I've been reading numerous articles and owner recommednations concerning switiching out OEM wheel/tire combos to 19.5 wheels/tires. I was about to start down that road, but recently I've been seeing numerous folks on this forum and others who were 19.5 owners who were switching back to traditional wheel/tire setups. So my question is (especailly those 19.5 owners or previous owners) why did you switch and especially why did you switch back?My understanding of the 19.5 setup was that it provided longer lasting tires, no sidewall buldge, which translated to a more solid ride quality. On my previous setup I had a Toyo Open Country's but that was a SRW truck...now I have a dually with 17' alcola rims and the highest rated tire I can find seems to be in the 3200# catagory. Anyway, I like the look of the new Toyo H/T with Tuff Duty if that's the way to go, but I'm prepared to go the 19.5 route as well. Anyway any thoughts?

19.5's here and NEVER looking back! 4,500# each tire (14 ply) and my dually handles anything I throw at it like a boss! My truck plows snow in the winter, and year round tows a 30' tri axle bumper pull 2-car trailer, which is 7k empty with empty tongue weight @ 1,000 lb. pulls it like a dream. I do run air bags in back that helps a ton too! I wouldn't consider anything else. Tires I run are TreadWright Guard Dog MT these are a high quality recap using a 14 ply Good Year carcass for stability and a light duty tire compound which gives excellent traction and improved ride (softer compound than virgin 19.5's would have). Tread pattern is identical to Good Year Wrangler MTR and they are AWESOME tires! They have excellent traction in any weather. Also just under $1,000 for all 6 to my door! They are 245/7019.5 which comes out to 33.5x9.5 basically.

Big blue...would you mind sharing where you got them from? Website?

TreadWright.comMy wheels are from a GM P30 bread truck with the center holes machined larger for Dodge/Ford hubs.

I went from 265/70R18 to 245/70R19.5 due to being too close to my tire maximums. Negatives:1. Heavier tire/rim combination may wear axles and hubs faster. I had to upgrade shocks to ones with heavier dampening.2. Rougher ride unloaded with Load Range G or H tires verses Load Range E.3. Poor performance in soft sand or snow since they cannot be aired down enough to flatten the tread and widen the footprint.4. Some tire combinations may be taller resulting in wheel well clearance issues (GM trucks) or taller gearing.5. Requires a higher quality air compressor to maintain 100+ PSI tire pressures.Positives:1. Greater weight capacity possible with SRW.2. Longer tread wear than LT tires.3. Better road hazard immunity due to heavier carcass.4. Less sway and bounce when loaded due to stiffer side walls.5. Good road, mud and snow traction if the appropriate tread is selected.

Bedlam wrote:I went from 265/70R18 to 245/70R19.5 due to being too close to my tire maximums. Negatives:1. Heavier tire/rim combination may wear axles and hubs faster. I had to upgrade shocks to ones with heavier dampening.2. Rougher ride unloaded with Load Range G or H tires verses Load Range E.3. Poor performance in soft sand or snow since they cannot be aired down enough to flatten the tread and widen the footprint.4. Some tire combinations may be taller resulting in wheel well clearance issues (GM trucks) or taller gearing.5. Requires a higher quality air compressor to maintain 100+ PSI tire pressures.Positives:1. Greater weight capacity possible with SRW.2. Longer tread wear than LT tires.3. Better road hazard immunity due to heavier carcass.4. Less sway and bounce when loaded due to stiffer side walls.5. Good road, mud and snow traction if the appropriate tread is selected.All true and good points. My tread being a little softer than typical 19.5's and the tread pattern it is, works great in off road and snow as well as wet or dry roads. Love them! Most air compressors are 120-150 psi so the pressure thing isn't a issue for most people. Gas station compressors are the biggest issue there in my opinion. Yes heavier shocks help a lot since the unsprung weight is greater. My truck rides better than my friends identical truck with 16" tires as long as my bags are aired down. I only run 70 psi in my tires it's all they need for what I do. To me it's as good as having a 4500-5500 series truck in a smaller more maneuverable package and better ride quality (with air bags adjusted properly for the load) to me it's a win-win. I run 4.10 gears and 5 speed. Yes they are heavy but my gearing helps make up for that. Works good for me.

19.5 Tires or Not?? | Good Sam Community

usmcshepherd
Explorer II
Oct 20, 2013
I appreciate the thoughts from everyone as always...I technically don't need tires right now, however that day will be approaching sooner or later and I just didn't know that when the time came if I should just go on and move up to the 19.5s then or stick to the 17" alcola wheels the truck came with.
skipbee
Explorer
Oct 20, 2013
I think of it this way. Stock wheels and tires may be adequate. The 19.5" delivery truck wheels and tires are definitely up to the task. We consider truck camper travel as "Severe Service" on the equipment and try to minimize the margins of error. Using the strongest wheels and tires available seems prudent. Dan at Rickson Trucks sometimes has deals on used wheels and tires for a nice savings. A call to him may get positive results. Good Luck!
bka0721
Explorer II
Oct 20, 2013
usmcshepherd wrote:
I've been seeing numerous folks on this forum and others who were 19.5 owners who were switching back to traditional wheel/tire setups. So my question is (especailly those 19.5 owners or previous owners) why did you switch and especially why did you switch back?
Like you, the OP, I am waiting to hear from the people that have switched back to their OEM set up, after switching over to 19.5 tires and rims.

Personally I have never heard of anyone switching back, and for the life of me couldn’t imagine why anyone would. So, if all these owners are out there, could I/we hear from someone?

Thanks,

b
(a 19.5 OEM owner, and recently an upgrade of higher capacity rims/tires than OEM, from Rickson)
noteven
Explorer III
Oct 20, 2013
bka0721 wrote:
usmcshepherd wrote:
I've been seeing numerous folks on this forum and others who were 19.5 owners who were switching back to traditional wheel/tire setups. So my question is (especailly those 19.5 owners or previous owners) why did you switch and especially why did you switch back?
Like you, the OP, I am waiting to hear from the people that have switched back to their OEM set up, after switching over to 19.5 tires and rims.

Personally I have never heard of anyone switching back, and for the life of me couldn’t imagine why anyone would. So, if all these owners are out there, could I/we hear from someone?

Thanks,

b
(a 19.5 OEM owner, and recently an upgrade of higher capacity rims/tires than OEM, from Rickson)

If I had to make a long trip with the truck only to haul home something light like another motorcycle :) I would back in the shop and buzz the 17" wheels back on to enjoy the benefits of the lower load range tire - smoother ride empty (you can air down), quieter tread etc.

I would not "go back" to Rge E and still pack the loads I sometimes do. The 19.5" ride and handle better and better as you increase the load because they have the reserve load capacity.
Bedlam
Moderator
Oct 20, 2013
There are some that switch over wheels to go on the sandy beaches or when they do not camp off season. I don't know anyone while hauling heavy that switched back.
805gregg
Explorer
Oct 22, 2013
I had 19.5 wheels on a class A, they are called pizza cutters for a reason, I spent alot of money to get some 16.5 wheels in front so I could have wider tires, I would never want 19.5 again
snoboy
Explorer
Oct 30, 2013
I switched back after 7 years on 19.5s. I recently swithched to 18" V-tec wheels rated at 3650lbs and 285/75/18 Toyo tires rated at 4080 lbs. My truck rides so much better and is so much quieter. My new wheels which are also made by Vision safely give me 7300 lbs of axel rating. My tires are safe up to 8100 lbs per axel. They are half the price and my truck is much more enjoyable to drive. Those 19.5s beat the ball joints and tie rods to the point of replacement. My truck carries my Northern Lite camper wonderfully with the new wheel tire setup. I wont go back to 19.5s and I dont miss them. If I were to get a larger slide out style camper I'd make my truck a dually first.
jefe_4x4
Explorer
Oct 30, 2013
On good pavement the 19.5's are King.
If I never got off-road, in the sand, in deep snow, or off-grid, 19.5's would be fine.
But, since I do all of the above I need the flexibility of airing down to improve traction on loose surfaces; improve the ride on endless washboard, mongo traction AND floatation on really deep snow, and great floatation on the dunes. I'll stick with my old school 16's; those big ballooney oldies. There is a lot of air space between the tread and the rim inside. I adjust the pressure in there to my advantage.
A couple years ago, I put a set of 33x14.50R16's on 10" wheels on the front of the Dodge and had my trusty 33x15-50R16's on 12" wide wheels on the rear before we headed up to the 4 foot deep crusty snow. Now, all four tires had a deep, mud/snow type tread, not a street tread. No woes going slightly downhill with that set up even at full street pressure. We floated mostly on top. Going back slightly uphill was another story. I got 'out of track' and the truck sank to-the-frame. After digging a bit in front of all tires, and winching out of the trenches, I lowered the pressure way down to:
front: 22 lbs.
rear: 20 lbs.
and drove right up hill, floating mostly on top of the snow. For me that was the 100% effort.
Don't try that with 19.5's. Then again, if you are NEVER in that position, 19.5's are fine.
jefe
dedub
Explorer
Nov 04, 2013
snoboy wrote:
I switched back after 7 years on 19.5s. I recently swithched to 18" V-tec wheels rated at 3650lbs and 285/75/18 Toyo tires rated at 4080 lbs. My truck rides so much better and is so much quieter. My new wheels which are also made by Vision safely give me 7300 lbs of axel rating. My tires are safe up to 8100 lbs per axel. They are half the price and my truck is much more enjoyable to drive. Those 19.5s beat the ball joints and tie rods to the point of replacement. My truck carries my Northern Lite camper wonderfully with the new wheel tire setup. I wont go back to 19.5s and I dont miss them. If I were to get a larger slide out style camper I'd make my truck a dually first.

I'd be interested in the model and purchase location of those wheels. Sounds like a good way to go.................
gitpicker2009
Explorer
Nov 04, 2013
my old 3500 had 17s I think, and my new Sterling 4500 has 19.5s.

One difference I have noticed is that the 19.5s seems more stable but they do tend to "track" if there's any sort of road seam or rut. It's a noticeable difference.

anthony