Switching from 15 to 16 inch tires

op wrote:
I am considering switching my 15 inch ST225/75R15 LRE to a 16 inch LRE tire. I want to determine if this is feasible and affordable.

Upgrading from a ST225/75-15 D with 5200 lb axles 6 lug hubs to a 16" LT E is the best upgrade for a trailer for 40k-60k miles and 7-8 years of trouble free service.
I've done this upgrade on every rv and non rv trailer with 4xxx lb/5200 lb axles I've owned.
I'm not a big fan of expensive wheels on a trailer. I use modular white or silver steel wheels from mostly my equipment trailer mfg down the road from me. I've bought many trailer wheels from southwestwheels.com in years past. Prices run around 50 bucks for a 16" x 6 lug 3045 lb rated wheel.

Hi,

There is a firm in Texas where I purchased new rims. I ended up with taller but narrower tires that had a lot more carrying capacity. I may end up having to add another leaf to the springs in the rear as the metal ages.

My old tires (Michelin) were actually overloaded on the driver's rear. For some unknown reason the makers put the battery bank, fresh water tanks, and waste tanks all on the driver's side. How typical of RV makers.

One of the issues is finding a rim that has a sufficient air pressure rating. I'm right on the maximum for the rear dual rims.

BFL13 wrote:
Wheel well clearance above the tire stopped us from going to 16 from 15. Also width issue on one side where a fatter tire would have rubbed on the metal LP gas pipe going past between tire and frame.

If you can't fit the 16s and it is to gain height for being nose high when hitched, be sure you look at raising the pin box (ours had three height options) and lowering the hitch---juggling all the while how much clearance you still have above the truck box rails.

If none of that gets it done, then you are left with putting spacers between frame and springs to gain height back there.

Interesting both of those issues can be overcome. Gas line can be moved further inboard, I needed to do this to Install shocks on our 5er. Overhead clearance could be as easy spacers or axle flip.

dpgllg wrote:
Do they make a 6 lug rim to fit my current axle?

http://recstuff.com/trailer-wheels/16-inch/

Brakes should be fine. If you want to upgrade consider 6,000# axles, disk brakes and 8 lugs. Going to be a few extra $$.

Got to expensive for me for a new set up with new alum rims, balanced, mounted, out the door. At the time (early spring maybe April) the tire guy said that Goodyear was coming out with a new 15 inch tire they call "Endurance". Goodyear had lots of problems with their Marathons IMO. My Discount tire shop is in same parking lot as grocery store, last week as wife was shopping I wondered in to tire store and asked how those Endurance tires were working out. That store mounted 22 and zero bring backs for any reason. Still not much of a track record for a tire but that's 100 percent. So far...

Have you looked into them?

My second choice of i5 inch is Maxxis, but they are hard to get on the road IMO.

If you go to 16 inch make sure you have room at the top of tire well. I lucked out as one day at RV dealer a guy was picking up his trailer, same year and model as mine and he had 16 inch mounted on his, so I know 16's will fit on mine. (Scary thing was is he just had roof replaced, hope my model doesn't have weak roofs)

The wheels I was going to get, forget which model was going to be from these folks.

http://www.badgercomponents.com/products/trailer-wheels/

Wheel well clearance above the tire stopped us from going to 16 from 15. Also width issue on one side where a fatter tire would have rubbed on the metal LP gas pipe going past between tire and frame.

If you can't fit the 16s and it is to gain height for being nose high when hitched, be sure you look at raising the pin box (ours had three height options) and lowering the hitch---juggling all the while how much clearance you still have above the truck box rails.

If none of that gets it done, then you are left with putting spacers between frame and springs to gain height back there.

Yep, 11,000# GVWR on that 5er go to 16”, 235/85-16 LT truck tires 3,042# ea. Capacity.

Why do you want to move to 16s?

If you have 65 plus inches from hub center to hub center you should be fine leaving your axles where they are. 8 inches between tires seems like a lot but if that is your measurement then going up to 16 inch should not be an issue.

Not sure why you want to go up but if your 5er is less than 8500lbs loaded then you can get 15inch LT tires that will handle your load without going up in size. They are less prone to blowouts whereas a ST tire even in 16 inch load range E is still not very good at dissipating heat.