My 95' GMC K2500, is going to be around for a while so i am going to set it up for doing what i do. . . tow n tow heavy. . .I'm ditching the 16's n going to 19.5's. . .

I'm going from LT7.50-16D-LT235/85R16E n 4.10's to either:

245/70R19.5G's 33.5" x 9.65" n 4.56's ?
or
265/70R19.5G's 35.5" x 10.65" n 4.88's ?

65- 75mph tops all i need. . .

Mike

so your gonna peg your rpm every time you wanna go past 50MPH? and what are you towing that you need G rated tires on a 3/4 ton? you plan on staying DOT legal?

your gonna need a lot more than tires and gears to bother with a load big enough to require those tires and gears...like beefing the frame, completely building the motor, trans, I hope it's a 5 speed....

why are you complaining about reliability and then pushing the truck far beyond what it was ever meant to do?

unless you plan on towing more than 16000lbs and have a pin weight of more then 2K, I dont see a need for such a drastic change on a 3/4 ton truck. Granted you could change over to 1 ton springs and DRW fender and the adapter, but the truck is still only going to be as strong as the axle. No need for all that changeIMO.

Waste of time and cash. Like said, the rest of the truck isn't built tougher than the 16's will bear.

Actually the act of putting 19.5s under 3/4 ton n 1 ton trucks is rather popular. Folks around here like running 70 to 90K or more on a set of tires...

I quiet often tow 12 to 18K-lbs behind pickup trucks...

I'm actually sitting in an 02 2500HD right now with 12 or 13K hitched to it the 8100 tows it just fine....

There's a site online Rickson's that is just for swapping 16s 16.5s n 17s to 19.5s ill post up a link when I get home if you'd like ?

I have 2 trucks rolling on 19.5s I love them they wear good handle very well under load !

I get more miles from a set of 19.5 Mudders then some get from AT 16s ...

Mike

I got a second to give this a good looking over ...

I seem to be getting answers to a question I did NOT ask...

I have ran 16s 16.5s and even some 17.5s, and dollar per mile the 19.5s have out performed them all costed less lasted longer handled better !

I get my 19.5s for $140 to $160 a tire depending on size...

Wheels cost about $100 for steals n $200 for alloys...

So anywho the question think I was asking about was which sized tire n gear set to use...

Mike

265/70R19.5G's 35.5" x 10.65" n 4.88's use that...not that it matters...if you try towing what an 02+ can haul with a 95....your not going to have the truck long enough to make it worth the investment of upgrading it.

I'd suggest instead of being combative with the members and staff here, you be co-operative...we've all in this thread owned(maybe JD4440 hasn't??) 6.5s/6.2s and JD and Horse now own Dmaxes...we know the limitations and we know the advantages....the 6.5 wasn't designed for what your planning on doing to it, and it's design flaws will come out.

265/70R19.5G's 35.5" x 10.65" n 4.88's use that...not that it matters...if you try towing what an 02+ can haul with a 95....your not going to have the truck long enough to make it worth the investment of upgrading it.

I'd suggest instead of being combative with the members and staff here, you be co-operative...we've all in this thread owned(maybe JD4440 hasn't??) 6.5s/6.2s and JD and Horse now own Dmaxes...we know the limitations and we know the advantages....the 6.5 wasn't designed for what your planning on doing to it, and it's design flaws will come out.


Pete don't fight with him, it won't do us any good anyways. 4,000 posts? pete your such a post whore. http://www.tlzone.net/forums/images/smilies/smilielol.gif

But in all seriousness now, Mike just remember. if you don't take our advice here, and blow up your truck don't come back here and cry about it to us, because we told you so.

I see these trucks towing 10 and 12 thousand pound campers all the time...

Granted 90 to 95% of them are TBI n Vortec 454s...
I don't see why the diesel wounldnt do the same with a little more gear behind it...

I have already towed a pintle hook triple axle trailer with 2 bobcat skid loaders a T190 and a S160 with a land scape rake a Harley rake 2 buckets and a set of forks...

Tho it would only run about 50mph in 3rd gear at 3/4 throttle on level ground pulling hills I was in 2nd gear at 2/3 throttle rolling 25-30ish...

My 77' Ford F350 and My 62' GMC 4500 both towed this trailer load like this and a few times loaded heavier had the MT-55 mini track loader and the simplicity 24hp Diesel tractor...

They no problems running 60-62mph on the level at about 1/2 throttle n 55-58mph up hills at 2/3 throttle and there just some old Gassers !

I figured the Diesel would be stronger then the Gasser...

19.5 conversion site:
http://www.ricksontruck.com/



Mike

Its not the engine you have to worry about, its the axle! You can put any tires you wish, and stuff all the springs you want, but the axle tubes will only take so much before they give and you have a 14 bolt V in your truck. Trust me, that can create a very costly tow bill. I know, I run my fathers towing company and will be in his shoes one day.

You may be able to get longer tire life and even a longer engine life with the right gearing, but these tires/wheels will not increase your load capacity. I have seen lots of rail road service trucks with these setups and they do work, but the capacity of the truck still remains what it is from the factory.

I try not to use my personal fleet listed below for company use but 2 or 3 times a year it tends to happen...

I have the 14 bolt T, which is good for 16K-lbs.

It has the up graded off road axle shafts in it as well.

Now I had not planned on adding more spring the truck its self dose great !

But this truck should not get gutless towing a car trailer with 3 atvs ! But it dose which IS the engine.

So going down to 4.56 Gears from 4.10 gears then going up 1.5inch taller tires should give it the extra gear truck needs to run threw its daily life of back b forth to work and towing atvs up north 3 times year, plus towing some cars n trucks around !

The 19.5s were more of keeping maintenance costs down and keeping handling up.

A 245/70R19.5. Will have much better handling then the stock 235/85R16s...well the stockers are 7.50-16s... Same tire !

Plus the big wheel small tire combo seems to be the in thing, doing it this way I'm under 200 tire not over .

Things a little more. Clear ?

Mike

Im runnin a 245/70/19.5 with a 4.10 gear. I run about 72mph at 2k rpm. Tows the 31ft travle trailer great. GVW on trailer is 11,900.

They work great don't they ?

I love 19.5s if your D Max can tow 12 thousand running 19.5s and 4.10s...

My 6.5er should do fine with 4.56s !

Mike

changing your tires to the larger heavier tires an compensating with the gear ratio will not improve your towing ability, been there with a 93 6.5 td the same as yours, it will not tow like a new duramax. the 19.5 wheels an tires are not what they are hyped up to be. i have been through countless sets of both tryin to find wheels that arent bent an tires that the tread runs true on. the advantage of longer tire life if far outweighed by the lack of traction, i seemed to have a hard time stopping after putting the 19.5's on. changed to the toyo 255 85 16's an rides much better an fuel mileage went up by 1.5 mpg. if you run aluminum wheels you may have better luck but where i drive on gravel roads 90% it makes them look unsitely. get a good set of heavy duty goodyear tires an they will hold up just as long if you drive it right.

I have 2 other trucks In my personal fleet running 19.5s and 1 truck in my work fleet running 19.5s.
Tread wear is crazy slow ! The 08 sterling 5500 4x4 has 23K miles on the factory tires and they look new still it tows in the mid 20K to low 30K loads routinely, tho the tires are not as aggressive as what I like.

There 225/70R19.5 contie HDR's...
I normally run the hankook DH01's or the Oliver Super Traction's. . .

I used to use the Firestone Super All. Traction N General Super All Grips but they discontinued them in the 8-19.5 looked like a Super Swamper TSL's n LTB's. . .

Even the biasply's went 45K miles per set if kept rotated !

The Radials are the same tread pattern but spaced much closer together kind of look like BFG MT's or Sport king's from farm & fleet !

Those average 65K miles a set when rotated everyother oil change.

That's on trucks towing 18-22K-lbs. When the 2 old trucks still got worked daily.

Worse case the truck still looks cool and I don't have to worrie about tires for a long time...

Mike