2016 Bambi Sport 16 tire upgrade to 15"

[Viggen]

I am looking to upgrade to a 15" tire. Will a 235/75/15 fit without major modification to wheel wheel? Thank you.

[D Greene]

Good question. If my memory serves, I believe the tech that did our orientation on our 2015 Sport 16 said no when I asked. I probably would call the factory on that one. I would like to know as well.

[Ron A]

I did make the move replacing my 14 inch wheels with 15 inch Michelin (235/75R15) on my 16 foot Bambi.



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[Ron A]

Originally Posted by Viggen

I am looking to upgrade to a 15" tire. Will a 235/75/15 fit without major modification to wheel wheel? Thank you.

Sendel T03-556545T 15x6 5/4.5 Aluminum T03 Trailer Wheel Silver Inlay. Ordered through Amazon (Ships from and sold by Recstuff).

Michelin LTX MS 235/75R15 purchased from local tire dealer replaced the 14 inch wheels on the 2015 Sport Bambi 16'.

Before I purchased I measured my wheel well clearance to make sure I was comfortable with the fit. Would encourage you to do the same before ordering.


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[D Greene]

Hi Ron. D. Greene here in western NC. I am interested in hearing more about the 15 inch wheels. After some time pulling with them are you still satisfied with the clearance? Any issues at all? Are the wheels themselves " plug and play" in terms of lug nut placement, brakes, etc. Did it give you a full inch of extra ground clearance? What is clearance in wheel well? I know that is a lot of questions. Thanks for your time and help.

[Ron A]

D. Greene, I just recently put the 15 inch wheels on. I am on my second trip now, first one was a short trip of about 50 miles, this trip approximately 370 miles as of today. Only makes approximately half an inch difference in height of the trailer. No multiplication needed for spare tire mount. Only slight modification around the outside trim to get a little more clear for my comfort. Photo attached. No other changes made. I measured very carefully before taking the leap to make sure. However remember all wheel wells may not be created equal. This is what worked for me, cannot say it will work for you please measure carefully please.


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[handn]

Ron A made a worth while change to his Bambi. 14" ST tires on a single axle trailer is problematic particularly in hot weather as a blowout at freeway speeds creates emergency handling issues. The smaller diameter tires makes the heat and speed problems on ST tires worse.
I was tire kicking on the lot and noticed many new Airstreams including double axle ones had 14 inch tires. The only reason I can imagine for this is corporate greed. MSRP for even the Bambis is over 50k, surely there is room in that price for quality tires.
I replaced the 15 inch 225 R 75 ST tires on my double axle 25 Safari with P 235 R 75 Michelin extra load. They fit fine as there is little difference in the tire size. I had lots of clearance to change a tire that was punctured by a screw.
The ride on my trailer is much improved as I am running 50 pounds of air, the maximum pressure listed on the tire. For a while I ran E rated ST tires on my trailer and the ride was like an oxcart and I still had tire problems.

[D Greene]

Thank you for the detailed reply. Safe travels.

[tjwoods1]

What would the advantage be of having 15" tires ?

[D Greene]

From reading the forum it seems many folks are of the opinion that there are better quality tires available in the 15 inch size. Also affords a little more ground clearance. But I know next to nothing about trailer tires. My interest is increasing ground clearance.

[scamp]

Originally Posted by Ron A

D. Greene, I just recently put the 15 inch wheels on. I am on my second trip now, first one was a short trip of about 50 miles, this trip approximately 370 miles as of today. Only makes approximately half an inch difference in height of the trailer. No multiplication needed for spare tire mount. Only slight modification around the outside trim to get a little more clear for my comfort. Photo attached. No other changes made. I measured very carefully before taking the leap to make sure. However remember all wheel wells may not be created equal. This is what worked for me, cannot say it will work for you please measure carefully please.Attachment 251768


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Hi Ron
You said slight modifications to the trim to fit your 15 inch new rims and tires, can you explain more on the modifications to the trim and if you have pictures that would be great !
Thanks
Don

[woodguy2]

Originally Posted by D Greene

From reading the forum it seems many folks are of the opinion that there are better quality tires available in the 15 inch size. Also affords a little more ground clearance. But I know next to nothing about trailer tires. My interest is increasing ground clearance.

You gain half an inch from 14 to 15 in. tire

[woodguy2]

so the factory tires are not safe to use or do you get a bumpy ride w/factory 14 tires dbl axle?

[NC Camper]

If ground clearance is the issue, would a lift kit not be the way to go? Bigger wheels/tires may lead to other problems, and only give a minimal increase in clearance, as described above.

[woodguy2]

why not just raise the trailer @ the axles? \

[D Greene]

I suppose my thinking was if I could "kill two birds with one stone" by getting a more reliable tire and clearance at same time why not? But only a half inch is hardly worth it. A lift kit would be the answer I guess.

[tjwoods1]

I put a Dexter Lift Kit on my Bambi Sport 16' that has greatly improved my clearance. So far, so good. However, looking ahead, I know I will eventually need to replace my tires. Does Michelin make a 14" tire that would fit the 16' Sport? Also, I've read on the forum how people recommend LT rather than ST tires. If 14" Michelin tires are not an option - I've read that some have put 15" tires on their Sport. Will having the Lift Kit on the axle make putting 15" tires easier or more difficult? Are there any warnings about having the lift kit and larger tires (center of gravity shift, or something)?

[switz]

We had the stock 14" tires and wheels on our 2015 23D. We used the 15" SenDel T03-56545T wheels and the 15" Michelin LTX (P) 235/75R15 XL tires plus the Centramatic 200-221 wheel balancers. This raised the axle 1.1" over stock height or to the same elevation of our 2013 25FB with these same tires. These tires are derated to 1,983 pounds for trailer use.

[tjwoods1]

So I'm still uncertain. Will having the Dexter lift kit on my 16' Bambi complicate getting larger tires? (14" to 15"). Any safety issues that might arise?

[switz]

Getting the trailer too high could impact stability. Note that a lift kit does NOT raise the axles higher off the ground. Only larger tires will increase the ground clearance under the axle.

The Michelin LT225/75R16/E LTX M/S2 tires are load rated 2,680 pounds @ 80 psi and are 29.2" in diameter.

The Michelin Michelin LTX (P) 235/75R15 XL tires sidewall load rating is 2,183 pounds @ 50 psi but is derated to 1,985 pounds and has a 28.9" diameter.

The GoodYear Marathon ST215/75R14C tires are load rated 1,870 pounds @ 50 psi and are 26.7" in diameter.

So going from 14" tires to 16" tires, the tire diameter increases 2.5" and raises the axle about 1.25" higher off the ground.

Another factor is that the hitch will be higher and may make the connection to the tow vehicle more challenging. Fortunately there are balls with ½" incremental increases in the shaft length to help get the trailer level.

Doing just the 15" tire and wheel upgrade allows our 23D to be at the same elevation that our 25FB was on the same tires and thus we are able to use the modified straight through Hensley stinger we had in stock.

The SenDel wheel company make both a 14" and 15" wheel that will fit the 14" 5/4.50" bolt circle with zero offset and the same 3.19" center bore so the original stainless steel hub can be used in both wheel sizes. They also make both a 15" and 16" wheel that will fit the 15" 6/5.50" bolt circle with zero offset and the same 4.25" center bore so the original stainless steel hub can be used in both wheel sizes.

http://www.sendelwheel.com/wheels/t03bm