Ordering International Serenity 30 - 16" wheels?

[wwillson]

Been lurking here for a while and am finally making my first post.

We are ordering a International Serenity 30RB, which will be delivered in July. I have the option, for $2200, to have 16" wheels from the factory. I've read many threads in this forum contrasting the difference between 15" and 16" wheels and the tires that accompany the respective wheels. We plan to have this trailer for many years and the hope is to visit 49 states and as many national parks as we can.

My inclination is to spend the extra $ and order with the 16" wheels. Do you think this is money well spent, or a waste?

Thanks,

Wayne

[sgschwend]

Is only the tires and wheel changing. I don't understand why the increase. Looks like you are not receiving a credit for the 15". Contrary to the thread here I have not found any issue with finding good load ratings 15" trailer tires.

The other important detail is the factory angle of the axle, you might want to investigate the angle. Recent replacement axle for AS owners tend to have more angle. It would be nice to start with a higher angle. I like the suggestion posted in axle threads suggesting the owner to lift the weight off the axles when parked at home, I have the equipment in my covered storage which shows the right spot to back the trailer to, then slide the jacks in and take the load off.

Also folks really like disc brakes is that an option or standard now?

[Action]

The reason to move to the 16" set up is to get more load capacity which gives a better margin. And 16s have more selection.

In my opinion it is a waste of money IF you don't know what is your max towed. If you know that on a per wheel basis and have a 15% to 20% load margin on that wheel you are good to go. Any more and in my opinion you are wasting money. That is a common scenario for cars. The load capacity for a car far far exceeds what that car will have in it's life time. Not so much for trailers. I have seen (and have bought) trailers that a 2% margin in load capacity over the actual load when the tire pressure was set at max. That is living on the edge. I like excitement, just not that kind.

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

[wulfraat]

Stick with the 15” Goodyear endurance that come standard - they are as good as the 16” Michelin’s - I’ve had both.

If they were still shipping with Goodyear marathons I’d say switch - but the endurance are a different animal - much better tire, 87mph speed rating and 2,830lb load rating - which is way more than you need for your 8,800lb gvwr 30’ trailer.

Remember - if you run an LT tire (like the 16” Michelins) on a trailer you should de-rate the load rating by 10%. This is not the case for ST trailer tires like the endurance.