I got my tires today and long story short;
I like them!
I feel much more confident
No tire sidewall roll on turns and bends
Ride height increased by 1"
Feels good at speed.
I got a call this morning from Robbie at Les Schwab. Yes, we are on first name bases. His folks live near me turns out. So I headed down there and Robbie rolls out one of the 265's and we compare it to the ones I have on there now; the 285/70R17's. A little taller, a little narrower an whole lot more agressive tread. So I told him 'DO IT!' and get gets started. First thing we discover is that the first mounting is needing 10 ounces of weight to get right. So Robbie takes the tire off and spins the wheel on the balance machine and it's the wheel, not the tire. At 60mph spin, it's pretty obvious that the wheel is not all that true. Not left/right wobble, more egg shape/oval. He checks the other three and they are all the same. We were thinking I bought these used from someone who knew one was tweaked. But all 4 were the same, within an ounce. No sign of any damage. I am a little bit perturbed that Rickson ships out wheels that much out of true. No wonder Rickson promotes that they mount and balance. That way no other tire shop will bad mouth them. Ah well, it is what it is, so I give the go ahead to Robbie to proceed. Next comes the air pressure. Using a chart provided by Rickson and produced by Michelin, we find the air/weight table that pertains to my tire/wheel combo.
You can view the charts here;
http://www.ricksontruckwheels.com/load-charts.php
To read a chart, find your tire size specific chart. Mine is the 265/70R19.5 LRG. There are two charts with that designation. To find which chart is for my tires, look to the right side of the chart and find which one is for tires rated at 5510 pounds for single wheel. Now just read the top for tire pressure and down for load capacity (S for single D for dually)
Robbie recommended that we set the air at 85psi which equates to 8970 lbs for the rear axle and 70 psi which equates to 7680 for the front axle. Sounds good to me and is in line with what Rickson staff told me when I called them asking questions. Rickson staff told me to not run at max pressure. They said that the tires will wear faster if they are grossly over inflated compared to the load. I'd have to agree. On the way home empty of camper, I could see the contact area was about half the width of the tread of the tire.
With tires mounted, balanced, aired up and now installed on the truck, time to have a look and see how they sit. They look nice. They fill the wheel well without looking too tall, too short or too skinny.
Now to see how they drive. Both Robbie and Rickson staff told me to expect wiggle on the feel until the tires are broken in. I was told to cycle the tires by running them for a couple hundred miles, let set 24 to 48 hours, then repeat. The heating/cooling of the rubber compound changes the hardness of the rubber compound and the tires will soon quit 'squirming' on the lugs as they flex. I already know what that feels like with the Nitto's that I had on previously. That went away after about 2,000 miles. Up to then, it felt like I was steering a boat that wasn't up on plane. The rear end seemed to react slightly lagging the front end when turning sharp or swinging the steering wheel back and forth a few times quick.
Anyways, I take off an drive it. On surface streets, it's as identical to the Nitto's these just replaced. Get on the freeway at right at 60mph I get a shimmy through the gear shift lever. Slow down, speed up; it's right at 60. So I take her up to 70. Shimmy goes away. Slow down again and shimmy comes back about 60. By 58mph, it's gone. Nothing big and later when DW is riding along, she doesn't feel it. Just me through the shift lever.
Off to home I go to take some measurements and load up the camper. First, I test my torque wrench to LS's. They set the lug nut torque to 145 pounds. My wrench reads 150. Close enough and now I know when mine reads 150, it's 145 on a calibrated torque wrench. I asked Robbie and he confirmed they have their wrenches calibrated on a regular schedule.
I stopped off and filled up the truck with fuel as I'm going to a scale later today. Static height with no load in the truck and the tires are just a hair over an inch taller than the Nitto's were.
Camper on and the Toyo's are 1.2" taller than the Nittos were. All loaded up and off we go! The ride loaded with a full camper and a full fuel tank is much more stable. No wallowing, sidewall flexing feel at all. Almost like it's empty except that the ride is a bit softer and the 60mph shimmy is almost all the way gone! I went through 60mph a few times, waiting to hear DW mention it, as it was her 'job' to tell me what feels different; good or bad. I finally mention the shimmy feel at 60, even though it's reduced from when the truck was empty, and she says maybe she feels it, but that it could just be the road. I ask her if she thinks the tires are louder. She said, not really, just different. We were able to use our same voice, radio at same setting, etc. I could not hear ANY difference in tire noise.
Now on the freeway, it's much easier and relaxing to hit 65. It feels like 55 or 60 did before the new tires. I can feel the side wind a little more at that speed though.
We headed back to Les Schwab as I want to show Robbie my camper. When I pull in, 3 of the other tire techs come over and they all want to look in the camper. Robbie comes out and asks if I can wait for his girlfriend to come over. He has the same 3rd gen Dodge truck as I do, a 2001 and mine is a 2006, and he's so impressed with the look that he wants to show her. She comes by and I give them to tour. Robbie tells me that if I ever want to sell my truck, he'll give me what I paid for it new. Same with the camper. The other guys couldn't get over how much room is in a short bed camper. They recall putting my take-off Nittos in the bed and they had to be leaned up to all fit and get the tail gate shut. Now there were 4 of us, all full sized men, in the camper and we are not crowded.
I told Robbie of the shimmy and he said to give it a couple thousand miles and come back to see him. He'll make balancing adjustments at that time.
We left the lot and headed up to Lake Tahoe, a climb of over 5,000 feet of elevation to a bit over 7,200' and have dinner while watching the sun set over the Lake at an outside table. Then we head home. The truck is much more stable feeling. I can now see why people are willing to drive off pavement. It's very sure footed now with these tires and wheels.
On the way up to Lake Tahoe, I stop at a weigh scale that is closed. The scale is turned on though and it's the type that weighs one axle at a time. My rear axle weighs 7540 pounds rear and 4620 pounds front. Total 12,160 pounds. (That probably just sent the weight police to the emergency room with a heart attack)
A couple of things; I was able to calibrate my air gauges and my torque wrench since Robbie set my air at 85psi rear and 70psi front and torque at 145 foot pounds.
Also, Robbie saved me an additional $33 because my wheels came with excellent valve stems and he didn't need to install new ones.
The tires, mounted, balanced and installed on the truck, with the LS warranty totaled $1799.93
Tires were $379.82 each
FET was $14.84 each
Wheel balance was $22 each
Sales tax was $126.29
Tire tax was $7
As you may recall, Costco was going to get me a set of the 245/70R19.5's for $1675 out the door, but I would have to mount and balance them someplace else and no warranty other than from the manufacturer.
I think I did the smart thing going through Les Schwab. The Placerville store has the nicest crew. Everyone was interested in my truck and what I was doing with it. They all cared. That's saying something in today's retail establishment. Many times it seems like I deal with a younger generation who treat customers as if they are doing them a favor or that they are a big bother. The crew at LS, from the first phone call to the final goodbye after coming back to show them the camper on the truck, showed that they liked their jobs and that they liked their customers.
Here's some photos. Camper loaded, full fuel, water, gear;
Rear wheel passenger side;
Front wheel passenger side;
Rear wheel passenger side
Rear tire 20/32nds tread depth
Rear tire aggressive tread
Passenger side, rear to front
Passenger side, front to rear
Passenger side, front to rear
Passenger side
Passenger side rear view showing tire width and wheel offset
Driver side rear to front
I like them!
I feel much more confident
No tire sidewall roll on turns and bends
Ride height increased by 1"
Feels good at speed.
I got a call this morning from Robbie at Les Schwab. Yes, we are on first name bases. His folks live near me turns out. So I headed down there and Robbie rolls out one of the 265's and we compare it to the ones I have on there now; the 285/70R17's. A little taller, a little narrower an whole lot more agressive tread. So I told him 'DO IT!' and get gets started. First thing we discover is that the first mounting is needing 10 ounces of weight to get right. So Robbie takes the tire off and spins the wheel on the balance machine and it's the wheel, not the tire. At 60mph spin, it's pretty obvious that the wheel is not all that true. Not left/right wobble, more egg shape/oval. He checks the other three and they are all the same. We were thinking I bought these used from someone who knew one was tweaked. But all 4 were the same, within an ounce. No sign of any damage. I am a little bit perturbed that Rickson ships out wheels that much out of true. No wonder Rickson promotes that they mount and balance. That way no other tire shop will bad mouth them. Ah well, it is what it is, so I give the go ahead to Robbie to proceed. Next comes the air pressure. Using a chart provided by Rickson and produced by Michelin, we find the air/weight table that pertains to my tire/wheel combo.
You can view the charts here;
http://www.ricksontruckwheels.com/load-charts.php
To read a chart, find your tire size specific chart. Mine is the 265/70R19.5 LRG. There are two charts with that designation. To find which chart is for my tires, look to the right side of the chart and find which one is for tires rated at 5510 pounds for single wheel. Now just read the top for tire pressure and down for load capacity (S for single D for dually)
Robbie recommended that we set the air at 85psi which equates to 8970 lbs for the rear axle and 70 psi which equates to 7680 for the front axle. Sounds good to me and is in line with what Rickson staff told me when I called them asking questions. Rickson staff told me to not run at max pressure. They said that the tires will wear faster if they are grossly over inflated compared to the load. I'd have to agree. On the way home empty of camper, I could see the contact area was about half the width of the tread of the tire.
With tires mounted, balanced, aired up and now installed on the truck, time to have a look and see how they sit. They look nice. They fill the wheel well without looking too tall, too short or too skinny.
Now to see how they drive. Both Robbie and Rickson staff told me to expect wiggle on the feel until the tires are broken in. I was told to cycle the tires by running them for a couple hundred miles, let set 24 to 48 hours, then repeat. The heating/cooling of the rubber compound changes the hardness of the rubber compound and the tires will soon quit 'squirming' on the lugs as they flex. I already know what that feels like with the Nitto's that I had on previously. That went away after about 2,000 miles. Up to then, it felt like I was steering a boat that wasn't up on plane. The rear end seemed to react slightly lagging the front end when turning sharp or swinging the steering wheel back and forth a few times quick.
Anyways, I take off an drive it. On surface streets, it's as identical to the Nitto's these just replaced. Get on the freeway at right at 60mph I get a shimmy through the gear shift lever. Slow down, speed up; it's right at 60. So I take her up to 70. Shimmy goes away. Slow down again and shimmy comes back about 60. By 58mph, it's gone. Nothing big and later when DW is riding along, she doesn't feel it. Just me through the shift lever.
Off to home I go to take some measurements and load up the camper. First, I test my torque wrench to LS's. They set the lug nut torque to 145 pounds. My wrench reads 150. Close enough and now I know when mine reads 150, it's 145 on a calibrated torque wrench. I asked Robbie and he confirmed they have their wrenches calibrated on a regular schedule.
I stopped off and filled up the truck with fuel as I'm going to a scale later today. Static height with no load in the truck and the tires are just a hair over an inch taller than the Nitto's were.
Camper on and the Toyo's are 1.2" taller than the Nittos were. All loaded up and off we go! The ride loaded with a full camper and a full fuel tank is much more stable. No wallowing, sidewall flexing feel at all. Almost like it's empty except that the ride is a bit softer and the 60mph shimmy is almost all the way gone! I went through 60mph a few times, waiting to hear DW mention it, as it was her 'job' to tell me what feels different; good or bad. I finally mention the shimmy feel at 60, even though it's reduced from when the truck was empty, and she says maybe she feels it, but that it could just be the road. I ask her if she thinks the tires are louder. She said, not really, just different. We were able to use our same voice, radio at same setting, etc. I could not hear ANY difference in tire noise.
Now on the freeway, it's much easier and relaxing to hit 65. It feels like 55 or 60 did before the new tires. I can feel the side wind a little more at that speed though.
We headed back to Les Schwab as I want to show Robbie my camper. When I pull in, 3 of the other tire techs come over and they all want to look in the camper. Robbie comes out and asks if I can wait for his girlfriend to come over. He has the same 3rd gen Dodge truck as I do, a 2001 and mine is a 2006, and he's so impressed with the look that he wants to show her. She comes by and I give them to tour. Robbie tells me that if I ever want to sell my truck, he'll give me what I paid for it new. Same with the camper. The other guys couldn't get over how much room is in a short bed camper. They recall putting my take-off Nittos in the bed and they had to be leaned up to all fit and get the tail gate shut. Now there were 4 of us, all full sized men, in the camper and we are not crowded.
I told Robbie of the shimmy and he said to give it a couple thousand miles and come back to see him. He'll make balancing adjustments at that time.
We left the lot and headed up to Lake Tahoe, a climb of over 5,000 feet of elevation to a bit over 7,200' and have dinner while watching the sun set over the Lake at an outside table. Then we head home. The truck is much more stable feeling. I can now see why people are willing to drive off pavement. It's very sure footed now with these tires and wheels.
On the way up to Lake Tahoe, I stop at a weigh scale that is closed. The scale is turned on though and it's the type that weighs one axle at a time. My rear axle weighs 7540 pounds rear and 4620 pounds front. Total 12,160 pounds. (That probably just sent the weight police to the emergency room with a heart attack)
A couple of things; I was able to calibrate my air gauges and my torque wrench since Robbie set my air at 85psi rear and 70psi front and torque at 145 foot pounds.
Also, Robbie saved me an additional $33 because my wheels came with excellent valve stems and he didn't need to install new ones.
The tires, mounted, balanced and installed on the truck, with the LS warranty totaled $1799.93
Tires were $379.82 each
FET was $14.84 each
Wheel balance was $22 each
Sales tax was $126.29
Tire tax was $7
As you may recall, Costco was going to get me a set of the 245/70R19.5's for $1675 out the door, but I would have to mount and balance them someplace else and no warranty other than from the manufacturer.
I think I did the smart thing going through Les Schwab. The Placerville store has the nicest crew. Everyone was interested in my truck and what I was doing with it. They all cared. That's saying something in today's retail establishment. Many times it seems like I deal with a younger generation who treat customers as if they are doing them a favor or that they are a big bother. The crew at LS, from the first phone call to the final goodbye after coming back to show them the camper on the truck, showed that they liked their jobs and that they liked their customers.
Here's some photos. Camper loaded, full fuel, water, gear;
Rear wheel passenger side;
Front wheel passenger side;
Rear wheel passenger side
Rear tire 20/32nds tread depth
Rear tire aggressive tread
Passenger side, rear to front
Passenger side, front to rear
Passenger side, front to rear
Passenger side
Passenger side rear view showing tire width and wheel offset
Driver side rear to front
