|
05-05-2011, 03:29 PM
|
#1
|
Member
Name: Aimee
Trailer: currently shopping
California
Posts: 62
|
Tire size?
Is it better in general to have 14 inch tires vs 13 on an rv?
15 foot rv, about 2400 lbs loaded?
|
|
|
05-05-2011, 03:41 PM
|
#2
|
Junior Member
Trailer: Casita 17 ft Spirit Deluxe
Posts: 21
|
Is it better in general to have 14 inch tires vs 13 on an rv?
15 foot rv, about 2400 lbs loaded?
I believe most people opt for the larger tire and wheel sizes.
Mike
|
|
|
05-05-2011, 03:54 PM
|
#3
|
Member
Name: Aimee
Trailer: currently shopping
California
Posts: 62
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael W A
Is it better in general to have 14 inch tires vs 13 on an rv?
15 foot rv, about 2400 lbs loaded?
I believe most people opt for the larger tire and wheel sizes.
Mike
|
Yes, you are right -- people have a preference there. Just wondering if there is a reason why...
|
|
|
05-05-2011, 04:06 PM
|
#4
|
Junior Member
Trailer: Casita 17 ft Spirit Deluxe
Posts: 21
|
Yes, you are right -- people have a preference there. Just wondering if there is a reason why...
Generally the larger sizes have greater carrying capacity and perhaps a wider selection of tire brands available. Tires and their failures cause many an issue with trailers.
Mike
|
|
|
05-05-2011, 04:11 PM
|
#5
|
Senior Member
Name: Norm and Ginny
Trailer: Scamp 16
Florida
Posts: 7,517
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by aimeelightsey
Yes, you are right -- people have a preference there. Just wondering if there is a reason why...
|
Tires are rated for their abilty to support a load in pounds. Generally the larger the diameter, the larger the load that can be supported.
For example, the best 13 inch Goodyear Marathon is rated to support 1480 pounds at maximum inflation per tire.
The best 14 inch Goodyear Marathon is rated to support 1870 pounds at maximum inflation per tire.
Larger tires simply provide more margin and is the reason some people go up one size.
Hope this helps,
Norm
|
|
|
05-05-2011, 04:53 PM
|
#6
|
Senior Member
Name: Greg
Trailer: 72 Boler American
Indiana
Posts: 1,557
|
The larger tire also makes less revolutions per mile. 15" tow tires and 13" trailer tires,
think of a Great Dane and a Wiener dog in a foot race.
|
|
|
05-05-2011, 04:54 PM
|
#7
|
Member
Name: Aimee
Trailer: currently shopping
California
Posts: 62
|
Thanks for the info!
|
|
|
05-05-2011, 05:20 PM
|
#8
|
Moderator
Trailer: Fiber Stream 1978 / Honda Odyssey LX 2003
Posts: 8,222
|
I resemble that remark...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg H
think of a Great Dane and a Wiener dog in a foot race.
|
I have dual axles with 12" tires. I like that Wiener Dog analogy!
__________________
Frederick - The Scaleman
|
|
|
05-05-2011, 05:24 PM
|
#9
|
Senior Member
Name: Greg
Trailer: 72 Boler American
Indiana
Posts: 1,557
|
I have three Wieners and a Great Dane so it was easy.
|
|
|
05-06-2011, 07:13 AM
|
#10
|
Senior Member
Trailer: Fiber Stream 1982 16 ft
Posts: 362
|
Remember, the 12", 13", or 14" being quoted is the diameter of the rim, not the tire. What is as, or more important, is the tire profile itself; the distance from the rim bead to the tread. It is possible to have a 14" rim with a very low profile tire that has a smaller "tread" diameter than a 12" rim with a high profile tire.
Generally, a larger "tread" diameter is preferable because: - higher load rating
- more tread to wear per mile travelled
- lower rpm, meaning wheel bearings should last longer.
Of course, this assumes the larger tire will fit within the wheel well. As Frederick says, our Fiber Streams have 12 " rims. Having said that, the tires do have a high profile. We cannot really put in a higher profile because the spacing between the two axles is quite limited!
Vic
|
|
|
05-06-2011, 02:38 PM
|
#11
|
Senior Member
Trailer: 1980 Burro
Posts: 288
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Victor Benz
Remember, the 12", 13", or 14" being quoted is the diameter of the rim, not the tire. What is as, or more important, is the tire profile itself; the distance from the rim bead to the tread. It is possible to have a 14" rim with a very low profile tire that has a smaller "tread" diameter than a 12" rim with a high profile tire.
Generally, a larger "tread" diameter is preferable because: - higher load rating
- more tread to wear per mile travelled
- lower rpm, meaning wheel bearings should last longer.
Of course, this assumes the larger tire will fit within the wheel well. As Frederick says, our Fiber Streams have 12 " rims. Having said that, the tires do have a high profile. We cannot really put in a higher profile because the spacing between the two axles is quite limited!
Vic
|
If all other things are equal, a higher profile tire will be more susceptible to trailer sway.
|
|
|
05-06-2011, 07:10 PM
|
#12
|
Senior Member
Trailer: Trillium 2010
Posts: 5,185
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy B
If all other things are equal, a higher profile tire will be more susceptible to trailer sway.
|
Is this because it increases the ground clearance, changing the center of gravity and air flow around the trailer? Raz
|
|
|
05-06-2011, 08:15 PM
|
#13
|
Senior Member
Trailer: 1980 Burro
Posts: 288
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by P. Raz
Is this because it increases the ground clearance, changing the center of gravity and air flow around the trailer? Raz
|
No, I said if all other things are equal, (not a larger diameter tire, just a taller tire sidewall) so the trailer would not be any higher. It is because the tire sidewall is taller and can flex more. If there are 2 tires of the same diameter and side wall thickness, and one uses a 13" rim and the other uses a 15" rim, the 13" rim tire can flex side to side more than the 15" rim tire.
|
|
|
05-07-2011, 04:09 AM
|
#14
|
Senior Member
Trailer: Trillium 2010
Posts: 5,185
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy B
No, I said if all other things are equal, (not a larger diameter tire, just a taller tire sidewall) so the trailer would not be any higher. It is because the tire sidewall is taller and can flex more. If there are 2 tires of the same diameter and side wall thickness, and one uses a 13" rim and the other uses a 15" rim, the 13" rim tire can flex side to side more than the 15" rim tire.
|
This is new stuff to me. Most folks talk about going from say a 13" to a 14" tire to gain ground clearance. What you are saying is that another reason might be to reduce sway. One could get a larger rim and smaller profile tire and the diameter would be the same so the tire would fit in the same wheel well.
|
|
|
05-07-2011, 07:32 AM
|
#15
|
Senior Member
Name: Peter
Trailer: 1971 Amerigo
Colorado
Posts: 252
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by P. Raz
This is new stuff to me. Most folks talk about going from say a 13" to a 14" tire to gain ground clearance. What you are saying is that another reason might be to reduce sway. One could get a larger rim and smaller profile tire and the diameter would be the same so the tire would fit in the same wheel well.
|
That could be a reason. In some configurations the taller sidewall is part of the suspension. Moreso - IME - on trailers with smaller wheels.
10" trailer tires are expensive so people swich to 12's which are about the same diameter but the 10 was originally chosen because it absorbs more shock than a 12.
|
|
|
05-08-2011, 08:02 AM
|
#16
|
Senior Member
Trailer: 1980 Burro
Posts: 288
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by P. Raz
This is new stuff to me. Most folks talk about going from say a 13" to a 14" tire to gain ground clearance. What you are saying is that another reason might be to reduce sway. One could get a larger rim and smaller profile tire and the diameter would be the same so the tire would fit in the same wheel well.
|
Yes, that is correct. That is the reason the low profile tires were developed, to improve driving performance due to the sidewall height, although I think most people choose them for looks if they are not just replacing the same size. Using a low profile tire can increase the possibility of rim damage because the rim is closer to the ground. Wider tires can increase the diameter as well.
As far as I can tell, the main reason that ST tires are recommended over passenger car tires is the sway issue due to sidewall stiffness. Although a lower profile passenger car tire may have as much sidewall stiffness as a higher profile ST tire. Another reason frequently given is load capacity, however when I was looking for tires it was easy to find passenger car tires with plenty of load capacity. I decided on light truck (LT) tires because they had very good sidewall stiffness, very high load capacity, much better speed rating and I expect they will have better reliability than ST tires.
The thing that scares me most about ST tires is the speed rating. As far as I know the highest speed rating I have heard is 65 mph while P and LT tires frequently have speed ratings of 130 mph or more. Many people drive close to, at, or above 65 mph and that does not leave much margin. Even driving at 55 mph is using 85% of the speed rating and it would be easy to start going faster down a hill. Using almost anything up close to it's maximum rated level will increase the failure rate compared to using the same thing at half it's rated level. I will be using the LT tires at less than half their load capacity and around half their speed capacity, depending on how fast I get going down a hill.
|
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
Similar Threads
|
Thread |
Thread Starter |
Forum |
Replies |
Last Post |
Tire Size
|
Pat C |
Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners |
2 |
04-08-2010 09:46 PM |
Scamp 19' tire size?
|
Randya |
General Chat |
15 |
06-11-2009 04:54 PM |
scamp 13 tire size
|
jmacchi |
Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners |
2 |
04-12-2009 06:21 PM |
Tire Size for Trillium
|
Barry Konkin |
Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners |
11 |
03-10-2009 11:22 AM |
Boler tire size?
|
Cory K |
Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners |
5 |
05-13-2007 11:49 AM |
|
» Recent Discussions |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
» Upcoming Events |
No events scheduled in the next 465 days.
|
|