24.5" vs. 22.5"

look for a branded # on the casing

i pretty sure recap's are illegal on the steers, unless it is an intrastate truck (montana for instance), but even then i suggest to take macks advice on them

22's are better for economy, 24's for top speed, 24 hipro's just look cool...lol

darnitt, how do you multi-qoute one post??
thanks fer showing us that mack....lol

 

Respectfully MACK, you got that backwards.

All else being equal, smaller tires need less torque to get going and accelerate quicker than larger ones.
ETA: Smaller tires also weigh less and react to bumps in the road faster.

Bigger tires will have a higher top speed and more ground clearance for the axles and frame.

 

No.
Because the fulcrum point (the place where force is applied to the tire) on bike gears is outside the wheel's center.

On a axle driven wheel the fulcrum point is the center of the axle.(roughly speaking, not technically correct)

Which is easier to roll by hand?
A tire rolled by the center or one rolled by the tread?

Bigger tires act as a gear reducer (numerically smaller number).
The advantage of bigger tires is that they have a larger outer diameter, covering more ground per rotation.

Pedal bikes usually don't have suspension either, so unsprung weight of a larger tire is not a factor in handling over bumps.
Which is a whole other can of worms.

 

22.5 will get better fuel mileage. Recapps are fine as long as you keep air pressure checked regularly. I've ran them without any problems, never on steer axle.

 

It will depend on your axle ratios and the speed you want to cruise at. The bigger size will give you less tire revolutions per mile, giving you lower engine rpms, and maybe better fuel mileage, but the lower rpms might make things worse if you get to a hill and have to downshift.
Tire sizes also have different weight capacities. A 11R24.5 steer has a higher rating that a low profile 24.5.