Attention: TDR Forum Junkies Well, I thought it might be of interest to report on my favorable experience with my first set of 'replacement' tires on my Rickson 19. 5's (steel whl w/ simulators).
The original Bridgestone M724's died of dry rot / cracked sidewalls, but they did give 45 k miles (with 40 % tread left) in 5 years. I never did like their wet/mud/snow performance, but was very satisfied with the towing and load handling ability - smooth & confident !
The time had come for some cross country driving in winter and I didn't want to be slip - slidin away, and I'd heard good things about the abilities of the Michelin Medium Duty truck Retreads. The safety & cost factor had to be right - no slippery tread, long service life & minimal cost.
The particular tread design I got, the "XDC", is a nice compromise between highway rib & heavy snow lug. I'm told that UPS uses these tires on all their 'snow country' dually delivery vans - (which by the way, I think have our basic drivetrain in them, the Cummins 5. 9 turbodiesel), so that spoke well of their wet weather suitability and load carrying ability !
I didn't have casings (mine were cracked badly), so when I went to TCI (formerly Berlin tire) in Santee, CA (San Diego), I had to pay a bit more, still reasonable I thought at $ 125 / ea. My truck is a '97 SRW, so 4 would do fine, which I got in the 245/70 R 19. 5 Load Range G - 14 ply.
Balancing was fair from them, but I sought out a facility that featured the Hunter Road Force balancer (puts load on rim & tire as it balances) for a better balance. America's Tire in Temecula did a super job - lifetime balance for $ 110 - not too bad when you consider what these huge assemblies weigh !
That was 4 months, 12,000 miles and 3 cross country trips ago, and the tires are doing super - they barely look scuffed, not bad considering I grossed nearly 20,000 #.
If I keep the casings in good shape they are good for up to two more retreads, and I should get 60-90 k miles out of each - and each time I'm saving the cost of 3-4 sets of stock type 10 ply tires !
I hear guys saying the 19. 5's cost too much, but the way I see it it's the other way around - killing the overloaded 10 ply tires every 20 k miles or so costs far more over time.
The 19. 5's ride very nice, not harsh - unless you forget to modify your air pressure. Loaded fully, I run 'em at 110 psi max, but unloaded around 85-95 psi.
I'll post a link to the Michelin Medium Truck Retread page, which has a very thorough overview of the processes - a tour of the factory and the products.
If any of you have been considering 19. 5's this might be a way to afford it - get a set of rims somewhere, Ricksons or used or use Vision wheels 19. 5 aluminum (very reasonably priced I'm told), and then start with quality Retreads like the Michelin's, which at just $ 125 ea doesn't really cost any more $$$ than many 10 ply's !
OK, there's the report from the drivers seat of my 1997 Ram "Power Wagon" on my experience with the 19. 5's running Michelin Retreads for the last 12,000 miles, and with the 19. 5 conversion for over 50,000 miles overall.
Here's the links:
http://www.michelintruck.com/michelintruck/productguide/retread/Retread.jsp
Here's the all weather, Mud / Snow tread design I chose:
http://www.michelintruck.com/michel...read/Premoldsbyposition.jsp?position=D#XDC 22
Best Regards to all,
David B.
PS: any other guys running 19. 5's of any kind, how's about a report ? !
The original Bridgestone M724's died of dry rot / cracked sidewalls, but they did give 45 k miles (with 40 % tread left) in 5 years. I never did like their wet/mud/snow performance, but was very satisfied with the towing and load handling ability - smooth & confident !
The time had come for some cross country driving in winter and I didn't want to be slip - slidin away, and I'd heard good things about the abilities of the Michelin Medium Duty truck Retreads. The safety & cost factor had to be right - no slippery tread, long service life & minimal cost.
The particular tread design I got, the "XDC", is a nice compromise between highway rib & heavy snow lug. I'm told that UPS uses these tires on all their 'snow country' dually delivery vans - (which by the way, I think have our basic drivetrain in them, the Cummins 5. 9 turbodiesel), so that spoke well of their wet weather suitability and load carrying ability !
I didn't have casings (mine were cracked badly), so when I went to TCI (formerly Berlin tire) in Santee, CA (San Diego), I had to pay a bit more, still reasonable I thought at $ 125 / ea. My truck is a '97 SRW, so 4 would do fine, which I got in the 245/70 R 19. 5 Load Range G - 14 ply.
Balancing was fair from them, but I sought out a facility that featured the Hunter Road Force balancer (puts load on rim & tire as it balances) for a better balance. America's Tire in Temecula did a super job - lifetime balance for $ 110 - not too bad when you consider what these huge assemblies weigh !
That was 4 months, 12,000 miles and 3 cross country trips ago, and the tires are doing super - they barely look scuffed, not bad considering I grossed nearly 20,000 #.
If I keep the casings in good shape they are good for up to two more retreads, and I should get 60-90 k miles out of each - and each time I'm saving the cost of 3-4 sets of stock type 10 ply tires !
I hear guys saying the 19. 5's cost too much, but the way I see it it's the other way around - killing the overloaded 10 ply tires every 20 k miles or so costs far more over time.
The 19. 5's ride very nice, not harsh - unless you forget to modify your air pressure. Loaded fully, I run 'em at 110 psi max, but unloaded around 85-95 psi.
I'll post a link to the Michelin Medium Truck Retread page, which has a very thorough overview of the processes - a tour of the factory and the products.
If any of you have been considering 19. 5's this might be a way to afford it - get a set of rims somewhere, Ricksons or used or use Vision wheels 19. 5 aluminum (very reasonably priced I'm told), and then start with quality Retreads like the Michelin's, which at just $ 125 ea doesn't really cost any more $$$ than many 10 ply's !
OK, there's the report from the drivers seat of my 1997 Ram "Power Wagon" on my experience with the 19. 5's running Michelin Retreads for the last 12,000 miles, and with the 19. 5 conversion for over 50,000 miles overall.
Here's the links:
http://www.michelintruck.com/michelintruck/productguide/retread/Retread.jsp
Here's the all weather, Mud / Snow tread design I chose:
http://www.michelintruck.com/michel...read/Premoldsbyposition.jsp?position=D#XDC 22
Best Regards to all,
David B.
PS: any other guys running 19. 5's of any kind, how's about a report ? !
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