Upgrading 15” to 16” wheels in TT

[SAP2018]

I have a 2019 forest river Salem 32’ BHDS, I’m looking to swapping out the China bombs ASAP and if I stay with the 225/75r15 I’m buying Goodyear endurance.

There seems to be another popular tire in a 235/80r16 made by Sailun.
You guys/gals are the experts, what do you recommend?

My trailer is 8k dry and I’d guess 10k as a realistic fully loaded weight (haven’t gone through CAT scale yet)

 

[DavidC]

With 4k on the 15" endurance form Az. to Minot ND. the 15" Good years are doing well.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Don't waste your $$$ on the wheels or the Chinese Made Sailun. GY ENDURANCE tires have been on the road now for 3 full years with a stellar record.

NOT saying the Sailun are bad. GY will pay for damages if not road hazard, no one else will. The GY's have a 87mph speed rating.

Do a search you will NOT find a single non road hazard ENDURANCE failure.

I am going on 3 years on my heavily loaded boat trailer towing 70mph with zero issues. Discount tire has great pricing.

 

[Cummins12V98]

225/75r15 in an "E" rating is good for 2,830# x 4 = 11,320#

I think the tire mentioned will have way more capacity than you need!

 

[Dan_69GTX]

I can't go to 16" so I used the 15" endurance. Got them this past spring - used them on a box trailer going to/from AZ (from VA) and then put them back on the TT and used them for the TDR rally and other trips. No signs of problems yet. Guessing around 8000-8500 miles

 

[SAP2018]

Thank you!!! This forum is the best.

Goodyear endurance ordered!!!

USA!

 

[Dan_69GTX]

Oh yea - what Cummins12V98 said!! 87MPH rated vs most are 62-65MPH rated. And they held up fine at 85MPH! (not that I would have been doing that speed).

 

[SAP2018]

Ha! You guys are insane!

We’ve just started our family adventures in 2019, have been enjoying camping with the wife and kids.

I can’t say a 32’ TT was my first choice but the wife HAD to have a bunk house for the kids. Oh well, gives me a reason to upgrade stuff.

So far about 70mph is about where my personal speed limit puts me feeling safe hauling this behemoth bumper pull. And that’s in short spurts.

 

[SAP2018]

By the way, what about upgrading to 16” wheels and running the GY endurance in a 235/80r16?

I need to raise my trailer an inch or two as the blue ox sway pro I have is at its max as far as lowering goes and they don’t make a bigger drop.

I’m not lifted but do run firestone airbags at 15psi and 295/70r18 Toyo AT2

 

[Cummins12V98]

Curious why air bags on such a light RV?

Sure you can go to the 16" with ENDURANCE, I really doubt the slight difference in radius will make a difference worth the $. If you do so I highly advise using the weight/inflation charts for proper air pressure as running 80 on that tire will beat the hell out of your RV..

I always advise knowing your weights and using the charts plus 5psi if the tires at full inflation are way higher than your actual weight.

16" tire mentioned will have 10-ply rating and a 3,420 max load at 80 psi

 

[Cummins12V98]

Your money would be better spent doing a suspension lift with cross bars for frame stiffness.

 

[Dan_69GTX]

There are pros and cons to going w a bigger tire - it will be yours to decide if it is worth it. I can't fit a 16" on my TT so that resolved that quickly.

I might go to 16" on my car trailer - undecided yet. I already had to modify the axle mounts, so I spread the axles a bit so plenty of room for a 16" wheel. Other factors have made me put off going 16".

 

[AH64ID]

I went to 16" tires and to a 225/75R16 LT tire. I wanted away from ST tires regardless of how good some may be...bottom line is ST is not as safe of a spec. I also wanted the longer tire life, better traction, and better puncture resistance of the LT tire.

I have Bridgestone R500HD's on my 5th wheel (were on my TT but I moved them over) and they have been flawless.

They are 1" taller but if you think you can fit 235/80R16's then they should also fit.

 

[AEdelheit]

I upgrade to 16" wheels and Michelin XPS rib tires, highly recommend it and did gain a little height even through I would have preferred not too but the trailer feels much more stable. My axles were far enough apart that I can still use a wheel lock that goes between the 2 wheels and locks them together.

I searched online and found Walmart had the lowest price, took the quote to Discount tire and they matched is so I have warranty that can be used anywhere should there be an issue.

 

[Signal73]

Not to stray too far off the subject, but by upgrading from a China bomb tire to a quality tire that can handle speed up to the 80mph mark, is there anything to be concerned about with the factory hub/axle setup or the extra speed no problem on the bearings, etc?

 

[AEdelheit]

Not to stray too far off the subject, but by upgrading from a China bomb tire to a quality tire that can handle speed up to the 80mph mark, is there anything to be concerned about with the factory hub/axle setup or the extra speed no problem on the bearings, etc?

I dont typically tow over 65mph sustained but always feel my hubs whenever I stop and never felt them warmer when going faster then going slow but quality of bearings, grease used and preload will have a large effect on that.

 

[BarryG]

Obviously you will need new wheels to upgrade tire size $100ish each plus cost of the tires $130ish ea, dont forget the spare tire so about $1200 to upgrade tire size.
On my trailer I did upgrade tire size as well as added a subframe to get the height up enough for the proper bed rail clearance for the 5r on the new truck I bought a few years ago. In the Good Year Endurance line there are 3 16 inch sizes 235/80, 235/85 and 255/85 each with a higher load rating and bigger diameter. Be sure and check to make sure you have room to add larger tires as is. I could not as there was not enough clearance between the top of the tire and the bottom of the trailer, though that point was moot since I was going to add a subframe to the trailer as well which would and did give me the clearance needed. Adding the subframe for me was cheaper than the tire size upgrade. I called several places explained what and how I wanted it. The quote I went with was less than half of the most expensive one. I ended up paying $760 for a 3 inch lift with the crossbars etc Another about $1200 for the tires and wheels (really wanted some additional tire load capacity). And lastly don't forget to check your axle spacing. On mine I have 33 inches so the 255/85 size was out since they are over 33 inches in diameter though I also did not need the 4080 lb load rating. The 235/85 would have fit but I would have only had about an inch of clearance between the tires. I ended up using the 235/80's which gave me over an additional inch of height as they are 30.7 inches diameter and the 225/75/16 were 28.3 inches diameter and about 600lbs per tire increased load capacity. That size also allowed me to keep using my "X" chocks where as the next size up would not.

 

[AH64ID]

Not to stray too far off the subject, but by upgrading from a China bomb tire to a quality tire that can handle speed up to the 80mph mark, is there anything to be concerned about with the factory hub/axle setup or the extra speed no problem on the bearings, etc?

It shouldn't be an issue. They are just wheel bearings, so if they have proper servicing then they would be fine.

I usually tow at 70, but sometimes faster. I've never found a hot bearing.

The bigger the tire the slower it spins for a given speed as well. At 75 my current setup is spinning about 28 rpms less. If I had gone to 235/80R16's they would be spinning nearly 75 rpms less... on the flip side if you look at some of the smaller 14" and 15" options they would be spinning a lot faster.

 

[SnoKing]

By the way, what about upgrading to 16” wheels and running the GY endurance in a 235/80r16?

I need to raise my trailer an inch or two as the blue ox sway pro I have is at its max as far as lowering goes and they don’t make a bigger drop.

I’m not lifted but do run firestone airbags at 15psi and 295/70r18 Toyo AT2

Correct Track with raise the trailer 2". It is bolt on.

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Su...MI3tSDucyB5wIVENtkCh3qywyWEAQYASABEgJQdfD_BwE

 

[JR]

The Sailun is a fine tire but probably too tall and overall too much tire for a light trailer. They are rated at 4k lbs @110 psi. You'd have to buy a rim rated for that which could be difficult depending on your trailers axle size.

I'm a fan of a good LT 225/75 on a 16" wheel. There are alot of preferences on this but as long as it's an LT designation and as close to a closed shoulder rib as possible it's hard to choose wrong. Unless you full-time the tires will likely age out before they wear out.