16" tires on a 2007 20 ' Safari, anyone done it?

[48Bob]

I know from reading as many threads as I can find that a lot of newer AS owners have been changing from the 15" wheels to 16" and running 225-75R16 LT tires. Was wondering if there are any 20' Safari owners that have made the change, and if there were any problems encountered with fit, etc. What wheel and tire combo did you use? Our tires are due for replacement and would like to do this swap if there aren't too many proablems involved. Thanks.

[Bluto]

Hi Bob,
Rollertoaster has a thread that you might have not seen and it has pics and measurements posted along with answering a lot of the questions about doing this same change over.
The thread is called: 15" to 16" wheels/ tires on 2007 Safari.
It's on a tandum axle 25ft
If you have a tandum axle that thread might help.
I can't remember if the 20 ft has the tandum axle or not.

[dkottum]

We have the same Airstream and would like to add to your question. What are the advantages of the larger wheel/tire combo?

[Action]

Advantages -
higher ground clearance
larger inside diameter for brake cooling, centramatics or a change to disc brakes
higher load capacity is possible - limited by other factors, like axle rating
different rim choices that are not available in 15"

Dissadvantages -
cost
changing a tire wheel combo may be more difficult
may not fit in the space available
may hit the wheel well top under severe conditions

>>>>>>>>>>>Action

[48Bob]

The 20' is a single axle trailer. And thanks Bluto, I did read that thread. Do like the looks of the wheels that he used, may try the same. I'm pretty sure that there is the clearance, but I would like to verify that with someone that has allready made the switch before I order in new tires and wheels. If no replies, I may just have to be the guinea pig and try it. dkottum - Another advantage that Action didn't mention is the tiresw sidewall toughness. We like to boondock, and some of the gravel roads out here are covered with large, sharp gravel that are a threat to any trailer tires.One reason that I would like to make the switch to the 16" LT tires is that I have towed horse trailers with this type of tire many thousands of miles over rough roads, both paved and not, without any problems of any kind, and with loads far exceeding that of our AS. Those tires are tough and usually give great mileage and peace of mind. My current Goodyear Marathons are showing sidewall checks now so I will have to replace tires anyway, so this would be the time to spend some additional money on new wheels and do it. Was hoping that someone else with a single axle 20' had allready done it. dkottum - Another advantage that Action didn't mention is the tires sidewall toughness. We like to boondock, and some of the gravel roads out here are covered with large, sharp gravel that are a threat to any trailer tires, the LT tires just seem to be a bit stronger for that type of use.

[2airishuman]

hi 48bob

the +/- list for going UP to 16s is primarily a greater range of tire options and higher load capacities.

don't forget the spare and IF it will fit in the holder.

lewster went to 16s on his 19 footer, that's about as close to the 20 as 1 can get.

many notes on this but these few (lew's posts) cover the change.

PAY ATTENTION 2 the primary caveat...

the tires may need to be DEFLATED to fit inside the wheel well and over the drum...

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f438...-ms-43493.html


http://www.airforums.com/forums/f438...tml#post367378

cheers
2air'

[48Bob]

Well, I said that I would post an up-date if we did change to 16" tires so here it is. We purchased three new 16" x 6" aluminum wheels from Tredit (the supplier of the 16" rims to Airstream). Their website (Tredit.com) shows the styles and sizes that they have available, and a list of locations where they can be purchased. I called most of them and found an incredible spread in prices from place to place for the exact same wheel ($78-$125 each). I ordered the lowest priced ones naturally, and they were delivered very quickly and in excellent condition. We had BFG Comercial TA LT225-75R16 tires mounted and balanced locally. They went onto our 20' Safari without having to make any modifications or even letting out air. The wheel well on the 20" must be slightly larger than on the 19'. They even fit into the spare tire carrier without any modifications, although it was a tight fit. We just recently returned from a 3500 mile trip and were very pleased with how they ran. We are glad we made the change. By the way, it is a very good thing that we made the change when we did. When I pulled the original 15" Goodyear Marathons off, one of them was buldged and only a few miles away from a blow-out. These tires were the original tires with only about 8000 miles on them. Hope this helps other 20' Safari owners out.

[Phoenix]

48Bob, thanks for the update. We will probably be trying the 16" wheel conversion on our next tire change, next year. We have been satisfied with the Maxxis tires, but would like the extra safety margin of LT tires.

Was it easy to determine which 16" wheels to order?

[dkottum]

Which wheel did you use?

[Ahab]

48bob, thanks for your input. I'll do the same on our 22' when it comes time to get new tires. We too do alot of boondocking and can use a bit more height.

[48Bob]

All of the Tredit 16" aluminum wheels have the same width (6 inches), zero offset and inside bore diameter so we just went with the ones we liked the best, the Split Spoke. Tredittire.com They fit great and look good. Hope this helps.