Looking to upgrade from 15" to 16" wheels and LT tires.

You mention some good points on a aggressive AT tire on a trailer.

I see many folks in the toy hauler forums use a more aggressive tires such as the AT (all terrain) or some rough AS for going out in the boonies .

I've found drawbacks to a aggressive AT tire with the larger blocks and larger voids is tread squirm on a trailer. The trailer feels like it doesn't want to track the truck and can lead to sway issues with any trailer type. Some of the ATs with the smaller blocks and voids are better but can still exhibit some tread squirm which may go away after the tire has worn down 25 percent or so.

I ran a set of used BFG MT (mud terrains) off of one of my other trucks on a GN flatdeck trailer. Sliding the tires on wet pavement at max load or empty and the trailer would not track the truck with severe sway issues I got them off the trailer before I made another run.

Whats important for a tire on a trailer is at least one solid rib all around the tire. More is better for straight tracking.

lenr wrote:
We had the same goals with our Puma 253FBS. It was about 3.5” out of level hooked to our F-350 4x4 and we wanted LT tires. I added a Correct Track system to raise the trailer 2” because there appeared to not be enough clearance above the tires while hitting a bump. Search for my prior thread on Correct Track before attempting. I bought new 16” 6 lug wheels (Dexstar—American made) that are rated for 80 psi load range E so they would fit on the existing hubs. Then bought BFG CompTA LT 215/85R16 Load Range E All Season tires which are rated at 2680 lb the same as the LT 225/75R16. We bought the taller thinner tire to get more height and now we are out of level less than .5”. That left enough space between the tires to get our Bal x-chocks in between the tires. We are well pleased with the final result. Remember that passenger tires are de-rated where trailer tires are not. Either of these LT tires would well exceed the 2540 lb. rating of the 225/75R15 trailer tires.

Excellent. Thanks for the response. Our trailers are very similar, ours just being a bit longer, 3'. I too am slightly out of level but probably not as much as you were, maybe 1.5-2 inches. We have a 2012 Ram 4x4 3500 SRW, with 34" tires, no lift. Ill take a look at the 215/85r16. Dexters are the wheels I'm looking at too from etrailer. Any chance you have pictures of your rig and wheels?

Also to everyone else, can you run LT tires that have an all-terrain tread? Such as Falken Rocky Mountain ATS. I dont see a real issue except maybe less lateral stability since its knobbier and a negative effect on rolling resistance causing decreased MPG for the TV.

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/findTireDetail.do?ra=searchTiresBySize.do&fl=&pc=18278&counter=0&ar=75&rd=16&cs=225

We had the same goals with our Puma 253FBS. It was about 3.5” out of level hooked to our F-350 4x4 and we wanted LT tires. I added a Correct Track system to raise the trailer 2” because there appeared to not be enough clearance above the tires while hitting a bump. Search for my prior thread on Correct Track before attempting. I bought new 16” 6 lug wheels (Dexstar—American made) that are rated for 80 psi load range E so they would fit on the existing hubs. Then bought BFG CompTA LT 215/85R16 Load Range E All Season tires which are rated at 2680 lb the same as the LT 225/75R16. We bought the taller thinner tire to get more height and now we are out of level less than .5”. That left enough space between the tires to get our Bal x-chocks in between the tires. We are well pleased with the final result. Remember that passenger tires are de-rated where trailer tires are not. Either of these LT tires would well exceed the 2540 lb. rating of the 225/75R15 trailer tires.

Peg Leg wrote:
Just quick calculations.

With 10,200 gross you should have about 1500 lbs pin weight. This leaves you with less than 9,000 on the axles or 4500 each and about 2250 per tire. Any weight capacity above this is just a safety margin.

So it appears I would have to bump up to the 16" tires to exceed those ball park numbers. Thanks.

Not sure what the GAWR is and unfortunately can't go and check easily as it's in storage. Can't find it on the internet. Will take a look this weekend.

Just quick calculations.

With 10,200 gross you should have about 1500 lbs pin weight. This leaves you with less than 9,000 on the axles or 4500 each and about 2250 per tire. Any weight capacity above this is just a safety margin.

wuhungsix wrote:

Me Again wrote:
1" between tires is generally the minimum distance and about 3" above the tires.

Firestone Transforce HT is a good tire and a attractive price. And I just saw this.
LT235/75R15 R BL 189837 6.0-7.0 28.9 15 32 0 0

Chris

Thanks for the info. Never thought of searching that size as it's wider 235/75-15 but there seem to be a few available like Yokohama and Cooper. I would love to avoid buying new wheels. Although I noticed that this size tire max payload runs around 2000 lbs which seem to be much lower than the 225/75-16. Difference of about 800 lbs favoring the 16". Any thoughts on this for my particular trailer which is rather light.

Not sure what my payload is on the OEM ST tires though.

What does the placard list as GAWR? Chris

Me Again wrote:
1" between tires is generally the minimum distance and about 3" above the tires.

Firestone Transforce HT is a good tire and a attractive price. And I just saw this.
LT235/75R15 R BL 189837 6.0-7.0 28.9 15 32 0 0

Chris

Thanks for the info. Never thought of searching that size as it's wider 235/75-15 but there seem to be a few available like Yokohama and Cooper. I would love to avoid buying new wheels. Although I noticed that this size tire max payload runs around 2000 lbs which seem to be much lower than the 225/75-16. Difference of about 800 lbs favoring the 16". Any thoughts on this for my particular trailer which is rather light.

Not sure what my payload is on the OEM ST tires though.

Stay with a name brand you can depend on. Don't cheap out on some unknown junk you never heard of. Just do it. You won't be sorry..

B.O.

I just did this on my Cougar and am very happy with the upgrade. I purchased my wheels from here http://www.trailertiresandwheels.com/ and I went with Big O, Big Foot H/T in LT235/85R16/E at about $160 apiece. Plenty of room was available for this size tire.

A couple of shots