19.5" wheels

GM GIMP · January 15, 2003

Has anyone tried 19.5" wheels & tires? Aren't they supposed to be more stable?

I am towing 9,000+ and need all the help I can get.

Any suggestions.

Newbie here.

Roofer · January 15, 2003

A guy at a different page as well as forum member "Broker" have changed to this. From what I hear, the tires last longer, but cost a pretty penny. We put new ones on the F550 and they were close to $250 per tire.

Professor · January 15, 2003

Broker is using 3500's which are DRW.

I've only seen a 19.5 in Duals but could be wrong.

Your tires are rated about 3000lbs each. Change to a 265-75-16 E-rated tire to get a 3400lb rated tire. My personal preference would be the Michelin LTX.. Make sure you run them at when 80lbs loaded.

The 265s should not affect your speedometer much being only an inch taller. They will add 2 mph at 60. Your speedo is most likely off that much now the other direction now. Some are changing to 285s. With stock suspension, 285s will rub on the front and the D rated versions are rated at about 3300lbs.

I would not go any larger than 265 on stock (6.5inch) wheels, especially because you tow. 285’s are too far outside the tire manufacturer recommended wheel width.

IMO, GM missed the boat. The 265s look better in the wheel well and have a higher load capacity. That is what the Fords come stock with as well.

You are near the max towing capacity or your truck, be careful!

Roofer · January 16, 2003

oops, I forgot to look at your sig. Yes, Brokers trucks appear to be all DRW. The F550's come stock with 19.5" wheels.

I'm pretty sure most D rated 285's are rated for 3000 lbs. not 3300. The stockers are rated for 3042, if I remember correctly. Not sure if the 1500HD's have E rated tires though. Someone can correct me on this if I am mistaken.

I would also go for a 265 with a E load range, since you pull heavy loads.

I got a killer deal trading in my stockers for 265 E rated Steeltex tires. The tire guy, who I trust, says they are the only tires he will put on a Diesel for longevity, besides the new Bridgestone Dueller Revos. I will have these until I decide to buy wheels.

TxDoc · January 16, 2003

I asked Maverick of TDP. He has 19.5's on his dually. He said he did not know of any wheels for SRW. Thanks for the info Mav.

Edit--MDrag told me the following:

I would recommend checking the Rickson Truck website:

www.ricksontruck.com/wheels-GM-SRW.html

Rickson offers a SRW 19.5" wheel/8 bolt, the link has a pic of a 2500HD with their 19.5" wheels/tires - looks great.

Also, I'd recommend speaking with Bob at Arrowcraft - he makes the adapters for the 8 to 10 bolt Alcoa conversion. He may have something or be able to make something for a SRW application. I don't know how dually type wheels front/rear would look though...

www.arrowcraft.com

The Rickson's MAY be the only option for SRW...

APP makes a 17, 18, and 20" wheel for light trucks/SUV applications. May be worth checking them out for specs/weight ratings.

http://www.appwheels.com

Thanks MDrag, too.

meganuke · January 23, 2003

The 1500HD does come with E rated tires. I swapped mine out for D rated 285/75/16 Courser ATs. They'll handle 65 psi, I'll have to check what the max load is. They give a better ride, and work much better in the rain and snow than the steeltex ribs that came on the truck. I've loaded the truck with 2300 lbs of brick and 10 bags of sand at 100 lbs each, and the tires weren't deformed or showing any sign of being overloaded.

Remember, you've got four tires, so even if they are only rated at 3000 lbs, you'll have 12000 lbs of capacity. My 1500HD crew cab 4X4 weighs about 6000 lbs with me in it. The max payload for the truck is somewhere around 3300-3500 lbs. So, even heavily loaded, you won't be anywhere near the max load for the tires.

I recommend buying tires from a place that will let you try them for 30 days and exchange them for a different tire if you aren't satisfied. Town Fair Tire here in CT and MA do that and have a good selection and decent prices.

Good luck.

January 26, 2003

Remember, you've got four tires, so even if they are only rated at 3000 lbs, you'll have 12000 lbs of capacity. My 1500HD crew cab 4X4 weighs about 6000 lbs with me in it. The max payload for the truck is somewhere around 3300-3500 lbs. So, even heavily loaded, you won't be anywhere near the max load for the tires.

True, but when you load 3500lbs in the bed, you aren't equally loading all four tires. The rear tires will bear the brunt of the weight.

meganuke · January 27, 2003

I just checked my tires, they're rated for 3305 lbs at 65 psi. When unloaded, I typically run the front tires at 45 psi and the rear at 35 psi to keep the rear from bouncing too much over bumps.

Friz--Good point, but when the truck is unloaded, aren't the front tires bearing the brunt of the weight with the engine, tranny, driver, etc? Just a thought...