New HD tires installed

[EricBu12]

Got new shoes for my '09. .



I used to have Michelin XDE-MS 245/70 R-19. 5". . 12 ply "F" rated. . 4080# @ 95 psi



They don't make that tire in that size anymore. . to get the same weight rating, I had to get



Toyo 225/70R-19. 5" 14 ply "G" rating. . rated at 3950" @ 110 psi. Right now they are at 95. These have 22/32 tread and ride pretty nice. . $440 each.

 

[jgillott]

They look really nice. How do they compare in overall size to the 245/19's that you were running?

 

[EricBu12]

they are closer to the stock 17" tires. went with that size to aid in hill climbing ability due to the axle ratio

 

[MChrist]

Did you wear the old tires out? If so, how many miles did they last?

 

[EricBu12]

just did a GPS spedo check. . turns out it is right on. . my GPS said 40 as did my spedo.

 

[EricBu12]

Unsure on the miles... i use the tires in the summer. There was 5/32 nds left and i have 2 trips to do this year . . sold some FedEx stock and got tbese and new phones and wife's car new tires... tires lasted about 7 years. . maybe 80k or so. . could have gone a little longer but oportunity knocked.

 

[MChrist]

I'm pretty sure those tires are regroovable, so with a regrooving tool, you can safely remove 4-5/32" from the existing grooves, bringing your tread depth back to 10/32" deep. Good for another 40,000 miles.
On our portapotty trucks, I regroove our tires when they get to around 6/32" remaining depth, and add 4/32". Those trucks are very heavy (14,000-19,000 pounds) and do all stop and go routes, no highway time.
At around 60-70,000 miles, they have the original 6/32" left, then I bring them back to 10/32". So we can get 100,000 out of fronts, 120-140,000 out of rears.

And they aren't driven gently... if they were highway miles, I think they would be closer to 200,000 miles.

 

[jgillott]

they are closer to the stock 17" tires. went with that size to aid in hill climbing ability due to the axle ratio

Post a pic of how they look standing back away from the truck when you have a chance. I'm interested to see how that size looks compared to the stock 17" or the 245/19. 5's on the 3rd gen.

 

[Barry]

OK Guys, I finally got around to re-grooving a set of tires I bought. I think I ruined the first tire I did as I went too deep. So this time I set the blade at 1/4" or in tire talk, 8/32nds. I probably could have gone deeper but not much. These are the before and after shots. Both tires took me about an hour.

View attachment 80543

View attachment 80544

 

[MChrist]

Barry, so how many 32nds did you end up removing? Looks like you had about 5/32" before regrooving.

 

[Barry]

MC, I cut them 1/4" or 8/32nds... ... ... ... ... ... ... you maybe could go 10/32nds but I was gun shy after ruining the first tire.



On the tire that I think I ruined because you can see the steel cords, would a recap work on that tire?

 

[MChrist]

So you're saying you set your cutter 8/32" lower than the existing groove, or 8/32" from the tread surface??? Sounds like you are saying you removed 8/32" from the grooves, which sounds too close to the steel belts... I've had luck going 4-5/32". Remember, you want to leave 3/32" above the belts for belt protection.

I'm pretty sure the tire place won't take your damaged tire in for recap core, but around here, the casings have next to no value. People usually don't recap their 19. 5s, so the tire shops are overflowing with good casings. Our two shops that do recaps don't even give you any credit when you buy new tires.

Retreads from our two shops are around $120. The pattern they most often use is called "BDLT" from Bandag, which is a pretty aggressive pattern, and also 16/32" deep.

 

[Barry]

The blade cut was set at 1/4" so it cut 8/32nds of what ever I cut. Based on the other tire I ruined, I would say there is 3/32nds left over.

 

[MChrist]

Just to be crystal clear, you are saying that your blade was set at 8/32", so if you were regrooving a groove that had 5/32" remaining, you were actually going 3/32" deeper than before you started, for a TOTAL remaining depth of 8/32"?

If so, that sounds like a very safe amount. Setting the blade 8/32" deeper than the existing groove sounds too deep, but I could be wrong as I haven't regrooved my Continentals yet.

I know I sound repetitive, but I just want to be clear.

Thanks.

 

[Barry]

Look at the before and after pictures. The blade was set at 1/4" but if you will look at the before pix, I only did the inside grooves and the blade head was too big to go down into the groove so it rode on top of the narrow groove. If you will also look at the before pix, the cross hatch in some cases is almost gone. I did the cross hatch riding on top of the tread. Used a #4 round blade and it did both tires without breaking. The cross hatch is not as deep as the groove that goes around the tire. The guy I got these tires from had them on a 450 Ford and ran too much air pressure so the middle wore faster than the outside.

Is that clear as mud?

 

[MChrist]

Yep, I noticed that these tires were probably run at max psi with very little load, so the centers were worn down. Seems the outer grooves (untouched) match the centers that you regrooved, and all grooves are now 8/32".

Now, just sipe those babies and you'll have awesome rain traction!!

 

[EricBu12]

heres a pic backed off a bit

 

[MChrist]

That combo looks nice! I would imagine you would have much lower rolling resistance than stock, also. I don't know what tire pressure you are running, but there are charts to tell you what you should be running depending on the weight you have. Don't run them at what the sidewall says (max usually 95 for LRF and 110 LRE) since you are not heavy enough. You will just wear out the center of the tire that way.

Can we get a pic of the whole truck from the front and behind if it's not too hard? I'd like to see what 225s look like, stance-wise.

Thanks!

 

[MChrist]

That combo looks nice! I would imagine you would have much lower rolling resistance than stock, also. I don't know what tire pressure you are running, but there are charts to tell you what you should be running depending on the weight you have. Don't run them at what the sidewall says (max usually 95 for LRF and 110 LRE) since you are not heavy enough. You will just wear out the center of the tire that way.



Can we get a pic of the whole truck from the front and behind if it's not too hard? I'd like to see what 225s look like, stance-wise.



Thanks!

 

[Barry]

Here is what my 225s look like on my '09. While staring at the truck, it appeared that the Michelins on the front were taller than the Connies I had installed on the rear. Imagine my surprise when I measured and found the Connies 3/4" taller than the Michelins.....



With regard to air pressure, I keep 70 lbs in the front and fluctuate the rears between 70 and 100 cold depending on load. View attachment 80608



View attachment 80609