Which 19.5 tires are the best for the road

[AKDrifter]

I'm planning on putting 19. 5 Rickson wheels on the rig this summer and wondered which road tire was the best. How does one judge a tire by looks of the tread?

 

[rich m]

I love my Ricksons!

for long-lasting smooth ride with, primarily, pavement as the surface, I cannot say enough nice things about the Goodyear Unisteel 159's (I call'em my schoolbus tires)



They've been on for a little over 80K, and still have some tread left before I need a regroove. (they can be regrooved, I guess, one time. I'd be surprised, but happy as a clam, if they could do it twice) Oo.



They're steel belted, but not just in the tread, the steel fabric goes from bead to bead, up both sidewalls, and they weigh about 120lb each, with those big-ol' wheels... .



I also use them for mild trail use, when I go out shootin' in the desert. Sharp rocks don't bother them at all.



They also corner better than the stock Michelins, and give about another 1-1/2 inch of ground clearance...



I like'em!

 

[monkfarm]

?ricksons front??

I wonder how the ricksons would be on the steers only. I have some clearance issues with the drives because of the flatbed under a load. But I'm tempted to get them for the front anyway. I'll be needing new tires soon. Iwonder how those goodyears would be on ice and snow??

 

[rich m]

Re: ?ricksons front??

Originally posted by monkfarm

Iwonder how those goodyears would be on ice and snow??

ummm, I kind'a expect they might be like 100lb hockey pucks better get something a little more flexible, and knobby... . I'm in Las Vegas, and RARELY have to worry about that.

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

Snow problem!!

225/70R with Yokohama TY303 rubber. Even the spare will fit where the old 16 inch LT used to sit under the bed!



With suitable encouragement, the rear tires can be spun in most road/weather conditions, however, Excellent performance/ traction in wet weather road conditions with the added bonus :-laf aka "undocumented feature", that tailgaters are encouraged to keep a healthy distance from my rear bumper, because the amount of water/spray that is chucked out is unbelievable even with my NW Custom full width rear mudflaps. Driving through standing water just an inch deep at 30mph is like Moses parting the Red Sea, with a bow-wave dispersal that has reached 3 feet off the ground..... heh, heh!!



Snow problem? No problem! We've been snowboarding in the French Alps and Austrian Tyrol two years running , in my experience, its been as solid as a rock in snow with 4Lo/4Hi selected (when it's otherwise flaky for 2Hi).



More than 25k Rickson miles racked up 25% of time "loaded 12,500 pounds Gross weight " and these tires are barely scrubbed in!! When you add the stability factor into the mix, the hardest decision is which tire brand? make sure you get a good wheel balance - it makes all the difference!! Enjoy!!

 

[rich m]

Good ol' Johnny M!!!!

... doing his part to keep the US trade deficit manageable!!

 

[dan_gilson]

Here is another thought. If you are just looking for road tires you can get load range F's in 16" wheel sizes. There are only 1 or 2 to choose from but they are there. If you load ona 16" rim you may over load the rim. (But I would rather overload a piece of steel than a piece of rubber and the steel. )



I wanted M/S rating. Those were just not available in 16" in load range F's. So, off to Rickson's I went.

 

[JohnMcIntyre]

Re: Good ol' Johnny M!!!!

Originally posted by rich m

... doing his part to keep the US trade deficit manageable!!

I never thought of that! Do you reckon I could get a tax break in recognition of my contribution ( AKA European investments... )



JMc