19.5s........Fascinating!!

[Barry]

January of 2010 I installed a pre-owned set of Rickson Wheels with 225/70/19. 5 Goodyears, load range G. I bought them sight unseen from the original owner in Los Wages, NV. He said 2 of the 5 tires were like new but the other 3 were marginal. I thought, O well, if I could run them on the back for 10 to 15 thousand miles while I shop for 2 new ones that will work... ... .....

Well, 40,000 miles later, I am still running them. The 2 that were "marginal" now have close to 90,000 miles(50,000 from the original owner)... ... ... . and were still going. Then I got an epiphany. They are virgin tires... ... ... and it says regroovable on the sidewall. So I asked the guy at the tire shop... ... . anyone around here do tire regrooving? He said,"well I have been doing it for over 20 years, so that would be me". Great, how much? $8. 00 per line. Long story short... ..... I just went a picked up the truck. I am impressed!

I asked him how deep could he go? He said 3/8"... ... lets see... 3/8, 6/16, 12/32... Hmmmmm. I had at least 1/8" left before the wear marks. 1/8, 2/16, 4/32nd's... ... ... ... ... ... Well he gave me another 12/32nd and I had 4/32nds left over, So now I have 16/32nds... ... ... . AGAIN! Which is what the tire had new!! Oo.

Shot some pix for fun... ... ... ... don't know how well they will come across.

BTW, there is a guy in Houston, on Craigslist that has sold his 5er and no longer needs his Ricksons (Alloys with SS lug nuts and Caps) with less than 30K on a set of virgin Toyo's for $850 bucks. Tooooooooo cheap!View attachment 76028 This is the tire that has 90,000 miles.

View attachment 76029 Fronts with 50,000 miles

View attachment 76030This is on the front with 50,000 miles... ... ... ... .....

 

[CUMMINZ]

Barry,



That is the same tire I am running on my 3500 dually. I expect to get 100k out of them and then regroove.

 

[Barry]

Followed the link to look at your truck... ... ... ... ... ... SLICK!!



So I think(hope) that I run 100K and then regroove for another 50K??



My first choice on the next tires is the Bridgestone R250F in the load F range. The 245/70/19. 5s come with 19/32nd's as opposed to most tires with 16 and 17 32nd's... ... .....

 

[HBarlow]

Interesting report. I have read the word "regroovable" molded on the sidewall of several sets of Michelin XPS Ribs over the years but never seriously considered asking a truck tire store about actually doing it. I wondered how appropriate it would be. Seems like a practical solution to extending the life and value of real truck tires.

I always get over 110k miles of service out of ordinary Michelin X tires on my Dodges. I have always pulled them off before the tread got too shallow as winter approached.

 

[Barry]

Uncle Harvey,

Are you saying you got 110K plus out of Michelins... ... ... ... ..... were they the 265/70/17s... ... ... ... ... . ?? I always could count of 65K with a little tread left over... ... ... but not enough to get over 100K.

And I was always fortunate to find a "deal" from someone that bought a 4 by and wanted bigger tires.

The last bunch I bought was 6 takeoffs for $600. Took the best 4 and installed on my truck. Then took the best 4 and sold those for $250. Have not put a pencil to it, but I think I came out alright.

Then the Ricksons popped up and I bought the 5 wheel and tire package for $1200(original $3200) and I traded my OEM wheels and tires for $400..... plus his wheels and tires should I ever want to sell the truck and keep my Ricksons.

In any event, I think I am set for another 50K and then I will pull the ones off the front... ... . regroove... ... ... . move those to the rear for another 50K and put 2 new ones on the front.

So far the best price I have gotten on the Bridgestone 245s is $700 for 2 installed... ... ... ...

If I did not have my set of Ricksons already, that set in Houston for $850, I would be all over them like gravy on a chicken fried steak!!

 

[CUMMINZ]

After I retire next year we expect to put a bunch of mileage on our DC and DayDreamer. One of the reasons we went to the 19. 5 GoodYears was to get 100k and more from them. I have a new set of GoodYears on the DayDreamer and with the 8k new axles I expect to get great mileage. They are regrooveable also. I saw it being done ontime at Bill's Truck Stop and it was rather neat.



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[HBarlow]

Uncle Harvey,

Are you saying you got 110K plus out of Michelins... ... ... ... ..... were they the 265/70/17s... ... ... ... ... . ?? I always could count of 65K with a little tread left over... ... ... but not enough to get over 100K.

And I was always fortunate to find a "deal" from someone that bought a 4 by and wanted bigger tires.

The last bunch I bought was 6 takeoffs for $600. Took the best 4 and installed on my truck. Then took the best 4 and sold those for $250. Have not put a pencil to it, but I think I came out alright.

Then the Ricksons popped up and I bought the 5 wheel and tire package for $1200(original $3200) and I traded my OEM wheels and tires for $400..... plus his wheels and tires should I ever want to sell the truck and keep my Ricksons.

In any event, I think I am set for another 50K and then I will pull the ones off the front... ... . regroove... ... ... . move those to the rear for another 50K and put 2 new ones on the front.

So far the best price I have gotten on the Bridgestone 245s is $700 for 2 installed... ... ... ...

If I did not have my set of Ricksons already, that set in Houston for $850, I would be all over them like gravy on a chicken fried steak!!

Barry,

I have had similar results on the LT235/85R16 LRE on my '01 and the LT235/85R17 LREs on my '06. I've always pulled them off at about 110,000 miles but still had safe and legal tread depth remaining. I haven't used up the first set of Michelins yet on my curent '08. All have been 2wd duallies and highway driven. I think I bought three sets of Michelins on the '01 and two for the '06. Both had excellent tires when sold.

I got 65k out of the OEM Generals(I think that was the brand name) on my current and previous trucks before I replaced them with Michelins. I think one of the reasons (besides my age) that I enjoy such good tire mileage is I always begin slowing and slow gently. I never keep power on until the last minute then jam on the brakes.

 

[Barry]

Uncle Harvey,



I too drive the same way. Practice "Momentum Management". But you have to be the all time tire mileage king.



I'm impressed!!

 

[seafish]

I don't tow all the time, but my truck weighs alot and I am sick and tired of wearing through tires every 15k to 25k miles.

I would love to go the the Rickson 19. 5 black powder coated steel rims with an F rated tire--



So are there ANY downsides to ride quality or mpg's with the 19. 5 wheels??



What about wet weather handling??



TIA for any useful advice!!!

 

[Barry]

I will try to answer your questions... ... ... . but my answers will be from my perspective.



1) The ride is a little harsh. This is a real truck tire. But with that said, I think you are on the right track wanting load range F. But I would caution you to go with the 245s as they have a 4080 lb. load limit whereas the 225s are around 3600... ..... not much more than the OEMs. In doing all the research for my next tire purchase, I am set on the Bridgestone 245 load F.



2) The 245s are close to 9. 5" wide. But the rubber compound used in these tires is much harder than OEM. So traction is not going to be as good as OEM tires in wet weather.



3) The load F tire has a max cold limit of 95 lbs. But you only need to run 95 lbs. if you are going to be running near the load limit of the tire. Proper tire pressure is the key to tire life. I run 70 lbs. in the front and 80 in the rear unless I back under a heavy unit... ... ... . then I pressure up to 100 cold. My G rated 225s are rated for a max cold pressure of 110.



4) Fuel mileage is about the same if not a little better because the rolling resistance is less on the 19. 5s than the stock OEM tires.



5) There is a downside. I have a 2wd. running highway tread. I cannot get off pavement onto sand or wet grass. I see you are running a 4x4. Buy a good M/S tread and I think you will be fine.



I hope I have been of some help. Don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions. I have the black powder coated steel Ricksons. Tire and wheel weighs 130 lbs.

 

[seafish]

Barry, thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions. Long ago, I read alot of the TDR threads regarding 19. 5 wheels and your answers pretty much confirm what I read then, including the issue of mpgs-- some people claimed a slight gain and others a slight loss. I would definitely be running an M/S tread, whicch I would hope would also have better wet handling characteristics. I think that perhaps the only downside might be extra wear on the front suspension components, due to the extra weight and rotating mass, but I eventually plan to switch to SpynTech hubs and Carli ball joints so I dont think that will be a deal killer. Thanks again for your feedback... . others please still free to chime in!!!

 

[HBarlow]

Uncle Harvey,

I too drive the same way. Practice "Momentum Management". But you have to be the all time tire mileage king.

I'm impressed!!

Barry,

I don't think my tire mileage is anything out of the ordinary or anything to brag about. An old friend and long time RV transporter who lives in Pahrump, NV and has transported trailers since about '96 with a Ram 4x4 told me years ago before I started using Michelins on Dodge Rams that he always got 100,000 miles of wear out of Michelins.

Tire mileage is determined primarily by the brand of tires then by the way the driver maintains and uses them. Lots of TDR members prefer buying cheap brand tires and then wonder why they don't get long life from them.

 

[CUMMINZ]

I run 75#s in the front and 70#s in the dual rears and I can tell a little difference in the ride from running them at 90#s. My tread is a street tread and I made that choice to get a more quiet ride and knew I would be 99. 99% on hwy use. The tires are not good in sand but they do float well due to size. My handling is 100% better. My wife can drive pulling our DayDreamer down the hwy at 65mph and feels safe.

 

[CharlieFoxtrot]

FYI, here's the Craigslist ad, from Tomball TX, NW of Houston: RICKSON WHEELS AND TIRES I have no connection to the seller and know nothing about his items; I just had a serious talk with myself about whether I wanted to put 19. 5's on my truck, and we decided not to...







Set of 4 19. 5 rickson wheels and tires for a 2004 3/4 ton dodge diesel tires are toyos. The tires are TOYO Hyparadials 225 / 170R 19. 5 Load Range F and I have a complete set of stainless steel lug nuts for the wheels. I will look at a swap I am looking for a 4 wheeler for dear hunting. let me know what you have if you are looking for a great set of wheels and tires. As some of you requested I have taken pics of the thread. all thread is 1/4" or more and the tires are regroovable. If you are looking for bling look esle where these are working tires and wheels. I am using the tires now.

 

[Barry]

I had a long talk with the guy in Houston. Nice guy. He would only use them when he pulled his 5er. Wheels and tires have less than 30,000 miles. He has since taken them off the truck and they are stored in his garage.



If I did not have my set, I would be all over those like a duck on a June bug!!



They are tooooooooooooooooooooo cheap!!

 

[RADdodge]

TIME to replace my 285R70 19.5 Tires

I'm probabbly the low mileage prince. I have a little over 20k on Michelin XZA tires. The sidewalls on two were seriously cracked and after reading various articles on tire age, I have about decided to replace them (tires were manufactured in 99 and I mounted them new in the summer of 2000). It's expensive, but I'm concerned more with safety. I bought my wheel/tire package before Alcoa came out with a wheel that would directly fit and so I am using wheel adapters. And since I'm into it, the wheels will be polished and then ceramic coated. I decided I was getting tired of either putting up with ugly aluminum or polishing. I'm hopping to put a lot more mileage on the new tires. I would never go back to a standard wheel/tire combo. I love this set-up.

 

[ILIANBG]

Barry,
The wheel there, on Craigslist pictures, does not appear to be made by Rickson Wheel.
It looks like it is a Vision Hauler-81 19. 5" wheel. It's much cheaper new, and as far as I know is made in China.
Member Eric Buckel here has a Rickson aluminum 19. 5" wheels, and is different then the one on Craigslist.
Looks like now only steel wheels are offered for Dodge SRW.
Just a thought- I do not want to discourage anyone. I looked at the same Vision wheel myself.
Ilian

 

[Barry]

Perhaps so. Would not want to mislead anyone. However, the Vision 81 is listed on Ricksons website... ... ... ... ... . and they do sell them.



The Vision wheel is rated at 4500# whereas my steels are rated at 5,000# per wheel. The most I run on my drive axle is around 8,000# which is close to the limit for my 225 G rated Goodyears.



But back to the Vision wheels and less than 30,000 mile Toyo tires... ... ... With shipping and mounting, that set has to be somewhere around $2,000 installed.



At $850 bucks, they are a bargain. Someone, that can use them, is going to get a good deal.



Thanx for the clarification!

 

[ILIANBG]

Yes, indeed. They are well priced. Do you think they will fit my truck? I have worries about the fronts. I saw a picture of a 2Gen 2WD on Rickson's website, with the steel wheels made by Rickson. I do not know what the backspacing is and if it's compatible.
Another thing that keeps me away from looking into the 19. 5" is my axle ratio.
Thanks Barry.

 

[Duluth Diesel]

I am selling a very mint set (4) of steel Rickson 19. 5" wheels and Toyo M608Z tires (285/50R19. 5) with only 1500 miles on them. I sold my 2002 and these were on that truck. They were new in April 2010 and have never seen road salt. Link to my TDR ad in my signature below. PM me if you want photos. These are cherry I just can't use them now.