The Effects of Changing From 8R19.5 to 225/70 19.5 Tires
by Tim Plaehn
The 19.5-inch wheel size is used on medium-duty trucks and motor homes. The 8R19.5 tire size is a tall profile tire that would probably be mounted on an older vehicle. The 225/70 R19.5 is a modern, low-profile tire for the 19.5 inch truck rim. Changing to the newer size from 8R19.5 tires would make finding new tires a much simpler process. The Goodyear RV tire website notes this is a popular conversion for the owners of older motor homes.
Wheels
To convert from 8R19.5 to 225/70 R19.5 tires may require the purchase of new wheels. The 8R19.5 size can fit on a 5.25-inch-wide wheels, and the low-profile 19.5 tires require 6-inch-wide wheels. Besides a better fit of tire to rim, the wider wheels will provide enough dual-wheel spacing for 225/70 R19.5 tires. Dual-mounted tires should never touch, and the 5.25-inch rim is too narrow to give proper dual-wheel spacing for the newer tire.
Tire Diameter
Tires sized 8R19.5 have a diameter of 33.1 inches, and 225/70 R19.5 tires are 32 inches in diameter. Changing tire sizes will result in a speedometer that indicates faster than the vehicle is actually moving. 8R19.5 tires will rotate 628 times in a mile, and 225/70R19.5 tires rotate 644 times. The result is a 2.5 percent speedometer error with the new tires. The Goodyear website states that no gearing change is required for this amount of error.
Load Capacity
Both the 8R19.5 and 225/70 R19.5 tires have load range F capacity ratings. This makes the capacity for the two tires sizes similar but not exact. The low-profile 225/70 R19.5 tire has a load capacity of 40 to 140 lbs. higher depending on the vehicle location of the tire. A set of six 225/70 R19.5 tires mounted on a truck, replacing 8.R19.5 tires, would increase the tire set load capacity by 440 lbs.
References
Writer Bio
Tim Plaehn has been writing financial, investment and trading articles and blogs since 2007. His work has appeared online at Seeking Alpha, Marketwatch.com and various other websites. Plaehn has a bachelor's degree in mathematics from the U.S. Air Force Academy.
