16" wheel upgrade on Keystone Cougar

[kschitoskey]

I'm considering upgrading my 32 foot 5er to 16" wheels. Has anyone done this? The main reason is to allow me to upgrade to XPS Ribs which are not available on 15s. Are there any clearance issues? I'm also considering changing out the axles to 8 lug 7K with disk brakes while I'm at it. Any input will be welcome.

 

[E2360]

I have the same trailer and looked into doing the same thing. I know the tires that I was going to use would fit with a couple inches of clearence on the top. I do not know about the Michelin RIBS but I based my calculations on total overall diameter of the tire. I know there are websites that have this information.



If you pay attention to overall diameter there is less chance of a problem. You might need a different aspect ratio than you have now if you go up in wheel size to keep overall dimentions in line with curret clearences. Sorry I do not have a specfic answer to your question.



This link may help: Tire Specs for Michelin XPS Rib

 

[Bug Out]

Do the home work

I switched my 15's to 16's because 15's were mostly junk. Go to tire rack and check all brands of tire with the size you have, then start checking diameters etc.



You will soon see what your unit can handle etc. If you have over 4" clearance between your 2 axles tires now, you could probably put tires on that are 1" in diameter larger without the tires rubbing etc. Also check clearance between you existing tires and the floor of your unit.



There is a much bigger selection of good tires in 16" then 15". You wont regret it. It cost me 1500-1600 for a 3 axle unit , 7 tires and rims etc.

 

[Axion]

I second what Bug Out says. I did all my research on tirerack.com, a very useful site. My new XPS Ribs (made in Germany) are only 1. 1" bigger in diameter than the old Goodyear Marathon's (made in China). I have lots of clearance on my Wildcat. It cost me $1750 with shipping, installation, balancing, etc for 5 new steel rims and the 5 XPS Ribs. One big difference I noticed was the weight of the new tire and wheel combo. The tire itself is 17 pounds heavier! I'm not sure about the weight difference from the 15" aluminum rims to the 16" steel rims. My bearings should be happier as well since they will turn 30 less revolutions for each mile I drive.



Overall I'll have to wait and see how the new tires hold up. It was a year and 12000 miles of towing before the Marathon's decided to give me grief. I just hope the XPS Ribs are as good as everyone here says they are.

 

[HBarlow]

If your current wheels are six lug 15" the swap is easy. You can replace the wheels with six lug 16" relatively cheaply and easily and install the Michelins as you plan.



If your wheels are five lug you'll have to replace the spring/axle/hub/brakes/bearings assemblies with 6,000# or 7,000# units which would probably be a good idea anyway. You can get a good idea of prices on SouthWest Wheel's website. Utility trailer dealers all over the country can provide the upgraded axles at reasonable prices.

 

[B.G. Smith]

Had a 95 Carri Lite with which I had terrible tire problems, the company contributed to a tire size change, went from 15s to 16s, had to weld a small strip of metal on frame to keep tires from bottoming in wheel well. There is a lot wider selection of tires in 16s. Biggest mistake of the deal was that the replacement tires were Goodyears, still had tire problems. I now have a newer trailer with elec. over hydraulic disc brakes. Amazing how much braking I now have. You have to be careful with what controller you use with the discs as I flatspotted a couple of tires about the first time I used the trailer in an emergency stop in traffic but that was a lot less damage than I would have had with the previous elec. /drum braking system. bg

 

[Curious Dave]

I have an Everest 364Q I changed from tandem 6k's w/ 16's to 7k/8k hybrids with G rated 19. 5's. This was all done after 3 sets of factory axles had failed. Now the trailer rolls easier, stops easier and handles better going down the road.

kschitoskey - let me know if you are interested in some 8 lug aluminum wheels. I have the ones that came off my Everest.

 

[HBarlow]

Curious Dave,



Are your aluminum wheels six or eight lug?

 

[Curious Dave]

They are 16 x 6 with 8 on 6 1/2 pattern.

 

[HBarlow]

Dave,



Please PM me with a price.

 

[kschitoskey]

16" Wheel Swap

Thanks for the replies. My Cougar has a lift to allow proper bed rail clearance, so there's plenty of room. My research shows about a 1 - 1. 5" increasein tire height going to a 225 75 R 16 XPS Rib. I ran the XPS traction on my last 4wd 3500 - awesome tire; can't say enough good about it. 16" 6lug wheels are less than $50 / each. Looks like it will be about $275 X 5 - but that should buy many years of worry free towing. I very much appreciate the help.

 

[Grizzly]

Thanks for the replies. My Cougar has a lift to allow proper bed rail clearance, so there's plenty of room. My research shows about a 1 - 1. 5" increasein tire height going to a 225 75 R 16 XPS Rib. I ran the XPS traction on my last 4wd 3500 - awesome tire; can't say enough good about it. 16" 6lug wheels are less than $50 / each. Looks like it will be about $275 X 5 - but that should buy many years of worry free towing. I very much appreciate the help.

Smart move. You won't regret going to XPS Rib's. Discount Tire told me, when I had my brand new ST's changed out to LT, XPS Rib, that they have never seen a XPS Rib tire come back to fix a flat.

 

[CUMMINZ]

When I had my Sprinter I upgraded from 15s to 235-10ply 16s. I loved them.



#ad

 

[Garlic]

My Durango was orderd with 16's in stead of the 15's that normally came on that unit. 6 lug rims. I also had a factory 2" frame lift, axles flipped and raised to the highest position. (Had already checked out the stability of the lift with my previous 04 model) Tire problems occured after 2 years. The Previous trailer had tire problems with the 15's at 6 months. I still needed another inch of bed rail clearance, The tire size of choice was 235/85R16 E range LT's, (Undisclosed tire type) They were less that the 235/80R16 ST's and have so far preformed much better than the tires that were on it, it rolls much easier and I don't get the sway from before. I have about 2" of clearance between the tires and no issues of body interference. Just my 2 bits worth.

 

[Grizzly]

My 08 Arctic Fox 5er came with ST 235 80R 16, Load Range E. From Pinehurst, Idaho (where we purchased the 5er) we took a trip to Washington, Oregon, Northern California, Nevada and finally home, which was about 1500 miles with the ST tires. The tires were inflated to 80 psi and we averaged 10 mpg. As soon as got the Arctic Fox 5er home, I had Discount Tire change all 5 tires to LT Michelin XPS Rib 235 85R Load Range E. The XPS Ribs are about 2" taller then the original ST China junk tires. On our last trip, with the XPS Rib, LT tires, we averaged 12 mpg. We held to the same speed, 60 to 65 mph, but we climbed far more high mountain passes. Is it possible for the Michelin XPS Rib to make that much difference in mileage?

 

[B.G. Smith]

I hope so but I doubt it. Our 04 trailer came with Generals and when one of them uncapped I went to the Michelins, haven't seen any improvement in mileage but do have a great deal of improved confidence in the tires. bgr

 

[Garlic]

That was similar to my experience. Appearantly the rolling resistence is much less with some LT tires. I also noticed a smoother ride with the LT at 70psi than the ST's at the same pressure, I also noticed the load rating (Capacity ) was greater with the LT's. Less air pressure for the rated weight. The additional height of the rig made every thing line up level too.

 

[Grizzly]

That was similar to my experience. Appearantly the rolling resistence is much less with some LT tires. I also noticed a smoother ride with the LT at 70psi than the ST's at the same pressure, I also noticed the load rating (Capacity ) was greater with the LT's. Less air pressure for the rated weight. The additional height of the rig made every thing line up level too.

I agree. I sure am enjoying the extra 2 mpg.

 

[EricBu12]

I did the 16" swap on my 3 axle toyhauler.



I have 225/75-R 16" ... I got the BF Goodrich Commercial T/A 10 ply tire.



I got everything at Discount tire and the hub cover on the rim is able to pop off to service the axle Zerk fitting.

 

[tom sweeney]

i too made the change from 15' to 16' BFG Commercial LT tires... . so far,i haven't had anymore blowouts... . the extra capacity of the tires,which i keep inflated to 80psi... allow more peace of mind!!. . mine are 235/85 16's.

..... thus far i am very happy with the change... . good luck,tom