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2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission How do 19.5" tires ride unloaded?

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Greetings. I'm awaiting the delivery of my wheels from Rickson. I was recently informed that 19. 5 tires are a rough ride unloaded. I rarely tow. What's your experience? What's your preferred traction tire for 19. 5 wheels? And, do you know the largest size tire available for 19. 5's? Thanks
 
No matter what ah truck rides like ah truck. I got a 2500 4x4 with adjustable Ranch 9000s. Rickson 19. 5 power coat steel wheels with Goodyear G-124 24570r19. 5s G load,trim rings and center hubs. Love em. Tried adjusting the Ranchos and tire pressure still rough. But I can live with it. Piece of mind.
 
I have no experience on 19. 5's on Dodges, however I drive a Chevy 3500HD cab chassis for work everyday with 19. 5's on it. I will say it doesn't ride much different than my personal truck which has 305 Bridgeston Dueller A/T's on it that are load range D's. Odviously a little rougher at times, but as stated above a truck is always going to ride like a truck.



Now that you've already ordered them I'm sure you'll be very happy with the extended tire life..... especially since you don't tow often. However, I do have to ask... . if you don't tow often why buy such an expensive set up of tires and wheels? I only hook to a gooseneck myself 10-20 times a year and I get by with regular load range D tires that usually last me 2 years. ;)
 
I have ricksons 19. 5 rims and 245 70 R Michelin XDE-MS tires... .



I think either 265 or 285 70 r 19. 5 is the largest for a commercial type tire.

look at my readers rigs under new rims and tires gallery and see what my tires and rims look like... .



I don't tow often either and I kept my 16" tires for the winter when the RV gets put to bed... .



When I am solo and not towing anytime soon, I drop the pressure to 65 front and 55 rear... . this makes the ride livable without making bad treadwear. When towing, I air up to 90 front and 95 rear.
 
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Hi BLoyd,



Not bad in my book - very nice in fact. You'll play a bit with your pressure to find your preference, like Eric from SLC said above.



If I forget to air down after towing heavy, my first trip down our rough dirt road, and I remember !!



After wearing out my initial Bridgestone M724's - which had horrible wet weather traction & the sidewalls cracked prematurely, I wrote up my experiences over the first 10 k miles with my first replacment set of 19. 5's - I decided to go with Michelin Factory Retreads.



They're Michelin XDC-22, 14 ply 245/70 R 19. 5, Retreads - from a local medium duty truck dealer. Quite the deal at

$ 125 ea - heck that price beats many 10 ply tires, but they last 60-90 K miles.



Here: https://www.turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1515466



You asked about a traction tire. The XDC 22 tread design has super traction, but is not noisy on the highway. I hate loud 'mudder-type' tires like that - these ones just sing sweetly - window down, that is.



I don't recall a size larger than this one, the 245 / 70 R 19. 5 is a large, heavy tire. Mine are LR G - 14 ply which rates at 4500 lbs @ 110 PSI.



A bit of advice: if you don't tow much, go with the next lighter rated tire, a LR 'F', which should still provide 4000 lbs @ 100 PSI - these can usually be had in 225 or 245 widths.



The reason I recommend the lighter rated tire is for a guy who rarely / never tows, the LR G is simply overkill. The LR F 12 ply is still going WAAY beyond stock capability.



If you decide on new tires, I've heard much good about the Hankook (Korean made tire) DH-01 - great traction tire... ...



Let us know how it works out and what you decide... . thanks David B.



Maybe I can show some pics of this set-up:
 
Bringing this thread to life again...



I have an oppurtunity to get some,

Rickson Aluminum Wheels 19. 5 x 6. 75 8 on 6. 5

Michelin XZT 245/70R19. 5 Load Range G



I will tow 2 times a year maybe, I dont have $ to burn and am getting great mileage with my curr. set up now, Wondering if I would get any benefits from going 19. 5?

I need serious help making my decision soon...



JoeLee
 
For what it's worth.

I've been running Rickson's early steel wheels (very early 6" model) and 19. 5s for over 200K miles now. Been through sets of Yokohama TY303s, Bridgestone 714s and now working on a set of Hankooks. They've all been 225-70s, Load range F. I liked 'em when I first got 'em, and I still like 'em today, even though the wheels are rusting out. With proper match balancing and Equal balance beads, they ride smooth. And they gently roll over most cracks in the road. Most tires will slap and hit the cracks hard; I never notice most of them.

With a 6. 75" wheel, you'd be best off with 225s to keep the tread a little flatter on the ground. Even with the narrower tread, you'll be amazed at the traction and control you get. My only dissatisfaction has been tread wear (since the TY303s). The poor wear must be related to the suspension wearing out. I got 110K from the TY303s, 40K from the Bridgestones and am approaching 60K now with the Hankook. I just can't get the front end aligned. But after 255K miles, I'm still not dissappointed.

The LR F sidewalls are like iron. The truck drives and handles like a sports car. This is the main reason I got the 19. 5s; they give fantastic steering control. What little I drive these days, I still like the tires and the control. Properly inflated, it's hard to tell when I'm towing a tailer or hauling 4000# of gravel in the bed.

I don't know how the 245s will ride or wear. I might opine that the LR G tires may just ride harder than the LR Fs. Dan always recommends 225s; they're the most you will ever need for a pick-em-up, single or dually. However, if you are always running near or over weight, the 245 LR Gs will give you a margin of safety. If you are nearly always running unladen, don't bother with 245s unless they're 'free'; 225s will handle your twice-a-year towing needs.

In summary, with 6. 75" wheels and 245s, you may be dissappointed. You may never get the tire inflation right, thus never get proper tread contact with the ground. And without proper tread contact, you'll never really have as good traction as you should.

If they're used, buy the tires and wheels, sell the tires and get a set of 225s.
 
fest3er,



It's hard to make a decision, I will wait and see if the seller goes down a little bit more a mechanic buddy of mine said that I'd be extremely unhappy with the ride and I'd have to findout for myself.



Will update the post as things unfold...



JoeLee...
 
I am curious why you want to run these if you aren't towing much? Do they just make your balls swell??

I am considering a set too.
 
I would like to pick up a set of rickson duals if anyone knows of a used set laying around. I have Brentz on now and I need to consider rotating this time around with my new tires.
 
Doc,

I like the massive look of the 19. 5's however, I don't suffer from Short Man Syndrome, I'm 6'3" to some that may be short :)

I really couldnt tell you specifically why I want these, Its a great deal 1st of all, however, these are for sale for a reason. what reason? prolly cuz they ride ROUGH...



JoeLee
 
I don't like having to polish them. It takes way to many hours. I guess if I'd quit driving thru mud and rocks and creeks they would be okay. But I have to sand them down with 120 on an orbital and them put a 4" polishing wheel on my grinder and the polish with rouge for a total of 2 hours each wheel. And that is if I haul a--! They look awesome afterwards but then it is back to work and they are shot in a day or two. I would rather be able to hit the Ricksons with some 120 on the orbital and bomb can them. Faster and cheaper.
 
cArNiVaLwOrKeR,



I totally agree, I like the look of the 19. 5's - hard to explain, in part because the stock wheels look too small for the truck and also because they are more industrial looking and not all sparkly and pretty. I take care of my stuff, but I have a high maintenance wife, I don't need that in my truck wheels too!:-laf



Nothing wrong with having two different setups for wheels --right??

I say get 'em, then if you don't like 'em, sell 'em to me!:D
 
Curious Dave.

On my Ricksons, I just use hand polish like blue magic and it works pretty well. But then I only use them in the summer... I put the tires to bed in the winter and use my old 16"'s and BF Goodrich AT T/A's since the rims have that coating. . don't need the 19. 5's in the winter...
 
EricBu,



What is your impression of the ride of the Rickson's?? Seems lots of guys are saying they ride rough - a few say smoother than stock??



What's your take? And what's the feel loaded and towing versus unladen??

What kind do you have - steel or aluminum??
 
I run 285's at ~45 psi unloaded and the ride isn't bad. Not as nice as stock tires but nothing is IMO.

-Scott
 
Navy Doc... . it's easy to explain..... go over to 2nd Force Recon for a day and hang out with the big knife, big dive watch, small **** club for a while and you will understand.



BECAUSE THEY LOOK COOL!!



I love the way mine look and handle. My set up is identical to Paniolo's. I run near the max psi all way around. I haven't towed in a looong while. I hardly notice a difference when I run a full bed of junk... . seat of the pants dyno says it is smoother with a load.



ONE WORD OF CAUTION: when you get a replacement set of tires and the tire shop removes/replaces the trim rings... . make sure they are TIGHT. Mine shifted over time and Samuraied my left front valve stem and messed up my rim with the subsequent rapid deflation.



They weren't available when I bought mine, but if I were to do it again I'd get a 19. 5" aluminum wheel set from Rickson... . no balancing issues. They come from Rickson as best as they will ever get, the trouble comes when you put on the replacements at the local shop. I'll try dynamic balancers next. Overall... I'd do it again.



Thanks for your service, train hard and stay safe...
 
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Peter,



I nearly ****** myself reading your message. I know a few of the big knife crowd - like you said. My SEAL friends are a lot less obvious - guess that's why they get so many bad guys and spend less time talking about it!



Thanks for all the info. I may just take the plunge. Sadly they aren't offering the forged/polished aluminum wheels for SRW Dodge. Will have to be steel unless I can find a used set for sale.



Any major rubbing issues with the 265's? They have a set of 285's - not sure if they'll fit on stock suspension. I could put on a coil spacer up front to clear. Not sure if 285's are needed though - 35. 4" tall and 11" wide load H :eek:



Thanks again.
 
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