17.5 Wheel upgrade, or 19.5?

[SilhouettePenny]

Considering how cheap the factory tires are on a new unit, if we're going to upgrade the 16" wheel/tire combo why not get 19.5 wheels with 14PR rubber? Same aspect ratio (overall height) just less sidewall to flex. Of course cost is an issue but a blowout can be even more expensive with trailer body repairs. I'm upgrading trailer soon adding an additional 4000 pounds of towing weight and recent forum pics of tire failures have me thinking. What say ye!

[B and B]

4000 lbs extra capacity with 19.5? or adding 4000 lbs of water, solar, beverages, meat etc..

[SilhouettePenny]

Originally Posted by B and B

4000 lbs extra capacity with 19.5? or adding 4000 lbs of water, solar, beverages, meat etc..

Adding 4k of trailer...I see your point. Plus water, beverages and her make up/shoes & clothes probably 5000lbs more. Wow, perhaps I should be looking at duallys for the 5th wheel!

[phillyg]

I think the 16" G-rated Sailuns are 14-ply rated for 4,050lbs, so no need to go to bigger wheels.

[B and B]

Originally Posted by phillyg

I think the 16" G-rated Sailuns are 14-ply rated for 4,050lbs, so no need to go to bigger wheels.

That is what I have on my Heartland Bighorn at 16k Gross Weight. Run great! Hold the load well.

[ependydad]

When I did the upgrade to 17.5” wheels, I jumped to something like 4,800 lbs of tire capacity:
“215/75R17.5 LRJ Continental HTL2 Eco-Plus radial tire rated at 4,805 pounds with a 75 mph speed rating.”

I can’t imagine that you need to consider 19.5” wheels.

I also upgraded rigs. The new camper came with the same G-rated Sailuns as mentioned above. With 3 axles and a 21k GVWR, I’m comfortably within specs on tires and don’t feel the need to upgrade to 17.5” wheels again.

[mbbutler]

Originally Posted by phillyg

I think the 16" G-rated Sailuns are 14-ply rated for 4,050lbs, so no need to go to bigger wheels.

X2

[SilhouettePenny]

Thanks for all the input, 17.5's would probably be a sufficient upgrade for an 18k 5er. I got stars in my eyes when researching BoarWheel.com. Go big or go home got in my mind and I needed your counseling to bring me back to earth.

[dcglovier]

If you upgrade to the Sailun S637 G rated 110psi tire from a E rated 80 psi tire, will the 80psi stock wheels handle the 110psi?

[SilhouettePenny]

Originally Posted by dcglovier

....will the 80psi stock wheels handle the 110psi?

....and now we're back to the 19.5 discussion again. Heavy duty tires need HD wheels. Take a look at Boar's Cruiser 67 and try to talk me out of it again, please.

[keith52]

Originally Posted by dcglovier

If you upgrade to the Sailun S637 G rated 110psi tire from a E rated 80 psi tire, will the 80psi stock wheels handle the 110psi?

Short answer....NO

[hbillsmith]

Originally Posted by dcglovier

If you upgrade to the Sailun S637 G rated 110psi tire from a E rated 80 psi tire, will the 80psi stock wheels handle the 110psi?

I made several calls to both Sailun and the wheel mfg for my rig (HiSpec).

Both agreed that the Sailun ST 14ply 16" 110psi tire could be mounted on the 80psi wheel but the catch is you should run them at 80psi. Sailun lists the same tire with different load range depending on whether you run 80psi or 110psi.

Also you should consider tire weight. The Sailun is several pounds heavier than the Maxxis. As stated above and elsewhere, their have been instances reported where changing to the heavier tires, even with perfect fit and clearance, users suffered cracked spiffy looking aluminum wheels.

I'm on my 3rd set of Maxxis 8008 on HiSpec 16 and no issues. We've towed 45,000 miles in 3 years and camped in 47 states.

[SilhouettePenny]

Originally Posted by hbillsmith

.....their have been instances reported where changing to the heavier tires, even with perfect fit and clearance, users suffered cracked spiffy looking aluminum wheels.

Thank you sir, that is exactly why I started this discussion. Other RV maintenance forums have indicated Hi-Spec spoke wheel failure while using heavier tires and/or higher pressure. I'm not suggesting that the wheel blew up, but significant damage occurred when the tire went flat.

Just researching the best possible options to help keep my heavy rig out of the body shop. Thanks again for all your input. I really want those Boar wheels.

[dcglovier]

Originally Posted by hbillsmith

I made several calls to both Sailun and the wheel mfg for my rig (HiSpec).

Both agreed that the Sailun ST 14ply 16" 110psi tire could be mounted on the 80psi wheel but the catch is you should run them at 80psi. Sailun lists the same tire with different load range depending on whether you run 80psi or 110psi.

Also you should consider tire weight. The Sailun is several pounds heavier than the Maxxis. As stated above and elsewhere, their have been instances reported where changing to the heavier tires, even with perfect fit and clearance, users suffered cracked spiffy looking aluminum wheels.

I'm on my 3rd set of Maxxis 8008 on HiSpec 16 and no issues. We've towed 45,000 miles in 3 years and camped in 47 states.

Yes you can run the Sailun 110psi at 80psi but that is obviously severely underinflated. So is the only choice to stay with an E rated tire or buy new wheels?

[spock123]

Let’s see is the tires supposed to carry the total weight of the camper

[Slow Moon]

Originally Posted by phillyg

I think the 16" G-rated Sailuns are 14-ply rated for 4,050lbs, so no need to go to bigger wheels.

Yes, the Sailun ST235/80R16 is rated at 4080 lb. The ST235/85R16 is rated at a whopping 4400 lb.

So that's what I use. They are the best I have used so far.

http://gosailun.com/MRT/Tire/S637T

[dcglovier]

Originally Posted by Slow Moon

Yes, the Sailun ST235/80R16 is rated at 4080 lb. The ST235/85R16 is rated at a whopping 4400 lb.

So that's what I use. They are the best I have used so far.

Sailun Commercial Truck Tires: S637T HD ST Trailer

Did your trailer come with G rated 110psi tires?

[SilhouettePenny]

Originally Posted by dcglovier

Did your trailer come with G rated 110psi tires?

Yes sir, the Hathaway has G rated 110 PSI rubber on 16" wheels, however, the sidewall flex is substantially less on the G rated 19.5 wheels.

[spock123]

What brand of tires did your Cedar Creek come with? Sailun or Westlake

[SilhouettePenny]

Originally Posted by spock123

What brand of tires did your Cedar Creek come with? Sailun or Westlake

Westlake, didn't have a tire option when we ordered.