newbie....tires?

[srl82]

ok I know, slide-ins and 1/2 tons dont go together...however, thats what I have and cannot afford to replace as of yet...truck is an older chev c1500 8cyl, I've installed air bags, large rear sway bar and new hd shocks...need to replace tires and looking for suggestions..wondering if I can get 235/75/15's in a D or E rating...by the way I've completly gutted and rebuilt camper and left out any unneeded weight..i'm guessing its around 1500lbs now...thanks for your help

[srl82]

ok I know, slide-ins and 1/2 tons dont go together...however, thats what I have and cannot afford to replace as of yet...truck is an older chev c1500 8cyl, I've installed air bags, large rear sway bar and new hd shocks...need to replace tires and looking for suggestions..wondering if I can get 235/75/15's in a D or E rating...by the way I've completly gutted and rebuilt camper and left out any unneeded weight..i'm guessing its around 1500lbs now...thanks for your help

[SoundGuy]

I know that Sprinter vans (what I have) came with a Bridgestone 15" tire in a class D rating, but the selection of snow tires and such is pretty limited at that rating. That's why I changed over to 16" wheels and tires since there's a much larger selection of 10-ply class E tires, especially on the road to replace a spare. If you like I'll go look at the exact name of the Sprinter tires.

Also, did you mean 15,000 or 1,500 lbs in your post? I'm not an expert at slide-out campers, but I've towed lots of small 1,500 lb trailers with a 1/2 PU without any issues, especially if the trailer had working e-brakes. Now, 15,000 lbs with a 1/2 pickup would be a suicide drive, I think. I'm sure other's on this forum would have more to offer on that subject.

[srl82]

ya havn't weighed it yet but im guessing its between 1500 and 2000 lbs...truck handles it fairly well, maybe a little more sway than I would like.....going on a trip in feb. and looking for tires before then...not sure if 16's will fit

[srl82]

by the way..its a slide in not a tow

[SoundGuy]

Oh..... I understand. It slides in the bed of the truck rather than being towed. So do you want the info on the Bridgestone tires? I'll be glad to walk out to the garage and get the info.

[srl82]

sure...it'd be a help

[RickJ]

Slide-ins, slide-outs, all the same thing right?

Noooooooo. This forum is in the slide-in campers section of iRV2 for a reason. That is what TCs are called in the Eastern US from what I gather.

So 1500 lbs on a 1/2 ton is right at the limit I would think, and D rated tires should be an easy catch but E rated a bit harder to find.

Still, drive carefully and be aware of your limitations and you'll be fine.

Rick

[srl82]

thanks Rick, ya I know i'm pushing the axle limits with this truck but im hoping everything will go well...probably driving around 2000 miles over a week...plan on a bigger truck sometime in the future...do you think D rated tires would be ok at least on the rear?

[SoundGuy]

Gosh, I didn't realize I was in the slide-in section of the forum, so ignore my weight remarks. Sorry to interrupt with my toyhauler spin.

However, Sprinter tires I know a lot about, having gone through that mess last year. I'll get the tire info later and post it here in case it might help.

[RickJ]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by srl82:
thanks Rick, ya I know i'm pushing the axle limits with this truck but im hoping everything will go well...probably driving around 2000 miles over a week...plan on a bigger truck sometime in the future...do you think D rated tires would be ok at least on the rear? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I don't know if D ratings are available on 15" tires, they may be, but here is a Michelin tire rated at 2183 lbs. I'm a BIG fan of Michelins.

Your slide-in and personal items and rear truck weight should come in under 4000 lbs easily, given what you have written earlier. That'd be under 2000 lbs. per tire. Check with a tire dealer you trust, OK?

Rick

[CD]

Since you are stuck with your truck you might concider a 3/4T rear end from a wrecking yard. An older model may not too expensive. Then you have more options for heaver tires.

[srl82]

thanks for all the suggestions

[BigRedLancer]

My first camper was an 8' cab-over on a older F100 1/2 ton truck. I had a set of 16 1/2" load range D tires mounted on spare set of wheels. I would swap them out when I didn't have the camper on as the rear end bounce was bad. I also put one ton overloads over the rear springs. The truck handled fairly well with this set up with the exception of the brakes. The brakes were inadequate for the load. I had them fade on me a couple of times on down hill runs. Pretty scary!

Good luck.