just got some rims for REAL cheap and would like to hear what you folks have been runnin. i don't do much towing, looking more for traction and durability. thanks.

dave

 

I don't have experience with the 19.5's on a pickup, but we have several trucks at work that are on 19.5's.

On or off road traction? 19.5's usually have rubber compounds slightly softer than granite, so I doubt your on road traction will improve any more than if you just went with a larger diameter 16" tire. At least they'll take longer to burn down - and retreads are readily available.

One thing to watch on a 4x4 is that the drive tire tread designs tend to have poor directional stability and make lousy steer tires, so you have to compromise the low traction pulling power of the front end for good steering feel. If you want to run a drive tire on the front, make sure it's got at least a little bit of a "rib" type design so it will steer well.

The only good reasons I can think of for going with 19.5's are: heavy loads on the truck or lots of miles.

 

"good steering feel"????? come on dave. these aren't sport trucks. as it is now, i usually can't tell if i'm going left or right anyway. deal is that i'm in bad need of tires and i got the *new* rims for $15 ea. figure i'd rather get a set that'll last a while. and what's this "rib" you're talking about? anyway, thanks a bunch for the input. having a good holiday?

dave

 

Well, you don't want it wandering any more than the normal amount, do you?

When you look at heavy truck drive tires, you will see that there are two basic styles. One type has all drive lugs, without a continuous strip of rubber (rib) all the way around. Like so:



These tend to be kind of "squirmy" on turns, especially when new. Not what you want on the front of a truck, especially since they will still be new for about 15k.

The other kind of drive tire has a continuous strip of rubber, either around the middle or at the edges to provide good directional stability. Like this:



Tires like this will perform pretty well on the front. If offroad traction is not an issue, go with normal steer tires up front, they will be quieter and last longer.



Merry Christmas back at ya!

 

Wannadiesel nailed it. I will definately go back to more of a highway tread on my next set. These Kuhmos look killer and have not been too bad on real smooth pavement, but on rough farm to markets and highways that have ruts from heavy traffic in the heat of the summer they can be a handful. They like to dart some. The General LMT 400's I had before road alot better.

You did not mention what width wheel you got. Just currious as to which tire you will run. I had 225's on 6" wheels the first set, then I moved to 245's on 6.75" wheels. The 33.5" tall tire fills the wheel well real good.

Post pics when you get them on.

 

With the 19.5s, get the lightest load rating you can, (F, I think?). Once your into the G rated stuff, you might as well just have train wheels, they're THAT stiff.

I'd also recommend staying with a 225 or 245 size.

Rickson has good info on their site.

jh

 

cool. thanks for the info. btw, anybody know where the width of a rim is measured? outside to outside on these is 7.5". inside to inside of where the bead sits is 6". just wondering which one i need to go by. thanks.

 

Where did you get the wheels? I just dropped way too much money on Rickson 19.5's. My second set.



I went with these tires in a 225 70. I had regular highway steers all the way around before and it was a little scary in the rain.

 

i got em at the local Commercial Tire. i found them a year ago and they wanted $150 each for them. went back last weekend and showed them where they were, and they said $15 each. mmmmmkay. i'll take em. they're accuride's. are your rickcsons aluminum? mine are just plain jane 4 hole steelies. i think i'll paint em black or charcoal grey or something.

 

Patrick,

That Goodyear looks good. I will have to remember that one for my next set.


Swank,

I believe you measure wheel width between the tire bead surfaces. So you have a 6" wheel. If I recall corectly, you should only use either a 225/70R19.5 or a 8R19.5 on a 6" wheel.

This link has a picture that shows where wheel width is measured.

http://www.rsracing.com/tech-wheel.html

 

yup. that's what i've got. thanks.

dave