Experience with commercial tires?

[Stebow]

I am considering changing tires and wheels to a 19.5” commercial tire on my 2017 F350 SRW Diesel Crew 4WD. With camper and fully loaded I am running about 11.5k# GVW and woukd like the extra load capacity a commercial tire and wheel offers (about 5k# each). Like many here I am mostly on dirt and gravel BLM and NF roads and lots of interstate miles to get to interesting locations in between.

I am interested in hearing peoples experience and recommendations for specific tires and wheels. It is a big investment and I would like to narrow my choices.

Thanks.

 

[MontySquareo]

My dad runs some load F 19.5s on his truck. They sink in the sand, and aren't super great in the rain, but they last a loong time and some are regroovable. His first set of 19.5 tires were some used load G motorhome tires, and they rode really rough and weren't perfectly round from the factory, so they always shook the truck.

 

[Buddha.]

I don't think you can air down 19.5's much. I think you're supposed to keep the pressure high or it damages the sidewall or something. I think that would make for poor performance off road and a rough ride.

Most 285/75r18's (35") have a load capacity of about 4k lbs per tire. I think you can get some 37's on 20" wheels with more payload.

 

[MontySquareo]

I don't think you can air down 19.5's much. I think you're supposed to keep the pressure high or it damages the sidewall or something. I think that would make for poor performance off road and a rough ride.

Most 285/75r18's (35") have a load capacity of about 4k lbs per tire. I think you can get some 37's on 20" wheels with more payload.

19.5 tires have a different bead design, so air pressure is all that's keeping the bead seated. If the pressure drops below like 30 psi (i don't know the actual numbers) the tire may come unseated

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

I run Michelin 305/70R19.5 XDE2 on our expedition vehicle and have done so now for 18 years and 270,000km.
The vehicle is between 6 and 6.5T on the road.
These tyres have a load rating of 3,075kg per tyre at 112psi, but I run them according to this chart, the data of which is taken directly from Michelin publications.


I regularly air down to 20psi in the front and 28psi in the rear and would run those pressures all the way across the Simpson Desert which is over 700km of sand dunes.. They actually air down better than most tyres because the side wall is a single ply of steel, so the side wall is very strong, but thin, so it stays cool and flexible. Heat is the enemy of aired down tyres.


Climbing this dune I was about 12/15psi. I have never broken a bead.



My friend runs the same tyres on his Canter.

There are other brands of this same tyre. Michelin is my preference. Bridgestone would be the second choice.
I typically get 80,000km plus from a set and we spend 90% of that off the black top.

EDIT: This tyre also comes in 265 and 285/70R19.5 sizes. I consider the 305 superior in all respects, particularly ride quality. The Michelin XDE2 is a directional tyre and is designated a drive tyre. Michelin would not approve its use on OEM OKAs because they would not agree to it being used on steer axles, but it is widely used all round on 4WDs with great success.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[workerdrone]

^ experience vs internet beliefs

Next time I have something on 19.5's I'll try airing down some - I was afraid to since the internet told me I shouldn't lol

So I just used 4wd anytime traction was in question, never got stuck, never flatted, but also didn't really look for any time in the soft stuff

 

[Stebow]

I run Michelin 305/70R19.5 XDE2 on our expedition vehicle and have done so now for 18 years and 270,000km.
The vehicle is between 6 and 6.5T on the road.
These tyres have a load rating of 3,075kg per tyre at 112psi, but I run them according to this chart, the data of which is taken directly from Michelin publications.
View attachment 811301

I regularly air down to 20psi in the front and 28psi in the rear and would run those pressures all the way across the Simpson Desert which is over 700km of sand dunes.. They actually air down better than most tyres because the side wall is a single ply of steel, so the side wall is very strong, but thin, so it stays cool and flexible. Heat is the enemy of aired down tyres.
View attachment 811302

Climbing this dune I was about 12/15psi. I have never broken a bead.
View attachment 811303


My friend runs the same tyres on his Canter.

There are other brands of this same tyre. Michelin is my preference. Bridgestone would be the second choice.
I typically get 80,000km plus from a set and we spend 90% of that off the black top.

EDIT: This tyre also comes in 265 and 285/70R19.5 sizes. I consider the 305 superior in all respects, particularly ride quality. The Michelin XDE2 is a directional tyre and is designated a drive tyre. Michelin would not approve its use on OEM OKAs because they would not agree to it being used on steer axles, but it is widely used all round on 4WDs with great success.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

Thank you very much for that reply. This is exactly the kind of information I am seeking. I am considering the same Michelin tire in either of the two smaller sizes you listed. My wheel of choice is a Vision HD 81 Hauler from Summit Racing with 5k# rating in the 19.5“ diameter. I have also looked Toyo and Contentianal tyres at the recommendation of my local commercial tire shop who have installed these tires on other 1 ton pickup camper combinations.

I appreciate hearing your real world experience airing these down and running them in sand. I only occasionally need to air down my current tires given my typical driving environments. In summer I run a Goodyear Wrangler AT Adventure with Kevlar in a 275/70R18 on stock aluminum wheels and Nokian studded Hakkapeliitta in the same size in winter. Both have a 3640# load rating at 80psi.

The options I am considering are the commercial tires on 19.5” wheels or higher load 285/75R18 (4080# load) with Method HD wheels (load rated at 4500#). The commercial option is nominally 5000# load rated.

thanks again for the information.

 

[1stDeuce]

If your only goal is to have tires that last longer to save money, then you've got to do the math... The cost of more expensive tires plus new wheels to run them may mean that the payout is decades away unless you are turning 200k miles a year...

We have an F550 brush truck with 245/70R19.5 Milestar BD733's on it. Though the tires look fairly well suited to offroad use, iIt is pretty much useless on any soft surface. I have them aired down to about 50psi all around as a compromise between the short highway stints it does (local only) and a bit better traction. I suspect this truck is probably a bit above 10,000 lbs and at 50psi, the tires look like they would not tolerate a much lower pressure.

Note that Peter's experiences with the much larger 305 size tires are quite a bit different from my experiences with 245's. I suspect this is because the overall size of the tire is so much different.

If I was going to do this conversion, I would likely aim for a 265 (which is what I now wish our brush truck had on it) or 285 which would provide a bit more sidewall, and theoretically a bit better soft ground performance on a heavy truck... Too bad there aren't 75 or 80 series tires so you could have the height without the width...

 

[tacollie]

If you travel the speed limit on the interstate make sure you check the speed ratings on the tires. Some of the commercial tires can be kind of low.

 

[vintageracer]

If you are going to run the 19.5'a use "Balancing Beads" to balance them instead of lead hammer on/stick on weights.

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

If you are going to run the 19.5'a use "Balancing Beads" to balance them instead of lead hammer on/stick on weights.

I use ceramic balance beads. They are useful for the life of the tyre.
I did try using lead shot. It balanced well, but tended to powder up over time.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome