Tire size? - Fiberglass RV
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 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?
aimeelightsey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 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
Michael W A is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2011, 03:54 PM   #3
Member
 
Name: Aimee
Trailer: currently shopping
California
Posts: 62
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael W A View Post
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...
aimeelightsey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 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
Michael W A is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2011, 04:11 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
honda03842's Avatar
 
Name: Norm and Ginny
Trailer: Scamp 16
Florida
Posts: 7,517
Quote:
Originally Posted by aimeelightsey View Post
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
honda03842 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2011, 04:53 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Greg H's Avatar
 
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.
Greg H is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2011, 04:54 PM   #7
Member
 
Name: Aimee
Trailer: currently shopping
California
Posts: 62
Thanks for the info!
aimeelightsey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2011, 05:20 PM   #8
Moderator
 
Frederick L. Simson's Avatar
 
Trailer: Fiber Stream 1978 / Honda Odyssey LX 2003
Posts: 8,222
Registry
Send a message via AIM to Frederick L. Simson
Talking I resemble that remark...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg H View Post
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
Frederick L. Simson is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-05-2011, 05:24 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
Greg H's Avatar
 
Name: Greg
Trailer: 72 Boler American
Indiana
Posts: 1,557
I have three Wieners and a Great Dane so it was easy.
Greg H is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2011, 07:13 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Victor Benz's Avatar
 
Trailer: Fiber Stream 1982 16 ft
Posts: 362
Registry
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:
  1. higher load rating
  2. more tread to wear per mile travelled
  3. 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
Victor Benz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2011, 02:38 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
Trailer: 1980 Burro
Posts: 288
Quote:
Originally Posted by Victor Benz View Post
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:
  1. higher load rating
  2. more tread to wear per mile travelled
  3. 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.
Andy B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2011, 07:10 PM   #12
Raz
Senior Member
 
Raz's Avatar
 
Trailer: Trillium 2010
Posts: 5,185
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy B View Post
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
Raz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-06-2011, 08:15 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Trailer: 1980 Burro
Posts: 288
Quote:
Originally Posted by P. Raz View Post
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.
Andy B is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2011, 04:09 AM   #14
Raz
Senior Member
 
Raz's Avatar
 
Trailer: Trillium 2010
Posts: 5,185
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andy B View Post
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.
Raz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-07-2011, 07:32 AM   #15
Senior Member
 
Name: Peter
Trailer: 1971 Amerigo
Colorado
Posts: 252
Quote:
Originally Posted by P. Raz View Post
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.
Peter_Crowl is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-08-2011, 08:02 AM   #16
Senior Member
 
Trailer: 1980 Burro
Posts: 288
Quote:
Originally Posted by P. Raz View Post
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.
Andy B 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
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

» Upcoming Events
No events scheduled in
the next 465 days.
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 02:56 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.