13" Tires or/vs 15" Tires?

[Tony Rubi]

We are trying to decide between two 16' trailers with one having 13" Tires and the other 15" Tires. Many of the camp grounds we go to are off of dirt/gravel roads. At times the roads can get quite rough with potholes and ruts, especially, following the monsoons. Being anxious to get a trailer, the 13" Tire model would be available in about a month whereas the 15" Tire model won't be available for around 5 months. We would appreciate any advice if it would be better to wait for the model with the 15" Tires. Does anyone have any regrets of getting a 13" tire over the 15"? Most of our camping is done in the mountains and in "out of the way camp grounds". We are not always on smooth sailing highways. Thanks for any advice.

[Roy in TO]

In the grand scheme of things, depending on the tire profile, there is only about a 1" difference in clearance because the tire sizes are referencing the diameter of the rim. 15-13=2, 2/2=1

Other design factors may affect the clearance, that is worth asking about.

[Bob Miller]

I agree with Roy in TO:

There are about 100 other items that I would place higher on my criteria list for selecting a trailer.

If the one with the 13" tires won out, I would consider raising it a bit with bigger tires AFTER I found out that the 13" tires were, in fact, a problem.

[Roy in TO]

And you might want to make sure the wheel well will handle a larger tire. What trailer are you looking at with the 13" tires? Maybe someone will pipe in with their experience.

[Tony Rubi]

Thanks to all for their advice and suggestions. We are considering buying a 16' scamp but not sure if their 13" tires will be suitable for constant traveling over rough dirt/gravel roads

[SharonM]

14" tires will work on most 16' Scamps. I have one and will be ordering 14" tires soon from etrailer.com (cost is less there than anywhere else I've looked). That's only a 1/2" increase in height tho. If you were looking for a 3.5-4" height increase on a 16' then you'd need an axle lift.

S.

[Carol H]

If it helps at all , my 16' Scamp has been running around on gravel roads with pot holes without any issues. Yup even been down your way out in the Arizona desert BML lands.

[Donna D.]

If you're really concerned about height, check the axle tube. There's very little difference between the two unless the "down" has been changed or there's a spacer between the frame and the axle bracket (or weld).

I'm running 15" tires on my Scamp, but the axle is a 45 degree down.

[Terry G]

Does Scamp offer a lift option like Casita? If it was me, that would be a lot more important than the tires. My egg spends a lot of time on dirt roads and there's been times when I have had problems with ground clearance. Recently, I ended up cutting off the stairs because they got too bent up. I think that 15" tires would probably last a little longer, but that seems like the only advantage.

[Perry J]

My camping is all in the Desert or Fire Safe areas in the Forest.
I had 16' Scamp for several years and never had a problem with the 13" wheels.
I towed it many miles on Desert and Forest Service roads that probably hadn't seen a grader in many years.
John