I've got a few months of life left in my tires, I have been looking at the 19.5" Wheel / Tire combo for some time now. I would like to hear any opinions on the matter and if it is worth the extra $$$ over buying another set of 16" tires to go on th factory wheels.

I do not do alot of towing.

 

I Like Mine the ride feels great and with 10,000 miles on them they still look new (they wear like Iron). I have got alot of people ask where I got them. I found used wheels to keep the cost down and got new tires from Les Schwab.

Hope this helps.
Brent

 

One thing that I have noticed about 19.5 tires, is depending how you drive, they might not suit you.

All brands thus far have a tendency to separate when driven at higher highway speeds with any form of weight on them. Doesn't seem to matter how properly inflated they are, or whether they are rotated on a regular basis.

I have seen more than a few 19.5's let go on a steer axle on reasonably light trucks, like the 450 and 550 fords. All the problem tires had one thing in common. The drivers liked to run about 70mph constant. There is one rig in particular though, that never sees over 60mph, and he consistently gets 100 - 120,000 km out of his tires on a 550.

Just food for thought. They could last forever on a 2500 or 3500 series truck, or they could shred your quarter panels.

Good Luck with the tires. I like the Rickson, or Vision wheels though

 

The sheer finances of it all aren't very appealing. A lot depends on which tires you purchase. Tire price varies from $225 each to $385 each!

If you go with the cheaper $225 tires, then it might be worthwhile IF YOU NEED THEM. But you said that you rarely or never tow (like me) and in your case, they would take a long time to pay for themselves based only on a possible MPG improvement.

Let's say you got 2mpg more from the Ricksons. The cheapest wheels are $263 each. So you're looking at a MINIMUM of $488 per wheel/tire-- and of course you'll need a spare. That's about $2400 in just wheels/tires.

Let's say you get 100K out of the tires (probably they will go more). Let's also say that you can get 50K out of a set of 16" rubber that costs $160-$200 each.

So in 100K miles, the Ricksons have cost you at least $2440. The 16" rubber would have cost you $1280-$1600 (only 4, because you already have a spare) in the same 100K mile period.

If you gain 2mpg going from 16mpg to 18mpg with the Ricksons (not likely, but possible) and your fuel is nearly $4/gallon, then the BEST possible situation is that the Ricksons take only 30K miles to pay for themselves!

Sound great, right? Well, not so fast. First, most people don't buy those cheapo tires. Second, the 2mpg improvement is very questionable-- some people will see a LOSS of mpg with the Ricksons because they are so heavy. So if you do mostly stop/go driving, the Ricksons are a bad choice.


Given that you don't tow, there's simply no benefit to the Ricksons that would justify their premium price, imo.

I'm sure other's experience may conflict with my prognostication.

jh

 

I could not agree more, I get a good deal on tires through my connections at work (Maybe $180 for the $225 tire) but its still not worth it.. I'm thinking..

BFG All Terrain T/A's (I have a 2wd but for snow they help alot) and Rockstar dually wheels..

Most likley I will just end up getting tires and no wheels (cannot justify the cost right now)