19.5 Tires or Not??

[usmcshepherd]

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?

[Bigblue12v]

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.

[Bedlam]

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.

[Bigblue12v]

TreadWright.com

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

[usmcshepherd]

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

[Bigblue12v]

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.