Tire Conversion

[LSC9901]

My "Vintage" MH currently has bias ply 8.75 x 16.5 tires. Does anyone know if there is a conversion out there to determine what a radial tire would be ? What are the issues of mixing radials with bias ply? I've read many posts and heard different views regarding the mixing of the two.

[450Donn]

DO NOT mix tire types. All sorts of weird handling issues can arise if you do. As far as your tire size, it would simply be a 8.75R16.5. But I seriously doubt you are going to have much luck finding any 16.5 tires any more. Might be wiser to locate 17.5 inch wheels and upgrade to a newer size.

[pwf16129]

just did this earlier this year depends what you want to spend, Firestone and Goodyear both still make 16.5 tires about two hundred a pop, they can convert the size for you but most likely will have to ordered. be sure to ck tire revs as one size they recommend will make you run slower and the next size will closer to the 16 tires
i bought used 16 inch wheels from a truck salvage at $60 bucks each then bought 235-85-16 tires they are readily available just about anywhere and have a much higher weight carrying capacity and slowed my engine rpms down.
but check your clearances before going this way i think it will work ok as your rig looks a lot like mine i cked mine with my air ride all the down just in case it gave out.
put about 1600 miles on it so far with zero problems once i lowered the air pressure to 65 psi
hope this helps

[fireflymin]

I too have discovered this problem....Can't believe that they are so hard to find....sad but true....I've exhausted my efforts and finally decided to convert to 16s...because this seems to be the popular way to go....I went to our local junk yard and finally after several trips...located the correct 16 inch heavy duty rims for a chevy chassis.....Learned alot about the differece between chevy and ford rims....8 lug----blah blah blah....Bought 7 rims...cleaned them up and painted them...Now saving my $$$$ so I can buy all the tires at the same time.... Right now, the 16.5s that are on there look pretty good and I don't have any long trips planned, so gonna keep them on until the funding improves...plus with hurricane season at it's peak...gotta figure on getting ready to get out of dodge in a minutes notice..... focusing on getting the marker lights replaced and little interior issues....

[Ft.Tioga]

Hi there-
Just got a 1981 Tioga RV. Love it so far! Problem being we need new tires....
8.75x16.5 all the way around on it now. What would be the best road to take in getting new rubber on this rig?

-change rims with new size
-order Firestone same size

Has anyone had luck/a good time with Firestone tires on their rig?

[Phobos]

Best advice I can give is: Find a set of 16 inch wheels that will fit your rig and ditch the 16.5's.
I just went through this last summer, it is much easier to find 16 inch tires than 16.5's
Consider being out on the road and needing to buy a replacement. Finding a replacement 16.5 will be difficult at best, and most likely time consuming.