19.5" Wheels & Tires -- Anyone Done This?

[67guzzler]

I saw the ad in the TDR issue #48 (I guess advertising works) and went to the the http://www.ricksontruck.com/wheels_dodge_srw.html page.



It's pretty interesting & look sweet:



#ad




Anyone in the know regarding the positives and negatives?

 

[BMemmott]

Was thinking about this upgrade. goto chromewheel.com, better prices.

 

[jimnance]

I didn't get Ricksons, I purchased my alloy wheels from Les Schwab. They are called Vision wheels.



Positives:

1. Rated for 4500 Lbs each

2. I think they look very nice

3. Commecial truck tires can be mounted to them



Negatives:



1. They have too much offset for wide tires (stick out)



I've been happy with mine, but have bought a dually and planning on selling my special wheels and tires separately from the truck.

 

[67guzzler]

BMemmott -- Interesting -- I checked the www.chromewheel.com site. They seem to specialize in adapters and not bolt on wheels. I wondering if I'd rather have the bolt on wheels if at all possible to avoid vibration issues.



Hey, Jim. I read that the Dodge 2500's and 3500's SRW have an OEM postive wheel offset of 1. 7", meaning the center of the wheel is moved in towards the truck 1. 7". Supporting your findings, the forged aluminum wheels at Rickson have a postive wheel offset of only . 25" so they'll stick out 1. 45" more than the OEM wheels. What exact tire size did you end up going with? I was debating between the 265/70R19. 5 and the 245/70R19. 5's..... Would the 265/70R19. 5's stick out too much?



More on wheel offsets: http://www.off-road.com/chevy/tech/wheel/

 

[BILLUA]

I love the look of the 19. 5's and would like to put them on my truck. Under further investigation, I realized that my ultimate gear ratio would drop from 3. 73 to about 3. 13. Too low for me. And there is no way I am going to change 2 sets of ring and pinion gear (4x4)... .



Cheers, Bill

 

[RMachida]

Hey, Jim. I read that the Dodge 2500's and 3500's SRW have an OEM postive wheel offset of 1. 7", meaning the center of the wheel is moved in towards the truck 1. 7". Supporting your findings, the forged aluminum wheels at Rickson have a postive wheel offset of only . 25" so they'll stick out 1. 45" more than the OEM wheels. What exact tire size did you end up going with? I was debating between the 265/70R19. 5 and the 245/70R19. 5's..... Would the 265/70R19. 5's stick out too much?



More on wheel offsets: http://www.off-road.com/chevy/tech/wheel/

If the diameter of the wheel/tire is larger than stock, the scrub radius would remain the same. In this example, if you choose to use the Rickson Al rims with the +0. 25" offset, you should be using a larger diameter tire. Otherwise there will be additional stress on the steering components and may marginally affect directional stability since the scrub radius is being increased. Scrub radius is the distance between the center of the contact patch of the tire and an imaginary line drawn through the upper and lower ball joints a. k. a. steering axis inclination positive is if the contact patch is towards the ouside of the imaginary line. I don't know what it is with the stock setup though I suspect it is close to zero to a bit positive.



I have been considering this upgrade as well for the additional load capacity fo the 19. 5" tires (additional safety margin not for additional load) and appreciate the discussion.

 

[67guzzler]

I have been considering this upgrade as well for the additional load capacity fo the 19. 5" tires (additional safety margin not for additional load) and appreciate the discussion.

Me too! I'm not that knowledgeable about "over the road" truck tires but from what I've read they last a very long time and are very strong. I'd like to go with something narrow and tall - narrow only because the look appeals to me and tall so I can change my effective drive ratio at the same time. The 315/70/17's are too "BIG/FAT" for my taste. I think some 245/70/19. 5's or 265/70/19. 5's would be pretty cool on the 4x4... .

 

[Jeff Clark]

Do a search on this in the Accessories forum and you'll find tons of info.



FWIW, I've run the 19. 5 Alcoa's with the large diameter bolt pattern and adapters on and off for 6 years and it's not a problem as long as a dynamic balancing agent is used.

 

[hemijustin]

i had a set of rickson 19. 5 on my truck... there sitting im my shop now. there just to skinny for the 4" lift, and to small. as for gearing... i have a friend that runs 37's with 3. 55 no prob. and i have 4. 10 with 35's and its still a little low unless i have a really big load..... also the 19. 5 tend to road wander... ther a ruff ride but there nice for towing... .

 

[Hoagie]

I saw the ad in the TDR issue #48 (I guess advertising works) and went to the the http://www.ricksontruck.com/wheels_dodge_srw.html page.



It's pretty interesting & look sweet:



#ad




Anyone in the know regarding the positives and negatives?

Hey JGann,

I am the proud owner of the Silver Ram in your picture. I have about 10000 miles on these tires now and they still look like they are new. They stick out about 3/4 of an inch past the wells. They are wearing like iron. They do not rub anywhere without any lift.

Hoagie

 

[67guzzler]

Hoagie!!!!



I'm soooo glad you posted. I really admire the look of your truck! That picture is directly linked to the http://www.ricksontruck.com/customers/91/ page with your truck and it was too good not to share with the folks in this thread.



I have a few questions if you don't mind:



1) How is the ride?

2) You went with the 245/70R19. 5 -- would the 265's have fit w/o lift and looked ok?

3) If you don't mind me asking -- what was your "out the door" price in general terms for the wheels, tires, mounting and shipping if there was any?

4) Does the 3/4" protrusion the wheel well look bad?



Thanks again! Your rig looks great!

 

[rhino_50]

How long will these tires last compared to stock tires. Thanks Rhino50

 

[SRadke]

How long will these tires last compared to stock tires. Thanks Rhino50

Generally 80-100k miles is expected Mine are in the shed and I'd 'em on if I could get wheels with the right offset



-Scott

 

[Tim]

Those look really good!! How much? How much is each tire rated for? Load rating?

 

[Slingblade]

Vision Wheels and 225 toyos

I had the same idea so I went and got a quote from Les Schwab for the Vision wheels with 225 toyos. $2280. Not a bad price I guess but too much for me. I don't think I'll be buying any time soon.

 

[SRadke]

Tires range from $260 to $320 each and are load rated 4200-6000 pounds depending on size and brand. Load range F, G, or H.



-Scott

 

[67guzzler]

So regarding offsets & Ricksons.....

Regarding the Rickson Options -- Ok -- So let me see if I got this straight.



The factory offset is 1. 7".



The Rickson:



Steel: 1. 41"

Forged Aluminum . 25"

Cast Aluminum . 0"



So using basic math (VERY basic is always best for me) then centerline of the Steel wheels will only be off-center (pushed out) . 29" (3/10ths) of an inch.



The Forged will be pushed out 1. 45" inches.



The Cast will be the pushed out the full distance of the factory offset because these have no offset -- 1. 7"



Assuming I got this straight, if the offset is really offensive, then the steel will only push the wheels out 3/10 of an inch. They weigh 25 to 30 lbs more than the aluminums wheels, however, and they only come with the round holes -- not the ovals that look a little closer to OEM. But you can get the steel wheels Chromed and use the factory center caps for an "OEM as possible" look if that's important.



Oh yea -- one other little tidbit -- plan on dropping in upwards of $3 G's.



Am I straight?



Oh yea -- forgot to ask this. I want to go with the 285/70R/19. 5 because of the 35. 1" diameter. They're not much wider than stock but they're about 3. 5" larger round -- Will this fitment work on a stock 4x4 clearance?

 

[SRadke]

Yea, you got all that right. Here's the catch... ... I gave up on aluminum wheels with the right offset over a year ago and ordered the chrome steel ones because as you say 3/10 of an inch isn't a big deal. Just over a year now and Rickson has been unable to make any new steel wheels and get them chromed. No they didn't forget me, I've been in regular contact. Frankly it's getting old.



-Scott

 

[67guzzler]

I hear ya Scott. I've been looking at the adapters from http://www.chromewheel.com/dominator.htm and then going with conventional 10 bolt alcoas or something. The thing is I don't know if there are a lot of nice options for SRW rigs like ours. I need to do more investigating. Also, I don't know how the offset issue (i. e. net final offset with the adapter and wheel combo) will calculate using generic 10 bold 19. 5" wheels with the adapter. I do like the idea of going with conventional and not proprietary wheels... .



They also push the idea of the 22. 5" wheels too:



"4X4 Single Wheel Mini Float 22. 5



This by far is the Crème Della Crème of the single wheel application. The Alcoa 893631 22. 5x9. 0 wheel is designed for loads up to 9000# each the adaptor system is tested to 10,000 each and most tires suitable for the use on 4x4’s has maximum loading capability of 6000# each and upwards.



Tire and wheel failures are non-existent unless something incredible is introduced, The use of the superior tires as the Michelin 255/70x22. 5 XD2 can give estimated tire wear near 300,000 with periodic rotation and truck suspension maintenance. This size is suitable for most 4x4’s that have no lift assist with the exception of a leveling kit in the front end to allowing for the additional weight of the diesel engine, usually require a mild suspension lift of approximately 4 inches or a maximum adjustment of the torsion bars for adequate tire clearance.



It is recommended that Superior Shocks be used when using larger tires and wheel assemblies. The ratio at the axle of tire wheel versus truck mass has changed significantly and standard hydraulic shock absorbers will become overworked on extended drives and fail to provide the ride comfort necessary. Nitrous Gas shocks seem to be the best answer for this application. "



Now running 255/70x22. 5's will give you some interesting dimensions:



Width 10. 04" (255. 00mm)

Sidewall Height 7. 03" (178. 50mm)

Overall Height 36. 06" (915. 80mm)

Circumference 113. 27" (2877. 07mm)



The width is narrower than our 265/70x17's. The 36 vs the 31. 4 overall height is pretty drastic and will really result in some serious final drive ratio changes..... Basically 2250 rpm's become 1972 rpm's at the same speed. A 3. 73 rear becomes a 3. 27. Music to my ears... .



I just have to wonder about clearance and offset.....



Then there's the 19. 5 option that's a little less radical of course.



285/70x19. 5's are around 35" overall height. 2250 rpm's become 2048 & a 3. 73 rear becomes a 3. 40... Probably a little more sane than the 22. 5 option... .



Just wonder about the offset issue and whether they'll stick out a lot. It's hard to get specific answers on some of this stuff.....

 

[SRadke]

The 285 int he 19. 5 is the route I took. Already got the tires... . waiting on wheels. Should do exactly what I want for gearing plus a touch of width and a safe load rating. 22. 5's are too extreme. Not enough sidewall, rough ride and crazy heavy. My 19. 5's are bad enough at over 90 lbs per tire and a load rating over 6000.



As for the offset issue, adapters add an inch minimum. No way around it. If you want stock offset you don't have any options.



-Scott