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Old 07-30-2019, 01:53 PM   #1
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Upsize to 15" rims?

My Forest River Wildwood 231RKXL came with 14" rims which seems to limit me to C range tires. Is it worth the cost to get new 15" rims and range D tires in order to have more of a cushion on weight capacity? Total weight for both axles runs about 5500 lbs loaded for vacation.

Tires are 5 years old on 3 year old trailer. Planning on replacing next spring before camping season.

Will I need to adjust the tire profile to keep the same diameter?

And finally are the Goodyear tires worth $40 extra per tire over the Carlisles?

Thanks in advance; I tried the search function but didn't find much.
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Old 07-31-2019, 10:47 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Wildwoods22 View Post
Is it worth the cost to get new 15" rims and range D tires in order to have more of a cushion on weight capacity?
First step is to determine how much room you have in the trailer wheel wells for bigger tires. If you can have bigger tires without rubbing on the top of the wheel well when you cross a bump or ditch, and without the tire treads touching when mounted on a tandem-axle trailer, then it depends on how much bigger you can go.

My current small tandem-axle TT came with size ST205/75R14C. Not enough wiggle room for 15" tires, so I went up one size to ST215/75R14. That gained me a decent cushion of weight capacity.

Earlier on a smaller 5er that came with ST205/75R15, there was barely enough room in the wheel wells for ST225/75R15D with rubbing on the top of the wheel well for severe bumps. But the bigger tires required wider wheels. So I bought the right wheels from SouthWest Wheel, then bought the new tires from Discount Tire. No more trailer tire problems.

Quote:
Will I need to adjust the tire profile to keep the same diameter?
Probably no choice for trailer tires. They don't offer various profiles the way car tires do. So you're probably stuck with a 75 profile in 14" or 15" trailer tires. And DO NOT put car or LT tires on a trailer unless the tires are commercial tires rated for all positions (steer, drive and trailer positions). LT tires rated for trailer use are few and far between, and I haven't found any in sizes less than 16" diameter.

Quote:
And finally are the Goodyear tires worth $40 extra per tire over the Carlisles?
Carlisle trailer tires are also called "China Bombs". Along with almost all other brands of trailer tires made in China or the Far East. Goodyear Marathon tires were no better in my experience. But Goodyear tired of the pings fom selling lousy trailer tires so they developed new specs for their trailer tires and changed the name to Endurance, The Endurance tires have gained a very good reoutation as being a very good trailer tire.

So if you buy new trailer tires, the Endurance is probably a good choice. Here is the ST215/75R14 in case that's what you need:
https://simpletire.com/goodyear-215-...8N%20724865519

Before the Endurance was available, my go-to trailer tire was the Maxxis. Most of my trailers have 15" tires, and Maxxis makes an ST225/75R15 in load range E (so-called 10 ply) that are much more reliable than the old Goodyear Marathon. So that's what I now have on my cargo trailer and two of my utility trailers.

Maxxis is a premium-priced trailer tire, but a bit less expensive than an Endurance in the same size: Here's the ST215/75R14 you may need:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0087PR080..._t4_B00NFLJF48

In my opinion, both the Endurance an the Maxxis are worth the premium price compared to any China Bombs.

If you have room in the wheel wells for bigger than ST215/75R14 tires, both Endurance and Maxxis make several 15" sizes in load range D and even E. But be sure your new wheels are rated for the PSI, width, and weight capacity of the new tires.
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Old 07-31-2019, 03:47 PM   #3
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Thanks for all the info. It looks like there is plenty of room to increase the size. My independent tire dealer says that Endurance tires are made in China and aren't much different than the rest (contrary to most comments on IRV2).
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Old 07-31-2019, 07:14 PM   #4
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My independent tire dealer says that Endurance tires are made in China and aren't much different than the rest (contrary to most comments on IRV2).
Everything I have read from several sources says the Endurance tires are "made in the USA".

My TT is in the shop for other reasons right now, so I cannot go out there and check the DOT code on the tires that will tell me the origin. But IIRC, they are made in the USA.

Click on this link, https://www.goodyearrvtires.com/tire-selector.aspx

then on Endurance Trailer and you will see

Quote:
Originally Posted by GoodyearRVTires
The Endurance Trailer Tire is manufactured in the USA
Reviews I found with a quick search:
1] Having had three blow outs on original equipment Chinese tires, I aint about to go go second class, especially when the premium for made in the USA / Goodyear tires is small.

2] Excellent MADE IN THE USA tires!

3] Excellent tires for a 5th wheel RV. US made and US quality.

So I suspect the blowhard that was posing as a tire expert was blowing smoke.
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Old 08-03-2019, 09:18 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Wildwoods22 View Post
Thanks for all the info. It looks like there is plenty of room to increase the size. My independent tire dealer says that Endurance tires are made in China and aren't much different than the rest (contrary to most comments on IRV2).
I bought 5 new ST205R75/14 GY Endurance tires about a month ago from Discount Tire. They all say Made in USA and have 2019 date codes on them. Your dealer is feeding you a line of BS.

A friend had to buy Carslile Radial Trail HT's for his small Winnebago because GY doesn't make an Endurance in the 13 inch sizes.

GY only makes 7 different sizes of the Endurance, two 14 inch, two 15 inch, and three 16 inch. Thats it.

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Old 08-04-2019, 09:11 AM   #6
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Pick up an Endurance tire and any other trailer tire and the difference is obvious. Way heavier and thicker. Much beefier tire. Your tire guy was trying to push you to a tire he made more money on or he was very misinformed.
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Old 08-04-2019, 11:18 AM   #7
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Thanks for all the info. It looks like there is plenty of room to increase the size. My independent tire dealer says that Endurance tires are made in China and aren't much different than the rest (contrary to most comments on IRV2).
Why not just stick with the tire size that came on the trailer and go up to a LRD. shop around, more than half of those that make that designated size also make it in a LRD.
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Old 08-04-2019, 11:21 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by keymastr View Post
Pick up an Endurance tire and any other trailer tire and the difference is obvious. Way heavier and thicker. Much beefier tire. Your tire guy was trying to push you to a tire he made more money on or he was very misinformed.
There is a reason for the extra weight and it has nothing to do with tire strength. The extra materials are provided in the hopes of increasing the tire's durability.
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