his are mounted and rolling. I'll get pictures when I can.



Corey

 

[gottorq33]

Hey guys I live around the corner from Riickson they are good bunch of guys I am going over to try a set of their new ones on this week they said I would need fender flares for the wide ones and they showed me alot of tread patterns the couple times I have been there. Anyway for the money I

 

[gottorq33]

got cut off well I think I am gonna take the plundge they look awesome get more mileage I get tired of getting tires put on cars dont have time. Just my 2 cents

 

[CoreyPerez]

I'm with ya on the overall savings. I just couldn't pony up the $500 ea. for a rim. But people always say there are only a few options, that isn't true. I've been to a few places around here (Les schwab) and they have more time options than you could ever imagine! I'm considering getting some like they put on dumptrucks, they look like Goodyear MT/R or BFG M/T's!



Corey

 

[CoreyPerez]

I've gotten a BUNCH of E-mails asking about these rims, and I think I've answered most if not all the questions. Anyway, if any others are interested, here is a quick picture of the rims I got for $225 vs. the Rickson $500



~Corey



#ad




There are a few other pictures in my photo thingie...

 

[CoreyPerez]

WOW!!! I've just spent about 40min sifting through E-mails and PM's replying to people about these wheels and even had to switch to a "Cann'd" response. So, sorry folks for that response, and to save others, I've included it below and hope that it will answer your questions, or atleast check back here for an answer (Update). I'll make some phone calls tomorrow and get the answers most have been asking.



**EDIT** I've posted prices that I've paid and my friend has paid. I can't and won't promise that this is the price that the retailer will sell to the general public at. I know that this was a "Hook-up" type deal, and the tires alone may be a bit more than the price we are paying. I also don't know how available these wheels will be, I've waited nearly 3 or so months to get mine, and there is a short stack of others available sitting in their warehouse!!!**/EDIT**



Also, many, many, MANY questions about Tires. The pictures on the all blue truck w/the powder coated wheels in my picture area, those are 245's and are around $200ea, and I don't know if the "Balance pak" and siping cost extra or not. The powder coating cost my friend around $140 more for that, but with the amount you are saving over the other 19. 5 conversion, they could be gold plated and I'm sure you would still be ahead in the game! As far as the tires I'm looking into (265 or 285's) will run around $240-??? The 265's are what I'm looking into, because I only want to have to run a leveling kit. And I just got the go-ahead from the wife to make the purchase on the tires when the tax return... returns from the IRS, so I'll hope to have pictures within the next month with the 265's and a grand total. As far as what I paid for the rims, I got all 4 for $900 before taxes, not bad at all when you consider I got 4 for less than the price of 2 of the others!



Well, here is your cann'd reply most of the others got... & if you have any other questions and my PM is full, please use my -- email address removed -- account.



I'm also willing to go out on a limb here, and may, **M A Y** be willing to see if I can play middle man if these are only being sold to a single dealership or if they aren't interested in shipping. Depending on how much of a headache this becomes, and I'm not trying to break any TDR rules, just willing to see if I may be able to brighten a few others day! Also, these are available for GM & Ford.

I'll see if I can get any more information for you. If your not out west, (UT) it may be a little harder to get these wheels. I haven't looked into who actually made them yet. Because of all the questions I've been getting, I'll see what other information I can come up with. As far as dualie wheels, if this company went through all the trouble to spin up singles, I can't image it would be any big deal for them to cut the larger offset.



When I get some more information, I'll just post it on the site under the forum post that attracted your attention.



I'll also apologize ahead of time, because of all the interest in these wheels, I'm just using a "Cann'd" repsonse, so if your questions were not directly related to Dualie or finding out who or where to get them, I apologize. I'm attempting to save the retailer I purchased them through from having to answer a hundred or so phone calls from everybody on the TDR site from inquiring about them. And even though this is a larger distributor out west, not every one of the dealerships here are aware or selling these wheels.



Corey.

#ad

 

[PLaFrombois]

With the added weight of the wheels and tires, are there any problems with bearings or front end parts wearing out prematurely? I've thought about the 19. 5", but questioned the added weight.



Paul

 

[CoreyPerez]

I havent' mounted mine, and my friend has only ran his a few hundred miles, but its unsprung weight, and the offset isn't much different, so I wouldn't think there would be a problem. he did say its a wee-bit harder to stop due to all the weight, but thats why I got the real truck (read: 6sp) and a BD Exhaust Brake I guess its about time I actually started to use my service brakes. I normally am down to about 10ish mph before I use the Service brakes, and thats normally just to hold it at the light!



Corey

 

[DieselWagon13]

Hey guys - Just some quick facts about Rickson products - not hearsay or opinions but basic product facts directly from Rickson:



First, the cost of our heavy-duty 19. 5" forged aluminum wheels for single rear wheel applications is right at about $400 each. (Steel wheels run between $250-350 depending on width and if powder coated or chrome plated).



A key point to keep in mind is that our aluminum wheels are forged (one piece) aluminum wheels – the pictures posted by Corey are made by Vision and are CAST aluminum. Most people agree that there is a substantial difference in quality between cast aluminum and forged aluminum wheels, hence the difference in pricing. You will find that difference in pricing between forged and cast aluminum everywhere.



Our aluminum wheels are also 6. 75” wide – I do not know the width of the Vision wheel but the 6. 75” width does allow you to run 4 of the 5 different 19. 5 tire sizes (225/70R19. 5; 245. 265 and 8R19. 5s). All of our wheels for single rear wheel applications carry a 4500 weight rating each.



Finally, we specialize in direct replacement 19. 5s (no adaptors – no fooling around) with the exact offset and bore and bolt circle for your individual truck. These are, in essence, factory replacements. The real deal.



At any rate, I wanted to clarify some of this discussion with a few facts. Hope this helps in some way…



Thank you,



Heather Knutson

Rickson Truck Accessories



P. S. All Les Schwab Tire Centers are authorized Rickson dealers and we ship to individual Les Schwab stores every day. Nevertheless, it is possible that not every store's staff members are yet aware of this fact - if not, they can easily look us up in their computer systems to confirm.

 

[CoreyPerez]

Folks,



First, thanks for your information Heather. And honestly, if I could have afforded the Rickson wheels, thats what would be under my truck, and believe that your product may be superior in quality, but what it boiled down to for me is cost and being sold by a local retailer and not paying for the shipping cost.



Now, for the questions that have been asked:



Price: $243. 83 (each rim, one like mine pictured non-powder coated)

Maker: Vision

Availabiltiy: Currently there are 78 that can be sold, but this would have to be done SOON!!! These are selling FAST!!!

Shipping: They will ship, and if you are in the NW LES SCHWAB will ship to another Les Schwab dealership, NO COST FOR SHIPPING (in this instance) But if shipped to your house, you will pay for shipping.

Dualie's: Unsure, but they will call me back this afternoon with an answer

Load Range: 4500lbs EACH wheel

Tire & Wheel Combo: Will ship, each tire will cost around $190-$225 for a 245/70/19. 5 and prices go up from there

Cast or Forged: Cast



If your interested, please E-mail me at -- email address removed -- and I'll provide the phone number and POC. Just remember, not every Les Schwab has these, and you may have to deal with this dealership directly. I'm not sure about other sources to purchase these, so if anybody finds any other places, pony up!!! Also, I"m not selling these my self, or playing middle man, just trying to save the guys that are hooking me up some headache with a bunch of TDR members calling who may not ever really consider buying these. ALso, the prices are listed above, and by calling, you won't get a different price.



Thanks and good luck, I've got mine!!!



Corey

 

[AMeissner]

i bought the adaptors from www.chromewheel.com they adapt to the common ten bolt pattern. I am running 22. 5 rims and 36 inch tall tires. Rides rougher, but looks great. The adaptors can be bought for $900.

 

[SGreenwood]

what's all the fuss just go to 255 / 85 r 16 tires they give you the height (33. 02" ) with out the width ( 10. 00" ) and are avail. in many different tread patterns for about $150. 00 each and as for the weight it is about 3000 lbs for single wheels which is plenty for most people they also will fit on the factory rims

 

[SRadke]

Originally posted by SGreenwood

what's all the fuss just go to 255 / 85 r 16 tires they give you the height (33. 02" ) with out the width ( 10. 00" ) and are avail. in many different tread patterns for about $150. 00 each and as for the weight it is about 3000 lbs for single wheels which is plenty for most people they also will fit on the factory rims

I did exactly that when I had a 96 model. I was very happy with it. Now I've got a third gen with 17" wheels and that is no longer an option.



-Scott

 

[CoreyPerez]

When you figure that you may get 30-40k out of those $150 tires (ea) vs. over (well over!!!!) 100k-200k for the $200 tires... Well I dont think I need to explain that any farther



The offset at first may be quite a bit, but I'm betting that this may be the last set of tires I buy for this truck while I own it!



Corey