17FQ Tire and Wheel Replacement

[K4RGD]

While camping this past week, we lost our spare tire. And when I say lost, I don’t mean we lost it. There are no scratches on the bumper, the bolts were confirmed secure during the trip... 2 days into the trip, we find it missing. Can’t say for certain it was stolen, but....... tire, wheel, mount all... just gone.

Can someone recommend a good place to buy replacement tire and wheel combo (or anyone that has done an upgrade of the factory tires/wheels looking to offload one? I’ll get the mount somewhere.

I want to make sure I don’t get junk. My spare was new... never used... and if I do need it, I want it to be worth my time. It would be nice if it were a factory wheel that matched..........

[chaps2018]

Sorry to hear of your loss. Two comments- I was surprised to see my new aluminum rimmed 5er has steel rimmed spare. Either way it deserved a $10 bike cable lock from Walmart (set your own combo). Same on my truck spare and on the propane tanks. All the same combo.

[K4RGD]

Originally Posted by bjlakatos

Sorry to hear of your loss. Two comments- I was surprised to see my new aluminum rimmed 5er has steel rimmed spare. Either way it deserved a $10 bike cable lock from Walmart (set your own combo). Same on my truck spare and on the propane tanks. All the same combo.

Yup. I’m thinking the same. Security at the grounds said even truck tailgates are being occasionally stolen.

[HangDiver]

Sorry that happened. I'm assuming you need a 205/75x14 with a 5 on 4.5 wheel. You can find a complete tire/wheel set up from etrailer. Consider stepping up from a load range "C" to "D". Maybe they can put on a Goodyear Endurance or Carlisle Trail HD.

Good luck

Edit: https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Tires_and_Wheels.aspx

[CedarCreekWoody]

Since the mount is gone I'm betting it vibrated loose. Thank goodness it didn't hit anyone following you. I hope you find a good replacement.

[K4RGD]

Actually, we’re still running the 13” 5 on 4.5. I found that out the hard way...

And now we’re standing on the side of the road, waiting for AAA.

And it’s the DW’s birthday to top it all off.

Grrr.

[HangDiver]

A 13" wheel/tire on that single axle trailer amazes me. Sorry for your troubles, especially on the DW birthday. Ugh!

Edit: I'm curious what the load/speed range is on the tire?

[CedarCreekWoody]

Isn't that the size used on many boat trailers? If so you might try the sporting good stores for tire and wheel combos.

[Iwannacamp]

Even Walmart. Tractor supply. Sams.

[K4RGD]

So, we got it home. Barely. Took my neighbor bringing a backhoe to lift the hitch while the driver drove out from underneath it. Massive mess. He twisted one of our scissors jacks off the back, but as far as we can tell, that’s the only damage. Oh, and a lug that he cross-threaded and then spun off. I’ll get to replace that later today.

I’m upgrading the wheels to 205/75R14. No reason not to, since we need 2 new tires and rims anyway.

[K4RGD]

And $300 later, our camper has new “legs”. 205/75R14 up from 175/80R13. Fit seems good in the wheel well.

[K4RGD]

Originally Posted by HangDiver

A 13" wheel/tire on that single axle trailer amazes me. Sorry for your troubles, especially on the DW birthday. Ugh!

Edit: I'm curious what the load/speed range is on the tire?

It was a class D /1610 lbs tire.

[HangDiver]

Good luck with the new skins!

[Ky-N]

[QUOTE=HangDiver;1738318]A 13" wheel/tire on that single axle trailer amazes me. Sorry for your troubles, especially on the DW birthday. Ugh!

That is why we upgraded ours to 15" as soon as I could get the axle flipped to accommodate the increased diameter. Best feeling ever getting away from the 13" tire even though it was D rated.

[K4RGD]

[QUOTE=Ky-N;1739972]

Originally Posted by HangDiver

A 13" wheel/tire on that single axle trailer amazes me. Sorry for your troubles, especially on the DW birthday. Ugh!

That is why we upgraded ours to 15" as soon as I could get the axle flipped to accommodate the increased diameter. Best feeling ever getting away from the 13" tire even though it was D rated.

Yeah, ours were D rated as well... it looked like the sidewall just flexed too much and broke down. Those were Karrier tires. The ones we have now are “Trailer King”, so I’m hoping they hold up. Class c (Couldn’t get a D), but the weight rate is still several hundred pounds more. Hard to believe 1” makes that much difference. I feel better with the wider tread.

Not sure who makes “Trailer King”. Probably one of those “bombs”, so we’ll keep a close eye on them.

[3xplor3r]

Glad it all worked out for you. We had a near identical problem this weekend. One of our 13" tires blew on our 17FQ (opposite side of yours judging from the pic). Got me searching for upgrades which led me to this site.

Anyway... How do the 14" tires fit?
Did you lift it in any way?
If not how much clearance do you have?
This was the 2nd tire related issue we've had. I've been planning on upgrading anyway, and this past incident (like you) sealed the deal. No fun putting on a spare on a busy interstate.

[BC.campr]

I’ve been looking at this for awhile now...wondering if the springs aren’t half the issue. I see that the shackles on mine is hitting the frame, so need to do something. This is just regular use, no off-roading and not heavily loaded.
Needing to lift it for bigger rubber, just wondering if the axle flip is a final fix?
Hope this isn’t high jacking the discussion....

[3xplor3r]

Originally Posted by BC.campr

I’ve been looking at this for awhile now...wondering if the springs aren’t half the issue. I see that the shackles on mine is hitting the frame, so need to do something. This is just regular use, no off-roading and not heavily loaded.

Wow.... Now I'm going to have to go check mine. Maybe a set of longer shackles?

[Ky-N]

I have not seen any indication of the shackles hitting the frame on our 17FQ but then the axle was flipped not to long after it was purchased.

[3xplor3r]

Just crawled under our camper. I can see signs of where the U-Bolts have hit the frame, and the 13" tires have rubbed. Time for a fix. Longer shackles (a flip would leave the u-bolts and spring in the same relative position, still able to hit the frame), bigger tires.