17Z tires

[sasonnier]

While researching tires that come on the 17Z I noticed that they are not weighted to be loaded up past about 3000lbs....according to the manual, this is taken into account when factoring the tongue weight (or something to that effect)- so they are not actually underweight for the 3500lbs. Still, this irks me....has anyone changed the tires that come on the 17z to ones that are rated to handle more weight? If so, which ones did you get? I have researched 2 options, but one is almost 4" wider in diameter and I still need to see measure to see if they will fit....just curious on your thoughts.
Thanks,
Sophie

[ncooper96]

I also didn't like the small weight margian that the 13" wheels provide. I recently upgraded to 14" wheels with 205/75/14 tires. They fit perfectly with plenty of clearance and no rubbing issues.

[Curtis]

I put a Dexter # 10 axle riser kit on my 2013 X17Z.
Then upgraded the rims to 14" Sendel OEM that came equipped on the X17z
from the factory. I'm running Kuhmo 857 195R/14 they are a D rated radial
tire. They run much much cooler than the ST tires, and have a higher payload
capacity. Here is a pic of my upgrade

[DocBrown]

Keep in mind that while you can upgrade the tires to handle more weight, the axle is still limited to something like 3100#. I believe there is a tag somewhere on the axle which shows its max capacity.

I towed my old Kiwi 17a, single axle, 13" OEM ST tires, all over the country several times. In total about 20k total miles during the 10 years I owned it. Never once had a problem. I put new tires on it after 6 years. IMHO, concerns about 13" ST tires are due to misconceptions and misinformation.

[Curtis]

Doc Brown, I agree 100% on the axle weight limit. That is one problem with the
X17Z it was built on a axle that is almost maxed out dry. Mine has 500 lb. CCC
one reason why I do not put a lot of cargo in the coach. I keep it well below
the 500 lbs.

[Rapid Richie]

I currently have a 1206 popup that I tow with a 2013 Ford Edge, AWD 3.5L 6 cyl. I want to trade up to a X17Z or a X19H, both of which are too heavy for the Edge. I see two folks on this thread are using Toyota Tacoma P/U's with the larger cab for passenger comfort. That is a vehicle I will be considering. Is it enough truck to handle the trailer load as well as passengers and their gear? Any recommendations.

Thanks

[DocBrown]

Originally Posted by Rapid Richie

I currently have a 1206 popup that I tow with a 2013 Ford Edge, AWD 3.5L 6 cyl. I want to trade up to a X17Z or a X19H, both of which are too heavy for the Edge. I see two folks on this thread are using Toyota Tacoma P/U's with the larger cab for passenger comfort. That is a vehicle I will be considering. Is it enough truck to handle the trailer load as well as passengers and their gear? Any recommendations.

Thanks

You might want to start a new thread for this. This thread is specifically about replacing the OEM tires on on X17Z.

There are several folks here towing with Tacomas, but I can't say off hand what they are towing.

[Trout34]

As did Curtis, I also switched to 14" tires on my 2011 X17C and am also running Kumhos - 185R14C. They are radials and rated for 1875 lbs. per. Prior to that I had 2 sets of bias plys. We had put more than 20,000 on the two previous sets and as others have advised that's probably not bad for trailer tires. I did check them at every stop and had to watch the wear closely. I can't find my axle documentation but I believe it was rated for 3300 lbs. and we run as far below the gross of 3500 lbs as we can.

We just completed a trip of 2000 miles on the updated setup and I couldn't be more pleased. The tires came back still looking new and they towed well. Honestly, I'm not sure there was a huge difference in towing but it was hard to judge because we had the worst towing conditions I've yet encountered. Going we had 25 mph head winds gusting to 35. Coming back we had 17 mph tail winds until we hit Indiana when they switched to the west and intensified to 30 mph for a nice little side wind. I run a Reese dual cam WDH with sway and I have had a couple of friends laugh at my overkill for this small camper. They may be right but in spite of all the wind she followed straight as an arrow never wiggling once.

I would not go back to the original setup though I didn't like forking out the cash for 3 new rims. As Curtis said, there is still plenty of clearance. Without a doubt, the key to improved wear is weight regardless of the tire. We lighten the camper by moving as much as we can to the TV and other little things like emptying the hot water heater. I kept the 13" tires and plan to mount them back on when the camper will be stored for long periods to save the weather impact on the radials.