rickson 19.5 rims and tires

[Kurt Henzler]

i have a 3500 single rear wheel truck and just got Rickson Vision Type 81 Aluminum wheels and Bridgestone M729f 245/70r19. 5 with match mounting.

They are not for me. I do not like the ride and will be selling them. I have them listed on Ricksons website and will put them on the classifieds here as well. pm me with any questions

 

[jelag]

I have 19. 5" tires and wheels on all my 3500 dually work trucks... . we like the extra load capacity and the extended like of the tires... . We had special wheels made for us... their steel... .

We do have a harsher ride, and the tracking has something to be desired when the road has a lot of studded tire wear... . the stiff sidewall tends to allow these tires to follow the ruts more so than the soft sided 17" stock tires... .

We found that on our F550 that we sold with 500 K miles that we got a lower cost per mile than with the 16" and later 17" tires on our 2500 & 3500 Dodges and Fords...

In addition I was able to buy the same retread that UPS uses on their trucks for the rear at under $75. 00 each..... for us its all about cost per mile... .

Kurt, my son is looking for 19. 5" wheels for his 3500 SRW but to be honest your too far away to make the a good value for us... . just from a freight issue.....

 

[VolCTD]

Is the ride just to stiff and harsh? I was really considering these for my 2500 but have since talked myself out of it. I could just hear my wives comment about the ride and then I tell her you get to enjoy it for 130,000 miles! We have a 4500 at work with 19. 5's and rides like a buckboard wagon. Of course the suspension is also stiffer but it does track ruts real bad also. I mainly wanted them for towing our 5th wheel but we only pull it about 8 times a year so I don't think it's worth it for that little.

 

[jelag]

The ride is stiffer... your running on a real truck tire... . and they don't work under inflated... but for a real large safety factor... . and great mileage... with low cost... they can't be beat...

The 2500 and 3500 are a little softer than the 4500... but it is firmer than the stock tires... I keep my trucks 500K miles and am willing to trade some harsh rides for the lower costs...

Today I'm out with one of our 3500's... this truck has 90K miles... and I'm pulling a trailer that weighs 15K lbs... We put the 19. 5" tires on it 35K miles ago and they look as new today as when we mounted them...

Hope this helps... .

 

[Turbo_Bob]

i have a 3500 single rear wheel truck and just got Rickson Vision Type 81 Aluminum wheels and Bridgestone M729f 245/70r19. 5 with match mounting.

They are not for me. I do not like the ride and will be selling them. I have them listed on Ricksons website and will put them on the classifieds here as well. pm me with any questions

That is a bumer to hear this, I was considering this for my 3500 SRW.



Did you try different tire PSI's, what does Rickson recommend for an unloaded 3500 truck.



What is your tire rating "F" or higher ?



With my stock 17 inch, "E" rated tires the Dodge spec for the truck and tires are 45 PSI front and 40 PSI rear unloaded, I run them at 45 / 45 PSI and I have 120 K on them now.



I live in CA so it would not be a good value to even consider, (freight) I think?

 

[Forrest Nearing]

Vision type 81's are not made by Rickson.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

Vision type 81's are made in China.

I have the Rickson's forged aluminim wheels with the Michelin XRV 245-70R-19. 5 tire. I do like them. I just tell my wife it is a TRUCK. Do not expect it to ride like your Acura (which isn't as smooth as your Oldsmobile 88 either).

I changed the stock shocks to Bilsteins and got a better ride too.

From Rickson's web site:

<table align="center" border="0" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2"><tbody><tr class="bodytext" valign="top"><td class="bodytext">

VISION TYPE 81 CAST ALUMINUM​

</td> <td class="bodytext"> </td> <td class="bodytext">

​

</td> </tr> <tr class="bodytext" valign="top"> <td class="bodytext">WHERE MADE:</td> <td class="bodytext"> </td> <td class="bodytext">CHINA</td> <td class="bodytext"> </td> <td class="bodytext">
</td> </tr> <tr class="bodytext" valign="top"> <td class="bodytext">MANUFACTURING
PROCESS:</td> <td class="bodytext" width="15"> </td> <td class="bodytext">Cast aluminum is the most common type of aluminum wheel. The casting of wheels is the process of getting molten aluminum inside a mold to form a wheel. The process is inexpensive and so offers value-priced wheel options in the aftermarket wheel industry.
</td></tr></tbody></table>

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

I wonder how much the Vision wheels weigh, probably kind of heavy if cast. Unsprung weight plays a role in ride quality, turning and braking.

 

[cksh8me]

I have the Rickson Forged wheels on my 97. I couldn't be happier. Well if the entire setup was cheaper I could.



The Vision wheels can be purchased locally to you in most cases they are an imported cast wheel and weigh about 45 pounds a piece.



If you use your truck to haul a trailer or weight (4k camper on mine) they are the best hands down.



Helps with body roll in high winds like you wouldn't believe.

 

[GCope]

Rickson sez...

Kurt et al



May already know this, but here is what Rickson promises on their site:

"Match Mounting & Balancing by Rickson



Why get your wheels & tires mounted and balanced by us?

Because we offer you our SMOOTH RIDE GUARANTEE.



We guarantee a vibration-free, smooth ride after we match mount & balance your wheel and tire assemblies, using our exclusive Rickson Method.

We know this is particularly important for our customers and us because we are running steel cased, commercial grade tires on our 3/4 & 1-ton trucks. We are not willing to sacrifice ride quality for the upgrade to 19. 5s and neither should you.



You can enjoy the same or better than factory ride

with your new 19. 5s, and we’re here to prove it! "



In these forums I've seen many +++ comments about the service from Rickson, so I think they would be motivated to assure your satisfaction... especially as now it's a 'public' matter. Can you comment on the Rickson response? I am planning a spring 19. 5 upgrade, so am most interested in what you and they have to say! Regards, Greg

 

[jelag]

I import from a country in Europe and found a wheel vendor who would make for me steel wheels for my trucks... . they must weight close to 80 lbs each... We've had no problem with balance or how smooth they are... . and the only reason you might see aluminum wheels on a class 8 truck is the additional payload... . aluminum wheels on a whole are more brittle than steel wheels... .

What worries me about the wheel vendors who are making wheels for cars and light trucks is you now have a truck tire that can carry 4500 lbs each... and a wheel designed for maybe not as much load... Rickson of course makes truck wheels and does their own engineering so I'd expect them to be suitable to handle the load...

DO NOT expect a factory ride... it just can't happen... if you lower the air pressure you shorten the life of the sidewall from excessive flexing from being under inflated... NOW if the tire manufactures start to build a "E" rated 19. 5" that are say rated at 3200 lbs like the 17" than and only than you might see a nice ride... .

We buy these wheels and tires for several reasons... . the trucks are always loaded, we want the additional safety margin we get with the 19. 5", we like buying a recap for the rear and steer tires for the front, and we keep the trucks for 500K miles... in our case we trade a harder ride for lower cost per mile and the ability to drive into almost any town and replace a tire if it ever happens... . to date with at least 1 Million miles on the trucks with 19. 5" retreads and new steer tires that hasn't happened and we have lowered costs. .

 

[GCope]

Helpful comments from Jelag... . and data on use. Any mods to shocks on yer rigs?



Your extensive experience is, to quote an infamous Illini governattor, "... golden. " Any interest in an open Senate seat?:-laf