Wheels, rims, and tires -
First question: 16 or 16.5 inch rims? That half inch makes for a big difference. 16 inch tires will not fit 16.5 rims. (I've personally seen people try it ... and seen the disastrous results.)
Decades ago, 16.5 rims and tires were fairly common. Not any more. So, 16.5 tires tend to be harder to find and usually have to be specially ordered. Likewise, there's a far narrower range of selection. Finally, they tend to be much more expensive due to manufacturing costs and economic supply and demand.
On the other hand, 16 inch tires are common, readily available, and less expensive. (Although, 17 inch tires are starting to eclipse 16 inch.)
16 inch rims will fit the Dana 70 rear axles that are in most of our motorhomes. They will also fit the front axles in most older Class C motorhomes.
Leeann and I, with our Class A beasts, are stuck with 16.5 rims due to larger brake calipers on the front. I've spent a lot of time trying to find a way around that problem. Current plans for MLP is 16 inch rims on the rear and 16.5 on the front. I won't carry spare tires for the 16 inch rims but WILL carry at least one unmounted 16.5 tire for the front.
(Regardless of where I'm at in Alaska -- or Canada -- I can get a 16 inch tire within a few days. To the best of my knowledge, 16.5 tires aren't stocked in Alaska. That means as much as 4-6 weeks to get one shipped up from the Lower 48.)
