Dodge M500, lots of ?'s

[RockyJ]

Have a 74 superior on the dodge m500 chassis. Tires are getting bad and i have noticed these old school tires are not cheap in any way. My first projects on this lovely mh is to make it safe and reliable, looks can come after! Ok so to the point. Been looking around for different options for changeing the rim/wheel size on this thing. I know there is probaly something posted many times befor just sick of looking. Does anyone know of a place that i can find a rim for on here that i can find a better tire? Can i swap the hubs on this rearend to accept i different rim? Heck, can i swap out the entire rearend to make things easier for me? I plan on redoing/updating this thing as much as possible cause for me breakdowns on long trips just are not an option! lol Please share any thoughts, ideas or stuff you tried that didn't work so i can figure out my next step.

[Dave78Chief]

If you have a M500 chassis, then you have 19.5" diameter tires which should not be to hard to find. The 74 M300 and M400 chassis had 17.5" diameter tires which are difficult to locate at a reasonable price. 16" rims may fit over the front single caliper M300 chassis. 16" rims will not fit over the M400 front dual caliper. You need to confirm what chassis you have.

Dave

[RockyJ]

It is the m500 chassis. I can find the tires but the cheapest i found them so far was $150 each. so i'm looking at about $1050 for the 6 pluse a spare. Only paid $1500 for the whole thing so if i'm going to spend anouther grand on wheels would like to make things easier on me in the future. If i have no other options so be it but just seeing what else i could do.

[Dave78Chief]

You have to remember you are not buying car tires (2,000 - 4,000lb) but rather large tires intended to support, as in your case, a 14,000 lb GVWR vehicle. They will be more expensive. Additionally, most motorhome owners do not wear the tires out rather the life (time) of the tire is exceded.

I have never heard of anyone having problems with the Spicer 70HD axle. Locating brake parts at times can be a issue but not impossible.

Dave

[RockyJ]

Thanks Dave. Should i stick with the 8r19.5's or is there a better alternative for these rims. It's Not like i don't wanna spend the money, i would rather be able to stick more into the rest of the motorhome.

[Dave78Chief]

Typical motorhome usage is such that most will have to replace the tires due to age rather than milage. You will most likely will not have to replace them for another 6 to 7 years even if you did switch to something else. The cost of something else will most likely be higher than staying with the 19.5" tires.

Dave