Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
RV Trip Planning Discussions

Go Back   iRV2 Forums > THE CHASSIS CLUB FORUMS > Ford Motorhome Chassis Forum
Click Here to Login
Join iRV2 Today

Mission Statement: Supporting thoughtful exchange of knowledge, values and experience among RV enthusiasts.
Reply
  This discussion is proudly sponsored by:
Please support our sponsors and let them know you heard about their products on iRV2
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 12-16-2010, 11:35 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Wanabee FTer's Avatar
 
Gulf Streamers Club
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Golden Village Palms, CA
Posts: 1,988
Blog Entries: 12
Can I change steer tires to increase max load

I had my coach weighed and found the front axle is running near max GVWR. My loaded front axle weight is 5950 lbs and front GVWR is 6,000 lbs. I am concerned about the front tires, they are about 3 years old by date code and max weight rating on the 235/85/R16 load range E tires are 3042 lbs. I would like to replace the front tires soon for safety reasons. I am thinking about replacing the steer tires with 265/75/R16 load range E tires which will increase my max tire weight rating to 3415 lbs while maintaining the same max air pressure of 80 psi. I don't plan on overloading the vehicle, I just don't like being so close to the max GVWR. The rear duallys are well within the rear GVWR, so not too concerned about them.
Has anyone ever done this before. Is it ok to run different size steer tires?
Comparing the 2 different sizes, the outside diameter is almost exactly the same. The width of the 265/75/R16 tire is .9" wider then the factory recommended size and will still fit the standard 16 x 7 F53 steel wheels.
__________________
John
'98 Gulf Stream Sunsport 325, 7.5L Banks Power Pack, Koni FSD's, Air Bags, ReadyBrute Elite,
2000 Honda Accord

Wanabee FTer is offline   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 RV Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

iRV2.com RV Community - Are you about to start a new improvement on your RV or need some help with some maintenance? Do you need advice on what products to buy? Or maybe you can give others some advice? No matter where you fit in you'll find that iRV2 is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with other RV owners, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create an RV blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 12-16-2010, 11:43 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
mfire1339's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Glendora Ca.
Posts: 1,585
Wanabe, Sounds like a good plan to me. should ride well also.


Mike
__________________
2004 Monaco Monarch
Blueox, SMI, 1990 Wrangler YJ
mfire1339 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2010, 03:19 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
mikron's Avatar
 
Thor Owners Club
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 860
Steer Tires

I don't think that is a good idea. I would check with a truck tire co or your Ford service center. What weight could you load more on the front tires. Most of any weight would be on the read I would think.
__________________
Mike, Janet & Duchess (cavalier King Charles)
2008 35B windsport, Brazel's rear TracBar, Koni shocks & Safe T plus steering
mikron is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2010, 07:22 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 393
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wanabee FTer View Post
I had my coach weighed and found the front axle is running near max GVWR. My loaded front axle weight is 5950 lbs and front GVWR is 6,000 lbs. I am concerned about the front tires, they are about 3 years old by date code and max weight rating on the 235/85/R16 load range E tires are 3042 lbs. I would like to replace the front tires soon for safety reasons. I am thinking about replacing the steer tires with 265/75/R16 load range E tires which will increase my max tire weight rating to 3415 lbs while maintaining the same max air pressure of 80 psi. I don't plan on overloading the vehicle, I just don't like being so close to the max GVWR. The rear duallys are well within the rear GVWR, so not too concerned about them.
Has anyone ever done this before. Is it ok to run different size steer tires?
Comparing the 2 different sizes, the outside diameter is almost exactly the same. The width of the 265/75/R16 tire is .9" wider then the factory recommended size and will still fit the standard 16 x 7 F53 steel wheels.
Are you absolutely certain that you have 16 x 7 wheels?
My understanding was that all these 16" wheels were 16 x 6, no matter whether they carried a 215 or a 235 section tire. Certainly the preferred rim width for a 215 is 6" and 6.5 for a 235. Allowable for a 235 is 6" - 7". As you know, for the 265 it's 7" to 8".

The current Accuride catalog shows only 16x6 wheels available today. http://www.accuridewheels.com/lighttruckwheels.pdf I haven't found Ford documentation on what wheels were supplied at that time.

I would actually measure the rims you have and see what size they are. If you do have 7" rims, and you can verify no clearance issues on full lock, then I don't see why you shouldn't do this if you want to. Make sure any spare you carry is a 235 though. If you take a 265 spare and need to change a rear, then you'd have to put a pair of 265s on the rear, and a 235 on the front. Way more changing to do.

However, you also say that your rear is easily within the limits. In that consider the huge long overhang behind the rear axle that you almost certainly have. This means that any weight you can shift, or even weight you just add to the extreme rear will actually unweight the front.

150 lbs added all the way at the back could add 250lbs to the rear axle, and remove 100lbs from the front. So you may be able to solve this without different tires.

And if you're getting tires anyway, I really like this stem instead of extenders. 16' Accuride Steel Valve
mpaton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2010, 07:50 AM   #5
Senior Member
 
mfire1339's Avatar
 
Monaco Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Glendora Ca.
Posts: 1,585
mpaton , the wheels you refer to are light duty truck. not f53 wheels.

Mike
__________________
2004 Monaco Monarch
Blueox, SMI, 1990 Wrangler YJ
mfire1339 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2010, 07:56 AM   #6
Senior Member
 
wa8yxm's Avatar
 
Damon Owners Club
Workhorse Chassis Owner
Join Date: Mar 2009
Posts: 24,024
I would agree. that so long as you do not exceed the vehicle's maximum AXLE rating. Using "Stronger" tires is not a bad thing.. When I replace mine I will very likely do the same.. use a higher load rating.

I am a fan of using stronger materials than you need to use (That is keeping away from the maximum load rating)
__________________
Home is where I park it!
wa8yxm is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2010, 09:38 AM   #7
Senior Member
 
Wanabee FTer's Avatar
 
Gulf Streamers Club
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Golden Village Palms, CA
Posts: 1,988
Blog Entries: 12
Quote:
Originally Posted by mpaton View Post
Are you absolutely certain that you have 16 x 7 wheels?
My understanding was that all these 16" wheels were 16 x 6, no matter whether they carried a 215 or a 235 section tire. Certainly the preferred rim width for a 215 is 6" and 6.5 for a 235. Allowable for a 235 is 6" - 7". As you know, for the 265 it's 7" to 8".

The current Accuride catalog shows only 16x6 wheels available today. http://www.accuridewheels.com/lighttruckwheels.pdf I haven't found Ford documentation on what wheels were supplied at that time.

I would actually measure the rims you have and see what size they are. If you do have 7" rims, and you can verify no clearance issues on full lock, then I don't see why you shouldn't do this if you want to. Make sure any spare you carry is a 235 though. If you take a 265 spare and need to change a rear, then you'd have to put a pair of 265s on the rear, and a 235 on the front. Way more changing to do.

However, you also say that your rear is easily within the limits. In that consider the huge long overhang behind the rear axle that you almost certainly have. This means that any weight you can shift, or even weight you just add to the extreme rear will actually unweight the front.

150 lbs added all the way at the back could add 250lbs to the rear axle, and remove 100lbs from the front. So you may be able to solve this without different tires.

And if you're getting tires anyway, I really like this stem instead of extenders. 16' Accuride Steel Valve
I am not 100% sure of the rim size yet. Research on the internet shows most '97 F53's with a GVWR of 17k have 16 x 7 steel wheels. I did see one example of a 16 x 6 wheel so yes I agree I will have to measure my wheels first.
I did look at the link to Accuride. The catalog shows 16 x 6 for rear dually's, the front wheels are not listed for F53. The front wheels for the F-350 show 16 x 7. I can't imagine the F53 would use smaller front wheels then the F-350.
If mine are indeed 16 x 6, I found quite a few sources for F53 stock 16 x 7 -10 bolt wheels.
I also checked steering lock to lock tire clearance and have plenty of room available.
I agree about the spare. I did think about that and was happy when finding the stock 235/85/16 is the same outside diameter. Pretty sure I would not have room for the 265/75/16 on the rear dually's due to it's wider tread interfering with dual spacing.

Quote:
What weight could you load more on the front tires.
mikron, as stated in my OP, the goal is not to overload the axle. The goal is to provide myself peace of mind that I am not pushing the envelope by running the front tires too close to the max weight rating.
It sounds like wa8yxm understands what I am trying to accomplish here.
Wanabee FTer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2010, 10:05 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 393
Quote:
Originally Posted by mfire1339 View Post
mpaton , the wheels you refer to are light duty truck. not f53 wheels.

Mike
I have bought 2 of those Accuride 16x6 wheels, part number 29851, and they are identical in every respect to those on my 1994 F53 15,200lb GVWR chassis with 215/85-16 tires.

They are for the Ford F-Super Duty, and Ford F-53 of that era. So I believe they are both medium duty truck and at least one of the fitted F-53 wheel sizes.

I understand the main discussion is about 16x7 wheels for the higher GVWR F53 chassis with 235 tires.

Do you know of a supplier for them?
mpaton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2010, 10:16 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 393
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wanabee FTer View Post
If mine are indeed 16 x 6, I found quite a few sources for F53 stock 16 x 7 -10 bolt wheels.
Can you post one? I have only found those web sites that promise anything once you fill in their form. I think I have seen photos of RV data sheets showing 235 tires on 16x7 rims; I just haven't found a reliable source for them. The 16x6 rims match my lighter weight 1994 F-53 chassis wheels for 215 tires.

As it sounds like you are prepared to do the work to use different sizes front and rear, you may as well consider a 19.5" wheel and tire. Rickson Wheel Manufacturing

Is your Gulfstream arranged so that it is practical to move weight back? Or is that idea a non-starter?
mpaton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2010, 10:35 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Wanabee FTer's Avatar
 
Gulf Streamers Club
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Golden Village Palms, CA
Posts: 1,988
Blog Entries: 12
mpaton, your right. The sites I saw are online are used parts locating services and charge a fee just to look for a part. Oh well, back to measuring the front wheels to see if they are 7" wide. I edited my last post because I noticed Accuride only lists the rear wheels in 10 bolt. The listing for fronts has 16 x 7 in 8 hole for F-350 but no F53 listing, so I am still confused. Do they stamp the wheel size next to the valve stem on the stock steel wheels?
Hopine to keep costs to a minimum so don't really want to replace all wheels and tires with larger diameter.
Wanabee FTer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2010, 11:14 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
KC1BUD's Avatar
 
Winnebago Owners Club
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 497
Quote:
Originally Posted by wa8yxm View Post
I would agree. that so long as you do not exceed the vehicle's maximum AXLE rating. Using "Stronger" tires is not a bad thing.. When I replace mine I will very likely do the same.. use a higher load rating.

I am a fan of using stronger materials than you need to use (That is keeping away from the maximum load rating)

Cool, I think I will get me some of those 130 mph tires, Motor home won't ever go that fast, but you never know.
KC1BUD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2010, 11:16 AM   #12
Senior Member
 
Fleetwood Owners Club
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Fernley,NV
Posts: 434
Generally most steel rims are stamped on backside of rim, requires removal from rig. Even worse are those that are stamped on inside of rim.
__________________
David F
Topflite51 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2010, 12:12 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Austin, TX
Posts: 393
Quote:
Originally Posted by Wanabee FTer View Post
mpaton, your right. The sites I saw are online are used parts locating services and charge a fee just to look for a part. Oh well, back to measuring the front wheels to see if they are 7" wide. I edited my last post because I noticed Accuride only lists the rear wheels in 10 bolt. The listing for fronts has 16 x 7 in 8 hole for F-350 but no F53 listing, so I am still confused. Do they stamp the wheel size next to the valve stem on the stock steel wheels?
Hopine to keep costs to a minimum so don't really want to replace all wheels and tires with larger diameter.
I'm not exactly sure where you're seeing front and rear wheels in the Accuride catalog. I see single wheels and dual wheels, but that means chassis that take single wheels on the rear or dual wheels on the rear. All front hubs are set up to use one of the same wheels as on the rear. So part number 29851 is a dual wheel that will mount as a pair on the rear axle or singly on the front. Single wheels doesn't mean front wheels. Or maybe you're looking somewhere else I haven't noticed.

My 16x6 wheels DO have the size stamped somewhere, I just don't remember where. Even if the stamping was on the inside, it's not so bad, because essentially your F-53 has the outside viewable on the front, and the inside viewable on the rear, with the wheel covers off.
mpaton is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12-17-2010, 01:04 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
Wanabee FTer's Avatar
 
Gulf Streamers Club
Ford Super Duty Owner
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Golden Village Palms, CA
Posts: 1,988
Blog Entries: 12
Quote:
I'm not exactly sure where you're seeing front and rear wheels in the Accuride catalog
Guess I was seeing what I wanted to see. Your right about the single and dual wheels.
Well, I didn't have to remove the wheel covers to find the wheel size. I did not realize they print it right on the GS spec sheet at driver seating area. 16 x 6 so that blows that idea Seems odd there would not be a way to obtain 16 x 7 10 bolt wheels, If anyone knows where to find them please let me know. Otherwise If I decide to continue, I will need to start saving my penny's to upgrade to the 19.5 wheels and tires.
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	GSDataSheet.jpg
Views:	125
Size:	172.1 KB
ID:	7273  
Wanabee FTer is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply



Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Tires? Greg A Country Coach Owners Forum 7 07-23-2010 12:12 PM
Bias vs Radial Tires MikenAmber Travel Trailer Discussion 2 07-07-2010 07:38 PM
Change Front Tires to 315 from 295 jsabatinos Monaco Owner's Forum 5 06-24-2010 06:55 AM
Onan Generator Quits On Start With No Load Birddog Pilot Alpine Coach Owner's Forum 26 08-11-2008 10:49 AM
Best price is not always the BEST on tires supercub Workhorse and Chevrolet Chassis Motorhome Forum 4 07-18-2007 06:44 PM

» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:15 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.