19.5 rims versus 22.5

[Sheriffbubba]

It usually has more to do withe the overall frame and suspension and not just the tire and wheel size... It follows that any rig with 22.5 tires and wheels can and should ride better and have better load carrying capacity than a rig with 19.5 tires and wheels.


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[jackreno]

With 19.5 you can carry a spare and change a flat tire if the motorhome has a lift/level system, you will need a little muscle to get it done but it is doable, with the 22.5 if you get a flat you can sometimes wait a whole day for tow service and they will charge you highest retail for that 22.5, I prefer to have a spare vs a little better ride if any with a larger tire and not have a spare..

[phranc]

Many tractor trailers have 24.5 tires .. Bearing in mind they have the chassis room for
larger tires . Advantages , higher load capacity, run cooler, longer life .

[NMRVer]

Had both, the 22.5 are by far a smother ride, and better handling. My .02

[CJ7ole]

Mine has 19.5" wheels, thinking bigger wheels would allow bigger brakes on the F53 chassis, but apparently they use the same brakes on the 22.5" wheels so no reason to trade up just to get better brakes. Bigger brakes would have been nice in the mountains. Obviously bigger tire are also more expensive.

[Betr2Trvl]

A Honda Fit would ride smoother on the wheels and tires from a Mercedes 550 too...... it simply does not need them to function as intended. Just like a smaller MH does not need 22.5" wheels to function as intended either.......

[emcee]

The only true comparison is to try both sizes on the same rig. LVRVLUVR did just that. His report is here: http://www.irv2.com/forums/f23/am-i-...5s-278690.html

Note the impact on shift points - interesting

[Peteyboy]

Responses seem awfully familiar,,, if you have 19.5's, they are best, if you have 22.5's, thats the way to go. Same if you are talking gas versus diesel, TT vs 5th wheel, 5th wheel vs Motorhome. Some things never change.

[mojoracing]

Weve had both and the 22.5's ride a lot better

[Mr_D]

Originally Posted by 96 Wideglide

The one I was beside last year had 365/ 22.5's on all axles.

Must be some variance then as the one I looked at had the 365/70 tag and front axle and the 315/80's on the drive just like ours.


Can't comment on the 19.5 vs 22.5 as our last gas rig ('98 Santara) had 16" tires and we traded it in in 2000 on a new 2000 Dutch Star with 22.5's so no experience with the 19.5's.

[Betr2Trvl]

I don't know why, but I keep coming back to this thread......

Think about this question this way. How can you compare the ride quality between these Toyotas - A 2000 Toyota Corolla, a 2012 Toyota Camry, and a 2016 Lexus LS, and say that the differences are solely due to the wheel / tire size? Can't be done, anymore than most of the other comparisons made here between one MH and another.

As noted, one person has changed the wheel / tires from 19.5 to 22.5 on thier MH. And to no surprise, not only does it ride smoother (as much do do with being able to run substantially lower air pressures with the larger tire size, as it does with rolling diameter) it impacts shift points, gas mileage etc. since you are changing the overall rolling diameter which impacts effecting gearing of the drive train. It also puts a higher load on the transmission which may be an issue down the road; my bet is CJ7ole has significantly different axle ratios in his jeep with 35" tires than it had stock with wheels / tires with a much smaller rolling diameter (or, he is replacing his clutch once a year).

As I noted previously, as well as a couple others - in short, the wheel / tire sizes chosen by the manufactures is simply part of the overall design of the chassis given its intended use. And, with that a bigger, heavier MH which happens to be on larger wheels / tires is probably going to have a smoother ride vs. a lighter MH which happens to be on the smaller wheels / tires.

Your tire pressures have to be properly set too. While most people focus on tire pressures related to thier load ratings, it is the spring effect of tire pressures that impact your ride quality. Yes, the larger rolling diameter smooths out pot holes too........

I put the heavier 24k chassis on my coach vs. the standard 22k, so with that, I have a very high CCC for a gas coach. Since I weighed the coach and confirmed I am running nowhere near my max load, I was able to significantly reduce my tire pressures since I am essentially "over sprung" on the chassis vs. my running weight. And, to no surprise, my ride became significantly softer, so much so, that within a few miles after resetting the tire pressures, my wife commented how much smoother and quiter the MH was, not even thinking about the fact that I had changed the tire pressures.


Regards

[gasser 38]

The 22.5 usually come on the longer wheel base and I think that has more to do with the ride quality than just wheels and tires draw back to 19.5 steel wheels with liners
draw backs to 22.5 al. wheels much more expensive if you damage one Tires are more expensive when replacing

[Betr2Trvl]

Originally Posted by gasser 38

The 22.5 usually come on the longer wheel base and I think that has more to do with the ride quality than just wheels and tires draw back to 19.5 steel wheels with liners
draw backs to 22.5 al. wheels much more expensive if you damage one Tires are more expensive when replacing

Very good point on wheelbase too!

Regards

[Harry Joe]

No one has mentioned the increased unsprung weight when changing to 22.5s. More unsprung weight equates to poorer handling (heavier wheel/tire reacts more slowly to road irregularities). I realize that this may be a non-issue as the % increase may be very small because of the considerable mass of the solid front axel. Maybe a better ride test would be to compare RVs with lighter weight Al or Mg wheels to the steel ones. Hmmm.