15 inch tires to 16 inch on my fifth wheel
#1
15 inch tires to 16 inch on my fifth wheel
I have replaced my 15 inch rims and tires with 16 inch on my Wildcat fifth wheel.<br><br>See my web site for details. Note that the web link has changed.<br><br>Thanks,<br>Bobby
#2
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Re:15 inch tires to 16 inch on my fifth wheel
Great and I do mean Great looking site. A wealth of information, especially for this new to 5'ers. Lots to consider.<br><br>~Dave
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Re:15 inch tires to 16 inch on my fifth wheel
Bobby, nice site and great info. I would strongly recommend that you change the LT tires on your 5er to ST of the same load range (E). LT means light truck, ST means special trailer, and the trailer tires are made stronger in the sidewall than a car or truck tire due to the squirm they take on cornering and backing into places. Most major tire stores will be able to get and mount the ST's for you, and it is much safer running trailer tires on the trailer than LT's or P's (P is for passenger car).
#4
Re:15 inch tires to 16 inch on my fifth wheel
Thanks for the comments about the site.<br><br>I specifically wanted to get away from ST tires. The larger fifth wheels are running 16 inch LT tires. Reading various boards there are many stories about exploding and shreding ST tires.<br><br>Manufacturers seem to put just barely adequate ST tires on their rigs. These tires run nearly at their max load rating all the time. In these cases the stiffer sidewalls are probably needed but that still does not seem to prevent blowouts.<br><br>My 16 inch tires will be running at about 65% of their load rating. I don't think twisting a tire at 65% load is going to cause any problems. A light truck tire at 80 lbs pressure at 65% load is not going to flex much in the sidewall.<br><br>I had 1 Carlisle load range D tire explode on a freeway and another to develop a "hen egg" on the sidewall. Two bad tires out of four are not good odds.<br><br>I may be wrong but I feel very confident about this set up. I did a lot of thinking and research before spending the money.<br><br>ST tires just don't seem to be of high quality on average and I don't think the stiffer sidewall thing really matters if the tire is not loaded to near its max capacity all the time.<br><br>Just my $.02 opinion.<br><br>Thanks,<br>Bobby
#5
Re:15 inch tires to 16 inch on my fifth wheel
Goodyear developed the ST tire line. I never had one that gave satisfactory wear. Seems as though all were over-rated in carrying capacity. Had a couple blow on a travel trailer years ago. Replaced them with truck tires and never had a problem after that. Never had a LT tire failure.
Compare a cut away cross section of ST and LT and kyou will see why the LT is a stronger tire.
Compare a cut away cross section of ST and LT and kyou will see why the LT is a stronger tire.
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Re:15 inch tires to 16 inch on my fifth wheel
I thought the ST also used a better UV resistant compound in the sidewall. I am thinking of going to 16" on my Travelaire so they are the same as the truck. I was considering LT as the ST seem overpriced an poor load range.<br>Terry
#7
Re:15 inch tires to 16 inch on my fifth wheel
I just got back from a 840 mile trip with the LT tires. They worked great. I've heard the UV thing also, but I'll wear mine out in 3-4 years anyway. I wouldn't be afraid to have an LT tire on my truck for 3-4 years so I'm not going to worry about them on my fifth wheel.<br><br>I'm satisfied with my set up.<br><br>Thanks,<br>Bobby
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#8
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Re:15 inch tires to 16 inch on my fifth wheel
My trailer is a 28foot Citation Supreme and it grosses out at 10500lbs it came from the factory with 235 x75 x 16 LT tires E rated they are mounted on 8 stud aluminum rims. I think that it tows perfect but it is my first fifth wheel trailer. I have towed it about 5000miles to date and on some very icy roads. <br>I think that they are the way to go.<br>Jim O
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