Which 19.5" tire to choose

[swhunter]

I posted for the first time on here clear back in November of 2018. I was asking about upgrading to 19.5” wheels and tires for a 2000 Ford F350 SRW. I got a lot of good info from others here. I heard from some people about how hard it is to get wheels from Rickson. Well it seems that is the same case for me. All the correspondence I have had with Heather (she does the sales orders for Rickson) has been positive. But I never heard from the owner of the company or other personnel as far as getting my order for the wheels filled. I really wanted to buy wheels made here in the USA, but it didn’t seem like that was going to happen. So I ordered a set of Vision 19.5” wheels through a local Discount Tire store. The wheels came in within one week.

When my camper is fully loaded, I have 7850 lbs on the rear axle, or 3925 lbs per wheel. I am now researching tires through the Rickson website and also looking at tire manufacture websites. It looks like I could go with 245/70R-19.5” tires with load range H, rated at 4940 lbs, and a 33” diameter. These would give me a safety margin of around 1015 lbs. Or I could go with the 265/70R-19.5” tires with load range G, rated over 5000 lbs, and a 34” diameter. These would give me a safety margin of around 1100 lbs. I like the weight capacity and height gain of the 265s, but I am not sure if that is overkill. I also don’t want to cause other problems later on because of going with that big of a tire.

I don’t want a steer tire tread or straight highway tread tire. I need a good all-terrain tread that will be good when the ground is wet, whether in the mountains or the desert.

Heather did recommend the 265/R-19.5” Toyo M608 load range H, 16ply rated at 4940 lbs.

Anyone running 19.5” wheels on a SRW pickup, what tires do you prefer?

Thanks in advance for any information you can share.
swhunter

[B_GAGE]

My last set of 19.5 245R 70 XDS2’s didn’t have the mountain snowflake symbol however, the set I had installed last month do.

[Sliding-into-ho]

Figure I'd bump this thread instead of creating a new one. Seems that rv.net is the only place to find any detailed discussion of 19.5" wheels/tires for TC applications. Go figure!

I'll cut right to the chase. Is this what I want for my F-350 SRW?

Vision 81A (or 81b, apparently?) 4.25 backspace, 8x170. There are a ton of other model options there, and if anyone has a quick comment on the relevant considerations, that would be much appreciated. https://www.visionwheel.com/wheel/867/VisionHDTruck/Trailer/81A%20Heavy%20Hauler?finishID=12

For drive tires: https://www.michelintruck.com/tires-and-retreads/selector/info/xds2-19.5 Pretty much decided there.

For steering tires, I really want snowflakes (lots of mountain/winter driving). Doesn't look like Michelin does that. Anyone else?

[RV_Tire_Guy]

Going to a 19.5 is a great way to increase your load carrying compacity. If you have the clearance I would recommend 245/70R19.5 Load range G or H. The 245/70R19.5 will provide more load carrying and a wider footprint. Since 19.5’s are built with an all steel sidewall they are more durable, and while towing a heavy load the truck will be more stable.

[swhunter]

I appreciate everyone’s info about 19.5” tires.

Big Toe, you have some very good points. When you say you have had more blowouts with 19.5” tires than any other tires, have the blowouts been the same as the situation that I am dealing with? An SRW one ton pickup carrying a camper that makes the rear axle weight 7850 lbs or 3925 lbs on each tire. Or are the blowouts on different rigs and different setups.

I don’t think the 19.5” tires are impervious to failure. I know there are pros & cons with everything. With all the research I have been doing, the main gain with the 19.5s is that they are rated for more weight than any 16” pickup tires I can find. I understand the ride will be stiffer because the tire is stiffer, but it would be nice that the sidewalls of the 19.5” tire don’t flex as much as the 16” tires do. The two main cons: 1. You can’t get 19.5” tires fixed just anywhere; I would have to go where they work on truck tires. 2. If I need to air up the tires I have to find somewhere like a truck stop that can supply enough air to reach the higher psi the 19.5” tire requires. There was a post on here a while back about air compressors to have onboard or carry with pickups & campers. I might have to check into what air compressor would work to bring along to air up 19.5” tires.

I am not happy with 265/70R/16 tires when carrying my camper. I just want a safer way to carry my camper with my pickup, which is why I want to go to the 19.5” tires. With the improvements I have made to my pickup and now going with 19.5” tires, I would think I have a much better and safer rig for carrying my camper. And I do belief my pickup’s rear-end is plenty strong enough for hauling my camper.

As far as going to a dually I understand completely the points about spending money on my pickup instead of going to a DRW. However, with my current situation, unless something drastically happens to my current pickup I won’t be changing pickups for awhile. With the expense of kid’s college and other things in life right now it will be a few or more years before I change pickups I hope, fingers crossed.

One thing I have seen mentioned a few times is that some tires are noisier than others. My pickup is a F350 with the 7.3 liter engine which isn’t very quiet at all. I just wonder if I would hear any tire roar, hum, or singing over the engine noise. I have been on mountain roads when it rains and was so grateful I didn’t have highway tires on my pickup, like the first tires that came on it.

I already have the Vision 19.5” wheels. I am just trying to figure out which tire to get now. So thanks to all that shared what 19.5” tire they use.

I mainly use this rig for short family camping and hunting trips. The wife and I and maybe even a kid during college break would like do some longer trips with this rig in the near future.

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to reply.
swhunter

[Ski_Pro_3]

I run the M608's @ 265 width and love them. They sing to me at freeway speed IF the window is down. I run around the same rear weight on my axle as you and I'm so confident in this tire, I don't bother hauling around a spare any more.
I got my Rickson wheels off craigslist. It took me 2 years to get the beauty rings but looks much better with them, it was worth the wait.
90psi rear, 72psi front.

My 2006 Dodge Ram short bed w/4wd and diesel required a 2" leveling kit on the front for the tires to clear a full wheel lock to wheel lock on the steering wheel. Otherwise, they rubbed a very little bit just before lock.

[Oregun]

wcjeep wrote:
I have had Vision 19.5's for about 12yrs. Originally had Toyo 608z G rated. Now running BFG 19.5" G rated that use Michellin casing. These tires are very smooth on the road. Extremely happy to make the switch. I have one tire with 2 ounces of balance. The other 3 use 4 ounces. My Toyos needed large amounts of balance. They were never fully balanced. Can't go back to the Toyos. I do run stock tire size in the winter for snow traction. I never used the Toyo 608z traction advantage with the camper.

When I was buying my tire guy told me the toyos were hard to balance he recommended Cooper RM253's, so far am happy with them.

[wcjeep]

I have had Vision 19.5's for about 12yrs. Originally had Toyo 608z G rated. Now running BFG 19.5" G rated that use Michellin casing. These tires are very smooth on the road. Extremely happy to make the switch. I have one tire with 2 ounces of balance. The other 3 use 4 ounces. My Toyos needed large amounts of balance. They were never fully balanced. Can't go back to the Toyos. I do run stock tire size in the winter for snow traction. I never used the Toyo 608z traction advantage with the camper.

[Grit_dog]

Bigtoe has some great points and, yes, a person can basically be the same $ into a comparable srw truck as a dually. Possibly less for the dually if you include new 19.5s in the equation. All depends. Duallies aren't impervious to needing suspension upgrades depending on the weight and user preferences.
AND some of the statements are true about srw components appearing the same and being of lighter or lesser ratings. AND some aren't. Example, my 2500 has factory 1485 U joints, not 1415s, which are also offered in the same truck.
But like most things in life, everything is a compromise. And while a srw is a compromise when it comes to ultimate load capacity and feel good handling, a dually is a compromise on several other levels.

This just isn't something the self proclaimed weight cops are going to tell you though. Becasue, you know, they're right. End of story....

[S_Davis]

I run the Toyo M608 on the vision wheels, it looks like I will get over 60,000 miles out of them. They have been good here in the PNW, I am a contractor and work on remote job sites so they see a lot of gravel, mud, rain, snow and ice. If you get them do not run higher pressure than you need in the front tires, they will be less squirmy on grooved pavement.

[Bedlam]

I found the specifications for multiple components in my previous truck and also cross matched which parts were used on heavier class trucks. This gave me the confidence in upgrading the weakest components to get the capacity I wanted. You will have to spend considerable time doing the research and it is not for everyone. I've always been good at these types of tasks and enjoy tracking the parts chain down to the sources. In the process I found a number of inaccuracies in published documents, so cross checking multiple sources is a given.

In my case, case I went to a Class 5 from a Class 2b because I wanted to carry a heavy camper and tow a heavy trailer at the time. My 4-ton trailer behind and 2-ton truck camper on my Class 2b with 19.5's worked well, but I was not going to put my 3-ton truck camper on it (not on a Class 3 or 4 either).

I did have a steep learning curve on commercial 19.5" tires and my only regret was not choosing a steer front tire in hindsight. My plan was to continue 4-wheel tire rotations which drove my decision for identical tires on all four corners. With the amount of weight I carry on the rear axle of both trucks, traction tires are only need on the rear with my usage. I rarely drive a truck empty or over 65 mph, so hydroplaning is not really a worry for me. I chose a higher rated tire than I needed so I would not have use the maximum sidewall pressure plus it gave me a stiffer sidewall that aided in carrying a heavy load at the expense of unloaded ride.

Between selling my half used Michelin tires and 18" rims and buying 19.5" tires and rims, the upgrade cost me $1500 in 2012. I considered that a good value for my needs and the change never created problems for me so had little downside.

[BigToe]

twodownzero wrote:

Buzzcut1 wrote:
the axel on the SRW is the same as on the DRW you will be fine.

This is often repeated on here but is certainly not true for some trucks and may not be true for any trucks. GM for example uses 1/4" wall tubing for its SRW trucks and 1/2" wall for DRW, even though the center section is the same. Just because an axle uses the same ring and pinion section does not make it the same. Many SRW trucks do have 1/2" wall tubing though, even older ones, so it depends on the truck specifically.

OP: are you sure there are no 18 or 20 inch tires that will support the weight you're carrying? The reason I say this is that conventional light truck tires will have MUCH better traction on soft surfaces, both because they are wider and because they are softer. Truck tires are rated to carry their full weight capacity for the life of the tire, so you do not need a weight cushion. Even though 19.5" tires might have a tread that looks aggressive compared to steer type tires, I think you're going to be surprised at how little traction they offer with the stiff sidewalls and hard rubber compound. 19.5 tires are designed primarily for weight carrying and stability. Vehicles with 19.5" tires are primarily local delivery trucks like you'd see UPS and FedEx use, as well as tow trucks and similar. Outside of the military, medium duty trucks are seldom used off road, and the military uses very aggressive tires compared to what most pickup truck owners would use. If this compromise is necessary for the weight capacity, then obviously don't overload your tires, but you are going to be surprised at the lack of traction compared to light truck tires--that is why no light truck comes with 19.5" wheels and tires.

twodownzero brings up excellent points.

In newer (17up) Ford drw trucks and chassis cabs using the Dana M300 cast center Salisbury style drive axle, there are different specifications for what in name and appearance are the same axle, but are fitted with different components (such as axle tubes, having the same outside diameter but different wall thickness) depending on the vehicle application.

On the OP's 2000 Ford, there can be U joint size and design differences (ie double cardan vs single cardan, 1410 vs 1480) in the driveline that are not readily visible when comparing the axle specs in the source book.

One observation that I find interesting, is that better than half the respondents to this thread speak in past tense in terms of what 19.5 tires they ran on their SRWs. Why past tense? Because they are in duallys now. In 20 years of reading truck and rv forums, I've read this time and time and time again, where after pouring money into air bags, stable loads, timbrens, hellwigs, riderites, airlifts, torklifts, and yes, 19.5" tires and wheels... these owners still end up finally giving up and moving up to a vehicle rated for the heavy camper they are hauling along with the trailer they are towing.

Not everyone, but I think anyone who has been only on this forum for any length of time can attest to the number of folks who, instead of tacking on parts to try increase the carrying capacity of their truck... go ahead and get a different truck that is professionally engineered and rated for the capacity.

19.5" tires have good points and bad points. The bad points are the fact that they can't be aired down, they can't float over sand, they can't be aired up at just any gas station, because the compressors at podunk gas stations off the beaten path often run out of umph at 75 psi, when you need at least 80 or 90 to achieve the load rating, and, they are not readily replaced off the beaten path either.

On the highways, in cities, at truck stops, no problems airing up or finding replacements. But the idea of truck camping is to get away from it all, right?

I just want to dispel the notion that 19.5" tires are impervious to failure (I've had more blow outs in 19.5 tires than any other type of tire I've ever road on, including bicycle tires going back to 1960's). They are expensive (I last paid over $400 per tire). And they will not last forever (the rubber casing ages out just like any other tire).

Then there is this notion of "just a few dollars more". A 225 tire size is $400, while a 245 is $410, and a 265 is only $420. "Well heck for less 1/8 th of just the sales tax alone, I can get a 265!" But that isn't really a bargain. It is a trojan horse. More unsprung weight, higher minimum pressure, bumpier ride, less sidewall and shoulder support from the wheel that is typically too narrow for that size, etc.

Bigger has more weight carrying capacity, but that doesn't mean that is the better tire choice. Real safety is found in the balance of elements in the entire system.

Another forum phenomenon regularly observed, and even evidenced in this thread, is the tire selection. Almost always, the folks who do enter into the 19.5 class of tire as an aftermarket replacement... almost always they choose the aggressive all terrain max traction types of tread patterns. Then the second time around, they start thinking about closed shoulders on the steer axle, instead of open shoulders. They start thinking about rolling resistance reduction and fuel economy. They start thinking about noise.

The OP is smart to stop and ask for this experience. I would be more inclined to select a tire based on where I've been, not based on where I imagine I'd like to go. I've imagined fording streams and forging fire roads through forests so deep they haven't been mapped on google yet, but in reality, most of travel time has been on asphalt or gravel. So rather than buy a military tread that can grab boulders through the Hammers, perhaps the a tire that has good stone ejection for the gravel I drive through would be more appropriate. That's just a hypothetical example.

In my specific case, my biggest concern in tire selection was wet traction and black ice. Tread life didn't matter, as I can get 100K miles out of any tire (my wife has gotten 140K miles out of her tires). Driving style, alignments, and pressure maintenance remain in my control, but not the weather. I can choose not to drive in the snow, but I can't avoid rain and bridges below freezing. I'm fooling myself if I think that I can really manage ice, so that leaves wet traction as the one characteristic to prioritize with tire selection.

Siping is said to be an important element in tire treads that enhances wet traction. I learned, right here on the truck camping forum of RV.net, about Michelin's replacement of the XDE tire, called the XDS2. A member here mounted the XDS2 on his GM 4500 chassis cab, and I noticed all of the factory cut sipes in each tread block... almost 1,000 sipes in all, per tire, when roughly doing the math.

From what I was best able to ascertain, the siping, and the tread pattern of the XDS2 was optimal for avoiding hydroplaning. The XDS2 is noisy, and I don't have them on the steer axle, because they are open shouldered. But I couldn't help but notice that the poster above is on his second set. Given how expensive these tires are, to buy them again is something that caught my eye. I'm still on my first set, from 2011, so they are technically aged out now, but are hardly even worn. I've never rotated them. 225 size, 31.5" diameter.

I clicked on this thread because I am looking to address the aged out issue with new tires. Kind of a shame to throw such good tires away. The curb guards built into the sidewalls have been really nice when trying to tuck a DRW as close to the curb as possible.

[EricCO]

I'm on my second set of XDS2 from Michelin.

https://www.michelintruck.com/tires-and-retreads/selector/info/xds2-19.5https://www.michelintruck.com/tires-and-retreads/selector/info/xds2-19.5

[Bedlam]

My 19.5's have not needed more traction, but they do not provide flotation on surface material. They will cut through snow, sand and mud until they hit hard pan or the truck bottoms out. Siping the tread will help if you drive in icy conditions since the rubber is harder than an LT tire. I don't drive in wet clay areas, so I cannot attest to how the tread cleans out or packs up.

[twodownzero]

Buzzcut1 wrote:
the axel on the SRW is the same as on the DRW you will be fine.

This is often repeated on here but is certainly not true for some trucks and may not be true for any trucks. GM for example uses 1/4" wall tubing for its SRW trucks and 1/2" wall for DRW, even though the center section is the same. Just because an axle uses the same ring and pinion section does not make it the same. Many SRW trucks do have 1/2" wall tubing though, even older ones, so it depends on the truck specifically.

OP: are you sure there are no 18 or 20 inch tires that will support the weight you're carrying? The reason I say this is that conventional light truck tires will have MUCH better traction on soft surfaces, both because they are wider and because they are softer. Truck tires are rated to carry their full weight capacity for the life of the tire, so you do not need a weight cushion. Even though 19.5" tires might have a tread that looks aggressive compared to steer type tires, I think you're going to be surprised at how little traction they offer with the stiff sidewalls and hard rubber compound. 19.5 tires are designed primarily for weight carrying and stability. Vehicles with 19.5" tires are primarily local delivery trucks like you'd see UPS and FedEx use, as well as tow trucks and similar. Outside of the military, medium duty trucks are seldom used off road, and the military uses very aggressive tires compared to what most pickup truck owners would use. If this compromise is necessary for the weight capacity, then obviously don't overload your tires, but you are going to be surprised at the lack of traction compared to light truck tires--that is why no light truck comes with 19.5" wheels and tires.

[Cabman_850]

So I just went thru this and this is what I ended up with. Vision Rims with Toyo M920 tires (G) rating in 245/70/19.5. I was told they run quieter and smoother than other tires I was considering. I just had these put on a couple days ago so cannot comment other than on smooth road I cannot tell much difference from my Toyo open country tires I was running. These tires will get a 2,000 mile test next week. If I did not need the stability these tires provided, I would have went with method NV HD wheels and Toyo or Nitto Load range F tires or back to the Cooper 295's that have 4080 lbs. rating