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SpokaneJim
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| Joined: | Sat Jan 23rd, 2010 |
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#1 Posted: Wed Feb 10th, 2010 14:14 |
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Hello all,
I'm sure many of you have been through this decision process before, but I failed to locate a topic on this forum that focused on wheels / tires used for your TC. Most information is buried in misc. posts under various topics.
My question is: What wheelset and tire combinations would you recommend for a truck camper such as the popular AF990? Which ones would you avoid (any bad experiences out there)? I've purchased an AF990 (still waiting delivery), and am now shopping for a used F350 crew cab SRW 4x4. (I'm drooling over the new 2011 F350's & their engine options, but will have to wait for finances to catch up to a brand new truck purchase.) Either way, I'll be needing to know more about the rims and tires that come with the truck than I now know in order to better my truck purchase decision. I know 18" wheels provide a higher GVWR rating than 17" for example. Other questions:
What size rims would you recommend & why?
What tires would you recommend and why?
Would this wheel setup be a high, low or mid-cost setup?
What is the primary use of the tire? FYI, I'd like a good highway tire that will see it's fair share of gravel roads with some very light off road use... (may end up on a beach / back country trout stream some day).
Pros / cons of the tires recommended? Noisy or quiet? Good wear or bad? High priced or low?
Sources for the above that offered good price & service?
Anyone game to provide a little tire tutorial? What to look for on the tire that would indicate good / bad? "E" rating, vs. other. One tire manufacturing method vs. another (radial, plys, biased, etc.)?
Pro's / con's of commercial tires?
Stem valve issues (steel vs. rubber), etc.?
Thanks in advance for your input. I hope this thread will be useful to many.
Jim in Spokane, WA
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George
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#2 Posted: Wed Feb 10th, 2010 15:01 |
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I can answer only a couple of basic questions. My 2009 F350 SRW Super Cab 6.8L V10 long bed came equipped from the factory with LT275/70R18E tires. The tires are rated for 3640 # at 80 psi. The truck rear axle rating is 7000 #, the front axle rating is 5200 # and the GVWR is 11000 #.
A friend has a very similar truck except he has the diesel and his GVWR is 11400 #.
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*Geo.& Jeanne
Sunny, wirehair dachshund
07 AF 29-5T
09 Ford F350 SRW 4x4 LB SC 6.8L V10 4.10
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mhays
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#3 Posted: Sat Feb 13th, 2010 00:10 |
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check this thread
http://www.afnash.com/forum/view_topic.php?id=9539&forum_id=26&highlight=mhays
____________________
- Mike, Denise, 2 dogs & 1 cat -
'03 Ford 4x4 F350, SRW, C/C, L/B, 6.0 diesel, Rancho 9000X's, 2.5" bump stops, helper leafs all arround, Timbrens and airbags, Torklift frame mounts with Fastguns, 2007 AF-990 (wb). And... a matching toy hauler
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wcjeep
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| Location: | Tacoma, USA |
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#4 Posted: Sat Feb 13th, 2010 05:19 |
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I'm running 19.5" tires/wheels. Rickson sells steel 19.5" tires/rims. I bought my Aluminum 19.5" tires/rims from Les Schwab. I'm running "H" rated Toyo tires. They might be the 608z. I'm sure I posted the model in previous posts.
I avoided the Rickson due to long lag time from order to delivery. They did answer all my questions. Just couldn't wait. My tires are rated at 4540lbs each.
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06' Dodge Mega
08' Arctic Fox 811
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atlassic
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#5 Posted: Sat Feb 13th, 2010 14:20 |
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| I'm running the same setup as wcjeep, 19.5 Vision's and Toyo 608z's. For the first several hundred miles they would not track real well and it kind of felt like they were wondering, however that went away soon after and I've been real happy with them. Overall ride feels much more safe and secure now, with less rocking and bouncing. Not cheep, but well worth it from my perspective. I would recommend stopping by your local Les Schwab and asking them to walk you through the setup, they were very helpful when I was going through the same process you are. I spent many hours looking around, talking to people and reading online and from what I could find was that most everybody agreed that the tire/wheel setup was the weakest link in having a camper on a SRW truck and if you have the resources, that should be your first upgrade. Hope that helps
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2005 GMC 2500 HD Quad Cab Short-bed, Air-bags, Ranch 9000's, Vision 19.5 Wheels, Toyo M608Z 245,70,19.5 Tires
2007 AF 811 and one black dog
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wcjeep
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#6 Posted: Sat Feb 13th, 2010 17:32 |
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I failed to mention the 19.5 wouldn't fit as a spare tire with my SuperHitch. I had to completely deflate the tire to get it to fit. I also have a 100% duty cycle onboard air. No problem.
Also, not all Les Schwab's are created equal. Some are considered commercial. The commercial sites typically have the tires on site. Most will have to order the rims. It's 1-2 day delivery. The commercial Les Schwab's are not freaked out by the 19.5's. I went to two different Les Schwab's that insisted they couldn't balance my rim/tire combo. I went to a commercial store that had no problem. The commercial store uses the exact same equipment with the 19.5's to balance as other normal truck tires.
edit: shop around at Les Schwab. I went to three different stores with three different price quotes. The commercial store had the best price.
Last edited on Sat Feb 13th, 2010 17:33 by wcjeep
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06' Dodge Mega
08' Arctic Fox 811
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SpokaneJim
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#7 Posted: Sat Feb 13th, 2010 21:14 |
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Again, thanks to all for your input. A few questions:
Do the Toyo 608z have similar or same characteristics of the Rickson? (Harsh ride with camper off truck? Basically same tire as seen on delivery vans, etc.? Can you lower tire pressure in them if we end up drivng on sand / beach? (Ricksons don't have a bead on them so you can't lower their pressure I've been told.) How are they off road otherwise? How do they compare to a tire like Nitto Terra Grappler LT 295/70R18 E 129Q? (This tire has a 4080 lb. rating at 80psi).
Thanks,
Jim
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wcjeep
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#8 Posted: Sat Feb 13th, 2010 23:49 |
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When talking rims, we are comparing the Rickson Steel wheels versus Chinese made Vision Aluminum rims. The Rickson has the proper offset. The Vision will be just slightly off.
I can't think of any instance where the 19.5" would excel on sand. Very stiff sidewall. The Toyo 608Z does work great offroad. I say that meaning the logging roads and snow where my Dodge has gone. I have a well built Jeep for actual offroading.
Look into owner comments with the Nitto. I think they have a very short lift span. The 19.5's last quite a while. Also, your next limiting factor is rim strength. The average rim is going to be rated at/near 3200lbs. When looking, I found the factory rims were typically stronger than the aftermarket. Many aftermarket rims were rated for 2900lbs. There are always exceptions to the rule. A cracked rim doesn't sound like fun.
____________________
06' Dodge Mega
08' Arctic Fox 811
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SpokaneJim
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#9 Posted: Sun Feb 14th, 2010 01:50 |
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Thank you for the education on rim vs. tire lb. rating. That does help me. I was assuming that in most cases the rim would be rated higher than the tire.
If going 19.5, perhaps I could tow my 4Runnery behind for actual 4WDing on trips where I wasn't towing my boat. Else I could eventually have both a set of 19.5's and Nitto's for when I thought I'd actually need them on a particular trip.
Thanks again for all the assistance.
Jim
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atlassic
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#10 Posted: Sun Feb 14th, 2010 13:47 |
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When I was doing my research, I ran across a few posts that indicated these kinds of tires should not be aired down for sand given there is a lot of steal in the sidewalls and you did not want to take the chance on bending it. That being said, when I don't have my camper on I run them at 70 all around, versus 70 in front and 90 in back with the camper on. Without the camper on iIt is still a stiffer ride compared to stock tires, it rides like a truck. I kept my old tires and rims thinking I would change over in the winter, but you get used to the ride and they seem to do fine in the snow as well, I did adjust down the shocks some which helps.
Don't underestimate the weight of your camper fully loaded. Think my 811 is around 3,200 dry, not hard at all push it to 4,000 loaded. Even if the tires you are looking at can take the weight the extra strength you get on the sidewall by going with 19.5's is what really helps the stability while on the road.
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2005 GMC 2500 HD Quad Cab Short-bed, Air-bags, Ranch 9000's, Vision 19.5 Wheels, Toyo M608Z 245,70,19.5 Tires
2007 AF 811 and one black dog
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SpokaneJim
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#11 Posted: Sun Feb 14th, 2010 13:50 |
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Continuing on the issue brought up regarding strength of the rim. Pasted below is a follow up to the same thread I authored on another forum. The gentleman who responded mentiones custom rims for his truck / camper package rated at 4,500 lbs each.... His post follows. (Paring these rims in an 18" version with, for example Nitto Terra Grappler LT295/70R18E 129Q's rated at 4080lbs per tire may start to approach a 19.5" setup. Your thoughts? Anyone have this setup?)
A quick side question.... I saw a post on AFNash TC's forum where several gave detailed weight of their truck / TC packages but I can't find it now. Many showed their front / back axle load with and without camper (and trailer if they had one). Does anyone recall this link?
Here's the post I copied here:
I am kind of in the same boat, I have a Dodge 3500 SRW and am using Stockton wheel http://www.stocktonwheel.com/about_us.htm to build some custom power wagon wheels for my truck. The wheels are 17 inch and 8 inches wide weight rating of 4,500 each.
The tires
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #eeeeee"are going to be nitto http://www.nittotire.com/ dura Grappler in size LT285/75R17 E 128 R load rating 3,970 each I picked these wheels and tires as the cost was bearable. Wheels were $1071.00 for 4 and the tires are about $800.00 for 4, total tires and wheels about $1900.00. I will use my stock spare tire and wheel for a spare.
Some people are using Rickson http://www.ricksontruckwheels.com/ 19.5 wheels and tires. I liked the Rickson set up with the following exceptions. The cost of tires and wheels from Rickson is approximately $3,500.00 for 4 if you need a spare with the same capacity as the Rickson’s that would be $4375.00 for 5 tires and wheels. I also didn’t like the thought of having to replace a tire in a small town if one of the 19.5 tires went bad do to the availability of 19.5 tires. I believe the 17 LT285 tires would be easier to find. Also per Rickson’s web site they do a special match and match balance for the tire and wheel that might be hard to do is some smaller towns. Some say the 19.5 tires give a rough ride I have no experience with the Rickson set up so don’t know about the rough ride.
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FF1063
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#12 Posted: Sun Feb 14th, 2010 15:37 |
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| Jim, with all your concerns/analysis, why are you so set on a SRW?
____________________
98 Ram 3500 CTD 12V / 05 Arctic Fox 990
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mhays
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#13 Posted: Sun Feb 14th, 2010 16:19 |
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We’re getting ready to begin our 4th season with our 990 on a SRW F-350. The first year I had this set-up I read a lot and “did the right thing” as far as safety goes. I paid the $$$ and bought a set of 19.5 visions/commercial tires rated at about 5,000lbs ea. While I like my Powerstroke, they are not known for their ride in the first place. When I drove it without the camper and with the new tires/wheels, it was pretty bad. So then I started putting the commercial tire/wheel set up on, only when I loaded the camper.
We make about 10 ~ 15 trips a year, mostly long weekends (we’re both still working stiffs). After a while, the tire/wheel change-out routine became too much of a pain in the a_ _.
I have run over the scales a few times. Loaded, me the reason for the sun rising (wife), dogs, some water, food, camping junk, etc… avg. I’m at 13,100lbs overall and 7,900lbs on the rear axle (or 3,950lbs per wheel/tire). So I bought a HawksHead tire temp/pressure monitoring system and tried running on my “normal” tire/wheel set-up (not the 19.5’s). I have aftermarket wheels rated at about 3,200lbs ea. and 305 70R 17 Nitto Terra Grapplers which are rated at 3,640lbs ea. So if you do the math I’m about 23% overloaded - which I do not like. Running with the above normal set-up at the recommended pressures, in the summer at 65mph to 70 (worst case scenario) my tires will pick up about 10 to20 degrees and 5 to 10psi, then stop.
There was a little more tippyness and rocking with my normal set-up, but not much. When I saw that the tires did not continue heating up (stabilized) I sold the vision 19.5 set up and the last 2 ~ 3 years have gone by without incident (thank God).
My Grapplers now have 40k miles+ on them and I’m getting ready for another set. This Time I’m going to buy 295 70R 18 Durra Grapplers to get the 4,080 rating. I really appreciate the Stockton Wheel post (Jim). I hope they have a set of wheels for my Ford that will be at least 4,000lbs – I’m calling them tomorrow.
I’m not anti-19.5 set up, nor am I trying to say what I did was “right”. I’m just sharing my experiences/thoughts.
____________________
- Mike, Denise, 2 dogs & 1 cat -
'03 Ford 4x4 F350, SRW, C/C, L/B, 6.0 diesel, Rancho 9000X's, 2.5" bump stops, helper leafs all arround, Timbrens and airbags, Torklift frame mounts with Fastguns, 2007 AF-990 (wb). And... a matching toy hauler
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SpokaneJim
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#14 Posted: Mon Feb 15th, 2010 03:09 |
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mhays,
Glad this rookie could help another. This thread is beginning to contain quite a bit of good information, and I'm sure it will be helpful to many more in the future. Let us know what you find out. It will still be about two months before I will purchase my truck. Maybe you'll have the new 4080 rated Nittos before I get my truck and could provide some feedback.
FF1063,
More analysis than concerns I feel. Still, purchasing a used truck now before a brand new one a few years down the road will be better way to do a personal proof of concept. Reasons for SRW for me vs. DRW:
1) We live in the snow belt, and would prefer the better snow traction that comes from a SRW. (Haven't asked this one, but I'd suspect traction would be better on slippery boat ramps also with an SRW.)
2) Whether it is "once we reach our destination & take our camper off", or fly fishing in the very nearby mountains, I'd greatly prefer the SRW for when 4WD is needed on rough conditions. I feel a DRW would be akin to rolling a rolling pin over the ground vs. two narrow buttons (case of the SRW).... you are going to simply hit more bumps, large rocks, etc. with a DRW.
3) Garage space issues re. an SRW vs. DRW favor SRW. (Once it's inside.)
4) An SRW crew cab F350 long bed is already a beast to bring to a congested area and park. A DRW version of the same truck would probbly be that much worse.
5) Once at destination, driving down narrow gravel / brushy roads would be more palatable / easier with SRW vs. DRW.
6) Issues re. (significant other) getting the vehicle through garage door with a DRW.
7) From posting's response, there are some beaches that don't allow a DRW on them. Don't know how prevelant this, but it is at least worth considering.
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FF1063
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#15 Posted: Mon Feb 15th, 2010 13:17 |
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I'm on the fence considering this new 2011 Chevy 3500 SRW?, maybe even a gasser after 13 yrs with a Cummins TD. I live in snow as well, to me it's only the 4x4 that's a factor with any empty pickup in snow/ice. Off road, I rather go srw also. Agree on the garage issue as the truck won't fit with the standard 8 ft door, the mirrors stick out even further. I live in major traffic daily, the drw is really not an issue. My wife does not mind the drw, only I do when she is driving! I've been beach camping, the drw is fine, it's the 4x4 that does the work. Even though my 990 use is limited to few annual trips, I always felt it's those trips that I must factor in for the worst case, the 5K load is a bit more than I can accept on a srw. If I'll need to go with $3-$4K in after market add-ons, a drw choice seems more obvious from the start. Already owning a TC's makes it very difficult to go srw (but I want to!) knowing what I have experienced hauling a big Lance and now this AF990, decisions, decisions...... Good luck.
Last edited on Mon Feb 15th, 2010 13:18 by FF1063
____________________
98 Ram 3500 CTD 12V / 05 Arctic Fox 990
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SpokaneJim
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#16 Posted: Tue Feb 16th, 2010 20:04 |
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mhays,
Did you get a chance to contact Stockton Wheel and ask any questions about their custom rims? Just curious as to what you may have found out.
Thanks,
Jim
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Fish mojo
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#17 Posted: Wed Feb 17th, 2010 02:57 |
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I just rigged my 2006 F350 SRW Supercab for my 990. Put on torklift stable loads and brand new Michelin LTX MS2 rated at 3650 (275-70R18E) with steel valve stems. Has the factory sway bar.
Took it down to the coast from Portland over Wilson River Highway. Lots of winding road, grade and dips, etc. I felt fully safe and the handling was fine. I do think I will do a shock upgrade. Stopped at a weigh station. Rear axle 7050 pounds. I did not have full tanks or a ton of gear. (I did have full 38 gallon diesel).
I'm sure the weight police will have their say, but any engineered system has a safety factor built in. I don't think you need to over do it.
The Michelins are great tires. Quiet and firm. Got rid of my vibration issues with the Continetals.
Just my 2 cents.
Last edited on Wed Feb 17th, 2010 03:00 by Fish mojo
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mhays
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#18 Posted: Thu Feb 18th, 2010 01:30 |
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I have gauged my whole set-up by always being able to do the speed limit. In other words, if a corner is marked 45mph, or 25mph, etc... I can go at least that fast with my wife not having to contemplate either hanging on for dear life or unlocking the door to bail out if necessary.
Can all you guys make the speed limit (recomendation) on a corner with no problem?
Last edited on Thu Feb 18th, 2010 01:31 by mhays
____________________
- Mike, Denise, 2 dogs & 1 cat -
'03 Ford 4x4 F350, SRW, C/C, L/B, 6.0 diesel, Rancho 9000X's, 2.5" bump stops, helper leafs all arround, Timbrens and airbags, Torklift frame mounts with Fastguns, 2007 AF-990 (wb). And... a matching toy hauler
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oregonbear
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#19 Posted: Fri Feb 19th, 2010 05:27 |
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| Regarding the warning signs on curves, not a problem going the posted speed. I do want to enter the curve at the posted speed, not slowing to it half way thru the curve. I brake before and not in the curve.
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01 Ford F350 Lariat 7.3 Powerstoke/ Auto/ CC/ 4x4 Off Road/ SRW/ Firestone Air Bags Rear/AFE air intake
02 AF 990wb Camper with AC and Gen
08 18ft Alumaweld 200hp Intruder jet boat
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nwjetboat
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#20 Posted: Fri Feb 19th, 2010 18:24 |
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mhays wrote: I have gauged my whole set-up by always being able to do the speed limit. In other words, if a corner is marked 45mph, or 25mph, etc... I can go at least that fast with my wife not having to contemplate either hanging on for dear life or unlocking the door to bail out if necessary.
Can all you guys make the speed limit (recomendation) on a corner with no problem?
Since I use my truck 80% of the time without the camper, I researched the 19.5 threads..I did not want to get bounced all over when empty, just to satisfy the weight police. Matter of fact, I followed your posts when you got the 19.5's and was almost ready to jump also. Then Nitto came out with the 3750 lb rated 17's so I thought I would give them a shot..
Same here mhays..With my Dodge 2500, withairbags, rear sway bar, rancho shocks, and 286/70 Nitto Terra grapplers rated at 3750 I can comfortably take corners at or slightly above the posted limit. I weighed my truck/camper with full propane, and water at 30% I was 6920 rear and 5060 front..
Last edited on Fri Feb 19th, 2010 18:27 by nwjetboat
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05 AF990
03 Dodge CTD
Ride-Rites, Rancho 9000's, Helwig swaybar
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