Everything I learned in the conversion to 19.5" rims on a 1 ton pickup with a few resources and tips to help.
Rims:
There are three manufacturers that make a 19.5” rim for pick-up trucks. They are American Force, Rickson Wheel Manufacturing, and Vision Wheels. The wheel had to be made with the 8-lug pattern that would bolt directly to the existing hubs without any adapters or hub conversions.
American Force. These wheels are pieces of art and come with a price. They are visually stunning and American Force can do all sorts of cool stuff with their wheels.
Rickson manufacturing. These wheels have a slightly higher capacity rating over the vision wheels and are made in the USA. Additionally, they match factory offset to keep the wheel tucked under the truck nicely. Rickson also offers match mounting and balancing which is very beneficial.
Vision Wheels. These are slightly lower on the weight rating specs and the wheels are a zero offset. They do have a few color options and bolt patters to fit just about any 8-lug setup. Availability is also excellent. I never had to wait more than a day to get the wheels since several tire distributors keep them in their warehouse.
Tires:
There are plenty to choose from in varying patterns and manufacturers. From name brands like Toyo and Michelin to places you never heard of. Choice comes down to personal preference on tread design, manufacturer, country of origin, and cost. There are three prominent sizes, 225/70R19.5, 245/70R19.5, and 265/70R19.5. Most 19.5 tires come as 14 or 16 ply.
Installation:
I checked several places on pricing and availability and tended to have better results with locations that also serviced commercial truck tires. We had three issues come up during the mounting process which were valve stems, tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS), and balancing. The Vision wheels have a valve stem hole that is the same size as a commercial truck rim. This becomes an issue in selecting a valve stem that was not grossly over length or in a shape that would not fit. Many TPMS sensors are directly mounted to the valve stem on factory wheels. The change in valve stem size with the conversion to 19.5” rims would not allow the use of factory sensors on the new wheels. To keep the TPMS, we had to order bands and new sensors that would be strapped to the center of the wheel. Lastly was the balancing. We put in the balance beads which have great results on passenger vehicle and commercial vehicles. However, they have terrible results on pick-up trucks that have the 19.5” conversion. At highway speeds, it felt like the tires were going to bounce off the truck. There is a link to an article from Innovative Balancing LLC below that goes into more detail on this. The balancing issue was solved by removing the beads and using conventional tire weights.
Opinions:
I love them. I have put them on several pickup trucks and had them done for others as well. The stability under heavy loads is phenomenal and the longevity of the tires greatly exceeds any standard tire. Traction on wet and dry pavement is great and they handled moderate snow with ease. They are excellent on gravel dirt roads and do well in small amounts of mud. There are some drawbacks. These tires are heavy, and you can’t air them down. Because of that they are terrible in the dunes and are not for big mud bogs. The wheel and tire combination weighs in at about 125 pounds each and I noticed the weight on a stock motor. Running a higher horsepower tune helped make up for that. They also track a little different on the road particularly when empty. It is nothing unreasonable in my opinion and is only noticeable now if I drive another truck without them. The aggressive tread pattern and rubber composition makes these tires loud on the road. Think of a log truck driving by. Lastly is the ride quality. The bumps in the road are more noticeable when empty particularly at low speed through town. On the highway, I did not notice much difference. I have ridden in lifted trucks with big mud tires that rode worse than these. This is a specific conversion for pulling heavy loads and lots of miles. If you are looking to accomplish different goals with your tire and wheel setup, then I would consider another option. The rougher ride is far outweighed by the capability improvement in the conversion. I would do the conversion again and have no regrets about it.
Innovative Balancing, LLC
Article on Balancing
Rickson Wheel Manufacturing
Excellent Resource for Information and Purchase