What is the deal with

[mrclean]

Going to larger wheels and tires on fifth wheels. I see people talking about going from 15 to 16 inch. What does it gain you?

[Crabman]

They do it to increase the load range and overall capability and reliability of the tires and rims, which can be marginal in OEM form. A blowout can be an expensive proposition so upgrading hopefully will lessen the chances of one and give more peace of mind to the owner.

[TWP723]

Very well said Crabman!

[norty1]

On the heavier fifth wheels the higher rated tires are not available in anything smaller than 16" also.

[rsday75]

I did it on a travel trailer that was very close on weight with the 15".
Put 16" BFGoodrich LT tires on and have had no issues. Couldn't find a 15" trailer tire that was not made in China besides the Maxxis. Thought about going with them, but the rating was still close with their D range tire, and the 15" wheels were not rated for 80 psi.

[tularockstar]

Which LT model and size did you get? I'm contemplating it myself.

Originally Posted by rsday75

I did it on a travel trailer that was very close on weight with the 15".
Put 16" BFGoodrich LT tires on and have had no issues. Couldn't find a 15" trailer tire that was not made in China besides the Maxxis. Thought about going with them, but the rating was still close with their D range tire, and the 15" wheels were not rated for 80 psi.

[rsday75]

Originally Posted by tularockstar

Which LT model and size did you get? I'm contemplating it myself.

BFGoodrich Commercial T/As
They are made in Ohio. 6 year warranty, and I emailed BFGoodrich, and they said the warranty was valid on a trailer and would be a great tire for the purpose.

Went from a 225/75r15 D to a 225/75r16 E. 250lbs more carrying per tire than the 15". Ride is much better and much of the movement caused by semis passing at 80mph is gone. I went through 3 sets of Chinese made tires in 9 years. 1st 2 sets developed cracking and were replaced. The last set was replaced with the 16" after I had 2 tread separations and a blow out on a 500 mile trip. We keep our tires covered and elevated off the ground on cap blocks when not traveling. Tire PSI was checked before leaving even for short (<50 mile) trips.

I see many tire troubles on RVs with ST tires, but very few blowouts/tread separations on LT tires. And when it happens on LT tires, they are recalled. I see absolutely no oversite on ST tires.

If ST tires are so good, why do they all (Even the beloved MAXXIS) only have 1 year warranties?

[Cdash]

Originally Posted by Crabman

They do it to increase the load range and overall capability and reliability of the tires and rims, which can be marginal in OEM form. A blowout can be an expensive proposition so upgrading hopefully will lessen the chances of one and give more peace of mind to the owner.

For me, it was specifically to go to LT tires. Can't find them in 15" and I was done with trailer tires. Not a single flat since the switch.

[Edd505]

LT's and never look back

[Fairenatic]

See signature.

Long drive from Middlebury, IN to Houston. The 330RSTS is larger than most 5rs. E rated tires are a must IMO

[JohnT1124]

I just recently order a new 317 RLOK with 16 wheel and tire. My current 5th wheel has 15 on it and they are getting hard to find . Me and the wife was coming from the beach a few years back we had a blow out and it was very expensive to repair the camper and was hard to find a 15 trailer tire . So that why we upgraded to the 16 just in case we couldn't find a trailer tire you could use LT tire .