Why 19.5" Wheels??

[dPierce]

What is the advantage to going with 19. 5" wheels and commercial tires? Is this a money saving issue?



I hate how tiny my stock tires look and plan to replace them with a 305/70/17 BFG TKOs on the stock rims. Is there a similar size in a 19. 5"?

 

[y-knot]

I think it's pretty much a money issue... ... . so you can brag that you had nothing better to do with your $ 4,500. 00 ! hey who cares, 16", 17" 19. 5" 22"

 

[BigUgly]

Or if you're tired of having BFG 285/75/16s exploding on you and your truck.

Josiah

 

[Peter Campbell]

long

I have the 19. 5's on my 1998. 5 - they wear well- at least 2 times stock. They are tougher, carry a higher load rating, more resistant to flats. They are also heavier, require expensive rims, and are not easily available ( compared to 16 LT tires) . 19. 5's are easier to get than 17's right now. No marshmellow ride. Some like to get a ride like an F-150, I like the handling and ride associated with tires that do not readily deform. If you do greater than 50K miles per year you could economicaly justify them. I only did around 15-20K miles per year. I still have my original set (65,000miles on tires and not babied). . But at 5 years old you need to consider the lifetime of the rubber- dry rot and such. Has not happened yet. I have another truck coming- a 2004. Being I am not high mileage I may wait for the stock set to wear out and then think about it. Both my trucks are/will be SRW and the package was in the 2. 5K range when I bought them '98. If you can wear out 3 sets in the life of the truck that you use(450-600K miles) by all means a set will save you money. If you do not wear out stock sets of tires regularly (2 times a year) and waste work days putting new tires on the only way to justify as a want. If you want the best handling this side of "bling bling" 24 escalade rims and whatever expensive tires thay wrap around them, than the 19. 5's are good. These are truck tires- not "ricer chic" tires like the 24". If you tow overloaded- not reccomended here- if your DOT/troopers looks at your sidewalls to see if you are safe at the scales than one overweight ticket will pay for a set. IMHO it comes down to want-very few of us purchase based on economic need. The diesel/HO option is used to its full extent by very few on the board. Look up the tow ratings for a hemi-3500-4. 10. Do you tow heavier? Will the 5,000$ cost of the option ever be amortized by the fuel savings at your usage rate? I bought my diesels because I wanted them- that is what it comes down to with personal purchases.

 

[Whitmore]

I got my 19. 5's for the extra capacity, the originals were good for like 2300 or 2800 if I remember correct, the 19. 5's are good for 6395 lbs, I tow alot of loads at 30k-36k and I need them bad. With the 6 speed I use 6th for empty and as a double overdrive, with a load on I stay in 5th and at 65 mph I am doing 2400 rpm, right in a sweet spot and ready to challenge any hill.



Cheers, Kevin

 

[Matt400]

Originally posted by dPierce

I hate how tiny my stock tires look and plan to replace them with a 305/70/17 BFG TKOs on the stock rims. Is there a similar size in a 19. 5"?

You won't find a 19. 5 that is wide, you might want to consider an LT325/60R20 Nitto rated for 3200# ea. #ad




or they also have an LT355/R20 with same load rating. Good multi-purpose tread yet a shorter side wall for more crisp handleing.





Boze Wheels Makes 8 lug 20" wheels to fit those tires with the correct off-set or any-off set you want for that matter.

 

[dan_gilson]

19. 5's are Commercial truck tires. They have steel belting from bead to bead. They will give a harsher ride. If you are loaded around the max they will give you more margin of safety.



They carry more: My stock 16. 5's were around 3K#'s in round numbers. My 225/70 (smallest load rating of 19. 5's) are around 4K+#'s.



They tend to be the best on SRW trucks. I have a dually and they are really over kill. I have been running the rear's lower than the inflation chart goes just to get more of the tire on the ground. I put a max load of roadway base in the box and did not get a chance to air them up. No problem. And it really road nicely with all that weight. I did not have to go far. If I did I definitely would have put more air into them.



As for availability... . You can get them at just about any truck stop and commercial tire shops. You can get just about any tread pattern you desire from highway rib to very aggressive off road. All have same load range.



You can also go up two sizes (which also means two load ranges).



Some other considerations... Max speed rating is 75MPH. 5 years on the rubber is considered it. You might get a little more if you are constantly running them. Otherwise it is dry rot time. The wheel and tire combo are heavier than stock. Which means they increase your unsprung weigt. You may need to upgrade your shocks.



They should last longer. I have only had for a few months. I do know that on an old truck that came stock with LRC's when we put LRD's on it we got more miles out of the heavier duty tires. When I later switched to LRE tires they lasted until they dry rotted.

The LRE tires worked great on a 4K# truck. The do not (IMHO) work well on a 7K# truck.



Choosing the "right" tires are all about choosing compromises make YOU happy.

You are asking good questions which should allow you to make the best decision for you.



For me, I bought this truck to move as much weight from point a to point b as safely possible. That normally involves a 9K' mountain range in between. I also use it as a daily driver. It is not as comfortable as a daily driver with 19. 5's because I am mainly unloaded. It does do what I want when I load it up. And it does it a lot better. So, for me it is OK to sacrafice some comfort for safety and hopefully better wear.