MY OBSERVATIONS - Tires & Wheels

[DonandPatti]

Since I had our rig weighed last year at the DRV Rally in Goshen, Ind. I have been considering upgrading my tires to 235/75R/17.5 which has a load rating of 6005 lbs per tire as compared to the 4805 we currently have.

The weigh team found that my drivers side trailer rear tire was at 4950. Kind of figures since all of the appliances, etc. are on that side.
However, I need to upgrade the wheels as well -- since they are rated at the same 4805. Alcoa 17.5 wheels have a 6050 rating.

Any discussion would be appreciated. I plan on making the switch over the winter. (5) tires and wheels will soon be for sale.

Don

[juicesqueezer]

I'm interested in getting the rig weighed as well. Not full time yet, but have lots of stuff in the rig now and it feels pretty heavy. Still have lots of room in cabinets that are empty, but don't want to overdue it.
Makes sense on the weight on the appliance side.

[anijet]

Don, Where will you buy the wheels when you are ready?

[Porkchop]

Don, your rig only has 16" tires now, correct? Thus the need to replace rims.
Trailer Tires & Rims in Ohio is a good outfit. Several trailers ago I did the same update. They shipped the tires all mounted and balanced for what I thought was a fair price. Comes by truck so you will need a way to unload them. Strapped to a pallet so I guess you could jump up, cut the straps and roll them off 1 at a time. I'm fortunate enough to have a fork lift, but it would not be much of a deal to do by hand. Good luck with your choice.

Bill

[anijet]

Porkchop, 4805# per tire are 215/75R17.5, not the 16" G rated tries.


Don, what is the mfg date on the tires?

[Bob Denman]

Originally Posted by anijet

Don, Where will you buy the wheels when you are ready?

This source has popped up in the past; when discussing this modification:

https://ricksontruckwheels.com/wheels-ford-e350450.php

[DonandPatti]

We would be changing because of the weight rating on the current 17.5 wheels. There is no sense, IMHO, to put a stiffer tire with a 6005 lb. rating onto a wheel rated at 4805. You need to upgrade the wheels a well to be safe in carrying the maximum designed load.

Don

Originally Posted by Porkchop

Don, your rig only has 16" tires now, correct? Thus the need to replace rims.
Trailer Tires & Rims in Ohio is a good outfit. Several trailers ago I did the same update. They shipped the tires all mounted and balanced for what I thought was a fair price. Comes by truck so you will need a way to unload them. Strapped to a pallet so I guess you could jump up, cut the straps and roll them off 1 at a time. I'm fortunate enough to have a fork lift, but it would not be much of a deal to do by hand. Good luck with your choice.

Bill

[DonandPatti]

Rickson Wheel Manufacturing has been doing this kind of stuff for many years. I have dealt with them before and they are a great company.

Besides they are 20 minutes from my home.


Don
Maryland

Originally Posted by anijet

Don, Where will you buy the wheels when you are ready?

[rynosback]

Originally Posted by DonandPatti

Since I had our rig weighed last year at the DRV Rally in Goshen, Ind. I have been considering upgrading my tires to 235/75R/17.5 which has a load rating of 6005 lbs per tire as compared to the 4805 we currently have.

The weigh team found that my drivers side trailer rear tire was at 4950. Kind of figures since all of the appliances, etc. are on that side.
However, I need to upgrade the wheels as well -- since they are rated at the same 4805. Alcoa 17.5 wheels have a 6050 rating.

Any discussion would be appreciated. I plan on making the switch over the winter. (5) tires and wheels will soon be for sale.

Don

Tires are usually the weak point. But if you upgrade your tires and wheels, your suspension will be the weak link. The heaviest axle you could have are the 9k axles. Assuming you opted for the Moryde suspension.

[DonandPatti]

I am just replacing Tires and Wheels. Did not want to get into a big conversation about the entire construction or weak points of a particular DRV. 8k axles and Mor Ryde suspension would not be a weak point on our 38RSSA.
Thanks

Don

Originally Posted by rynosback

Tires are usually the weak point. But if you upgrade your tires and wheels, your suspension will be the weak link. The heaviest axle you could have are the 9k axles. Assuming you opted for the Moryde suspension.

[Bob Denman]

I think that looking at the axles and the gearing is also a pretty darn good idea... even if it does start to get pricey!
You can often get a shop that specializes in off-road vehicles; to build you a bulletproof setup for just about any application.

[wingnut60]

Yes, need to change the gearing also in the Suites...

[anijet]

Originally Posted by Bob Denman

I think that looking at the axles and the gearing is also a pretty darn good idea... even if it does start to get pricey!
You can often get a shop that specializes in off-road vehicles; to build you a bulletproof setup for just about any application.

Maybe you should stick to the MH section.

[Bob Denman]

When talk of upgrading tires and wheels comes up: it's never a bad idea to let folks think a bit about the other "upstream components..."

But I will admit to not always looking at where a thread has come from...

http://www.thorforums.com/forums/att...1&d=1535466129

[Cummins12V98]

Don I am curious as to what your weights are at all 4 wheels? I see you have the 3" risers so your rig should be riding fairly level as does mine. I am at 23K and not at max on any of the tires.

Running 150# over is not going to cause the tires to blow as there are safety factors built into every rating out there.

[DonandPatti]

Ron,

Here you go"

Curb side front - 3500
Curb side rear - 3050
Driver side front - 2900
Driver side rear - 4950

Both front total -- 6400 on 8k axles
Both rear total - 8000 on 8K axles

Take care

Don

Originally Posted by Cummins12V98

Don I am curious as to what your weights are at all 4 wheels? I see you have the 3" risers so your rig should be riding fairly level as does mine. I am at 23K and not at max on any of the tires.

Running 150# over is not going to cause the tires to blow as there are safety factors built into every rating out there.

[clev]

Hi Don; being new to fifth wheels (this is my first), and being new to being over gross (LOL) I never have been in 45 years of RV'ing, I follow every post about weight, tires, axles, and pin wt very carefully. The 4950 weight caught my attention; 1900 pounds more than the other side of the axle. Was the weigh team concerned about that, or did they just shrug it off and say not to worry? 1900 pounds difference from one side to the other is a lot of difference. Or maybe not; I'm new to this. My five is a 36RSSB3, and all wheel weight on mine are within a few hundred pounds of each other. The rear driver's is 3820 and the rear passenger is 3560. Anyway, just curious if weight difference was a cause of concern.

[DonandPatti]

The weigh team did have concern and flagged it on my report. They said just about every time they see this it is on the APPLIANCE side of the RV -- which is my case. When they build these things it seems like all of the heavy stuff is on that side.

We will get'er fixed.

Enjoy the road -- we sure do.

Don
Maryland

Originally Posted by clev

Hi Don; being new to fifth wheels (this is my first), and being new to being over gross (LOL) I never have been in 45 years of RV'ing, I follow every post about weight, tires, axles, and pin wt very carefully. The 4950 weight caught my attention; 1900 pounds more than the other side of the axle. Was the weigh team concerned about that, or did they just shrug it off and say not to worry? 1900 pounds difference from one side to the other is a lot of difference. Or maybe not; I'm new to this. My five is a 36RSSB3, and all wheel weight on mine are within a few hundred pounds of each other. The rear driver's is 3820 and the rear passenger is 3560. Anyway, just curious if weight difference was a cause of concern.

[clev]

Thank you, Don; good luck in your travels and your upgrades.

FWIW, I have balanced mine with DynaBeads (balancing beads) and rotate them, criss-cross, every ~5k miles. No problems and no noticeable wear so far.

[Chance]

Originally Posted by DonandPatti

....cut....

Driver side front - 2900
Driver side rear - 4950

....cut.....

I'm not a trailer guy for sure, but always looking to learn something new. It's easy to see how the driver side of trailer can be much heavier than passenger side, but how is suspension set up to allow the rear wheel to take so much more of the total driver-side load?

I'm just curious because most dual-axle trailers I've seen tend to equalize the per-side load.