Steer vs. Drive Tires

I have a 2000 Ford F350 DRW that I've had since 2006. I ran stock 16" E Rated tires on it, but I always felt the capacity of the tires was a weak link in terms of safety headroom. In addition, I believed the 19.5's with higher pressure would make for a more confident ride. This year I purchased a 2014 Lance 1191 which weighs about 5200# loaded and I upgraded to the following through Mario @ www.duallywheels4u.com. I had them drop shipped to the shop that works on my truck and they installed them.

Vision 19.5 wheels, machined, clear coat
•Installation Kit
•Front: Sumitomo ST718 HWY - 2 x 245/70R19.5 14PLY
•Rear: Sumitomo ST918 Drive - 4 x 245/70R19.5 14PLY
•Force Match Balanced

Mario commented that the Sumitomo's typically need little or no weight to balance them but berated my original Cooper choice as just the opposite. I had a little tire squirm through the 1st 1000 miles but after that they are wonderful.

I have the full Monty of suspension mods + the 19.5's + Centramatics, etc., and the combination yields an extremely composed ride. Perhaps the biggest endorsement is the wife test. She's comfortable driving the truck and has commented that you can't even tell there's a camper loaded. She drove the truck on the twisty, winding road down into Zion NP a couple of weekends ago. Chit chatting all the way, carving corners without any apparent stress. When we got into town I asked her how it handled, and she shrugged, "fine no big deal". I however remember the last time we were there a couple of years ago with the same truck, 16" tires and fewer suspension mods. White knuckle driving. She had to pull over and let me drive.



6 x 19.5" Vision Wheels were $1,338
Installation Kit (32 Lugs, washers, center caps, high pressure stems) $100
2 x Sumitomo 245/70/R19.5 14 Ply G Rated ST718 HWY Steer @ 276 each, $552
4 x 245/70R19.5 14 Ply G Rated ST918 Drive @ $299 each, $1,196
Force Match Balanced 6 x 16.66, $100
Commercial Freight from Florida to Phoenix, $402
Total $3688

If your truck is a 4x4 you want the tires to be the same diameter front and rear. In the debate with 19.5's on steer, drive and all position, there are many opinions out there. Some will say that steer tires need to be on the front and drive on the rear. I've actually contacted a Michelin specialist and asked this very question. He stated that in our application, it really doesn't matter. You won't explode and it's not like taking the sticker off your mattress. The Government won't come to your house and fine you.



I put these Firestone FD 690 plus tires on my truck. They are drive tires, but they have closed shoulders, and are rated for mud & snow. They are very quiet and IMO, a very good compromise between steer and aggressive drive tires.

My trucks are all 4x4.

I ran:
Michelin XDS - too loud on the road.
Michelin XRV - still have - not good in mud but was never stuck. Even drove uphill through a 16" snow.
Continental HDR - quiet tires - not good in mud - good tread life.

You would call the XDS and HDR drive tires and the XRV steer tires. On a heavy 4x4, they all worked satisfactory for my type of driving.

There is one other factor I've read about. That is ... is the tire "open or closed" shoulder. Closed means there is a solid perimeter of rubber (like a soldier course) encircling both sides of the tire. Open means the lug or block tread pattern is not bordered by this solid border therefore being much more "gripping" than the closed tire. It would seem to me the open tires would be a little more squirmy ... any thoughts on this aspect?

There are quite a few running the 19.5s with TCs. Handling wise I'm not sure the 19.5s make a difference on the front. I'm thinking more about sidewall flex. I am 2WD and have 19.5s on front and rear.

Wayne

Wayne, I don't think there are that many people running 19.5s, and I think drive vs steer only matters for these extra heavy tires.

jimh425 wrote:
... I take it that most people put steer tires up front even if 4x4.

Actually, other than big rigs, I thought everyone put drive tires on both axles, 2x4 or 4x4.

Years ago, when money was exceptionally tight and no power steering, I ran wider aggressive tires on the rear and narrower less aggressive on the front.

Wayne

Just another data point that I didn't mention, the last time I bought DH-01 drive tires for front and rear, the store manager questioned me about why I needed drive tires up front. When I mentioned going over the passes in Winter, he seemed to "understand". I take it that most people put steer tires up front even if 4x4.

Reddog1 wrote:
With the typical SRW pickup, and TC, I wonder if you could really tell the difference with steer tires in front and drive tires in the rear?

I find it interesting that some people are really serious about rotating their tires, and yet others (big rigs) cannot rotate due to drive tires in the rear and steer tires in the front. It kind makes me wonder which method is of the greatest importance.

Years ago, I was told the only reason to rotate the tires is so they all wear out at the same time.

Wayne

I go through about 2 tires on my tow rig a year, and maybe 6 jeep tires a year. I *never* rotate. On my tow rig, new tires always go to the front axle, and I move whats there to the rear. When the rear wears out, the front axle gets new tires again.

Rear always wears out faster, I'm guessing its a throttle thing..

While I still run 16's in my truck, I have been involved in the purchasing of 19.5 tires twice now. In both occasions, the tire store would only sell steer tires for all 4 wheels in a SRW application. The guy didnt know why that was the policy, just that it was.


Both of those trucks suck in the rain and snow..