# Rim And Tire Upgrade ?



## Madmak (Mar 26, 2013)

My 2007 23RS has 205/75/14 on steelies that need replacing. I'm hoping to go to a 15 or 16" load range C or D tire on aluminum rims. Has anyone found a limit to the overall width or height on replacements? It's getting hard to find a quality trailer tire in 14". I also understand that the axles are 5x114.3mm or 5x4.5" bolt pattern. Any comments are welcome and tanks in advance.


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## KTMRacer (Jun 28, 2010)

Madmak said:


> My 2007 23RS has 205/75/14 on steelies that need replacing. I'm hoping to go to a 15 or 16" load range C or D tire on aluminum rims. Has anyone found a limit to the overall width or height on replacements? It's getting hard to find a quality trailer tire in 14". I also understand that the axles are 5x114.3mm or 5x4.5" bolt pattern. Any comments are welcome and tanks in advance.


my guess is you won't find any 16" rims with a 5 bolt pattern. for 16" loads they will almost certainly be a a least a 6 or 8 on 5.5" or larger bolt pattern. you may have better luck with 15", but the common 15" is either 5 on 6 bolt but a 5.5" pattern. many trailer 15" aluminum rims rated for a 225/75-15 LRE tire will be a 6 bolt almost guaranteed. The std outback aluminum rims are a 6 bolt pattern rated for 225/75-15LRE (2800lb+) tires on a 5.5" bolt circle. the same rim is available in a 5 bolt pattern at a lower load rating, but it is the same bolt circle as the 6 bolt pattern.

maxxis tires are good, and if the 14 are like the 15" you should be able to find at least a LRD 14" from Maxxis.


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## Madmak (Mar 26, 2013)

Thanks for the tips. I managed to find several types of used OEM aluminum rims in 15" and 16" today, all in a 5 x 4.5 bolt pattern. Finding the center bore size, offset, and load rating is tough though. Most trailer axles use lug-centric mounting and have an 81mm hub I'm told. Most trailer rims are a zero offset as well. By taking some measurements I think a small positive offset will work as well. The only sets I have found to meet all criteria are factory Jeep rims as the specs are readily available. I may test fit a 16x7 aluminum rim with an LT225/65/16 tire just to see. I'm quite determined to get away from the 14"s as I can't find a radial 14" load range C tire that I trust. Unfortunately our choices up in Canada are limited, no Maxxis anywhere. Even the RV dealerships nearby send folks to the local tire shops for aftermarket wheels and P metric or LT tires. A quote for that was $1800+, too much for me.


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## Madmak (Mar 26, 2013)

I found these wheels on clearance at a local tire shop, 15 x 6, 0 offset, 5 on 4.5 bolt pattern, 1900 lb load capacity, and an 81mm center bore. I test fit them in a snow storm yesterday and they will work great. Now looking for a load range D tire in a 205 or 225/75/15, likely an LT tire. Man, the LT vs ST tire debate is sure a big can o' worms on the internet....


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## Madmak (Mar 26, 2013)

That is a good read, I've read many articles and threads from both sides of the debate. In my opinion, an ST tire is the better choice on paper, but in reality a brand name LT tire is a far superior product. I have always put a lot of research in to my vehicle tire purchases and have always bought the best tire I could. When I look closely at the many off-brand trailer tires I just can't bring myself to trust them. I have read many horror stories of ST tires failing catastrophically while I don't recall many, if any, nasty LT stories. I'll need to decide soon enough...


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## clarkely (Sep 15, 2008)

i had good luck with HiSpec wheels - bought them here http://www.trailertiresandwheels.com/product/15X6-6-lug-series-01-hi-spec-aluminum-trailer-wheel

I remember some of the factory wheels in a 15" 6 bolt being rated for only 65 psi - that may have changed - last time i looked at it was 4 years ago - but it was that way on 2009 units


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## Madmak (Mar 26, 2013)

I had ST225/75R/15 Load Range E GT Radial MaxMiler tires mounted on the above wheels today. Also had them road force balanced and used hi pressure valve stems. The set looks real nice and should be a huge improvement over the aged 205/75/14 bias ply Duros that were on from the factory. I also had a matching spare made up but used a white steel wheel instead. The option was there to use an LT tire but we could only find a load range C hi-way tread or a load range D/E with an aggressive all-terrain tread pattern. I didn't like either option and went with the ST tire. I'm hoping to get them mounted on the 23RS over the weekend and will post before and after pics.

I am also on the hunt for a local shop that can align the axles for me. It isn't obvious if they are out of alignment or not but it would be good peace of mind to have that checked now. I will tackle the bearing repack and the brake inspection as I have each wheel off.

The price difference between this option and just replacing the 14s was substantial and I sure hope it ends up being worth the extra effort and expense.


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## maxpat82 (Jul 13, 2011)

I changed my tire last year for Gladiator QR25-TS and very satisfied with them
ordered them from http://www.tiresdirect.net.


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## Madmak (Mar 26, 2013)

I changed out one side yesterday just to check the fit and everything looks good. Here is a quick picture to compare old to new.


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## scuba0331 (Dec 7, 2011)

Madmak said:


> I changed out one side yesterday just to check the fit and everything looks good. Here is a quick picture to compare old to new.


I'm looking at upgrading too. How is this setup working out?


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## Olddog12 (Apr 13, 2013)

Curious here but why upgrade to a larger wheel? All I see is the RV is a little higher off the ground, which to me isn't a great idea and the tires are more expensive.


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## Tangooutback (Apr 16, 2010)

Olddog12 said:


> Curious here but why upgrade to a larger wheel? All I see is the RV is a little higher off the ground, which to me isn't a great idea and the tires are more expensive.


The main reason is to get higher load range thus higher safety margin. The OEM tire size barely meets the minimum requirement.


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