Brand new Class C owner and RVer
Hello all. I just bought my first RV, a 20ft Chevy Escaper, 1990. Everything in it works right and I am looking forward to my first trip this weekend in preparation for my retirement and fulltimeing i...
Forum Discussion
The Firestone TransForce is a very good tire. If that's all you can find in 16.5" rim size, you'll have good "sneakers" on the road. You can't allow any opportunity for blowouts. The "house" part of an RV isn't very rugged. Cannot absorb the force of a flailing tire belt without damage that's often significant. Belt can also tear out plumbing, wiring, etc etc.
There may be other brands in 16.5" than Firestone, but I'll add that Jose is a good researcher. If he says FS is it, very likely FS is it.
Hopefully somebody here with a Chevy chassis switched to 16" wheels and can tell you exactly how. I can tell you about Ford but that's it. I saw a Dodge that had been switched and wish I'd hung around to ask the owner but didn't.
I'm a little surprised that 16.5's were on that chassis by 1990. I think the way to figure this out might be to check aftermarket catalogs for 16" wheels listed for your chassis. OEM will just come back to 16.5. Another possibility would be to look for the hub information. Should be something like "8 on 6.5" which would mean 8 lugs on a 6-1/2" circle.
Be sure you understand "Offset." It affects the space between the tire sidewalls between the dual tires but that isn't how it's measured. It's more like twice the distance between the rim flanges and rim centerline plus the spacing the tire manufacturer requires according to tire size. Say you choose a tire with 10" spacing. Distance between the face of the wheel where it meets the face of the other dual wheel, to centerline of the rim, should be 5".
Offset is Critical!!! So of course is clearance. From my own experience and what I've read here, you should be able to safely replace your 8.00's with 8.75" and stay at 16.5" rims. If you want to change rims to go 16" find a chart with offset specs and how to check offset. The Accuride catalog has a chart somewhere around Page 70. If you need help finding that, PM me or post back here.
There may be other brands in 16.5" than Firestone, but I'll add that Jose is a good researcher. If he says FS is it, very likely FS is it.
Hopefully somebody here with a Chevy chassis switched to 16" wheels and can tell you exactly how. I can tell you about Ford but that's it. I saw a Dodge that had been switched and wish I'd hung around to ask the owner but didn't.
I'm a little surprised that 16.5's were on that chassis by 1990. I think the way to figure this out might be to check aftermarket catalogs for 16" wheels listed for your chassis. OEM will just come back to 16.5. Another possibility would be to look for the hub information. Should be something like "8 on 6.5" which would mean 8 lugs on a 6-1/2" circle.
Be sure you understand "Offset." It affects the space between the tire sidewalls between the dual tires but that isn't how it's measured. It's more like twice the distance between the rim flanges and rim centerline plus the spacing the tire manufacturer requires according to tire size. Say you choose a tire with 10" spacing. Distance between the face of the wheel where it meets the face of the other dual wheel, to centerline of the rim, should be 5".
Offset is Critical!!! So of course is clearance. From my own experience and what I've read here, you should be able to safely replace your 8.00's with 8.75" and stay at 16.5" rims. If you want to change rims to go 16" find a chart with offset specs and how to check offset. The Accuride catalog has a chart somewhere around Page 70. If you need help finding that, PM me or post back here.
