Upgraded Tires and Rims

[RMB]

Well, I took the plunge. The 14" OEM wheel rims and GYM tires came off my 2010 International 23 and I had 15" rims and Michelin LT tires installed over the weekend.

The Michelins are a larger tire but fit in the wheel wells without any issues. Not a lot of clearance but there is enough and, as they say, a miss is as good as a mile. My spare is still a 14" tire/wheel and I know I will have to stretch the spare rack for a 15" wheel/tire to fit but thats for another day after my VISA card cools down.

Result: The trailer tows as well as it always has so I found no difference there; I can't persuade my wife to ride in the trailer for a 100 km to see if the ride is smoother(!) so no report on that ; the trailer rides higher and gives me more clearance-which pleases me. We take a lot of back country roads and boondock and I always worry about the water tanks' clearance being so close to the road underneath, and as we are often on and off ferry ramps here in the Pacific Northwest, and we often scraped the rear end - it will be much less of a concern now. Lastly, as we head out to Mexico for two months and given the quality of their roads, I feel a lot more at ease that I wont have tire troubles now that the GYMs are gone..

Ill post photos as soon as I get them off my cell phone.

[ROBERT CROSS]

"........Result: The trailer tows as well as it always has so I found no difference there; I can't persuade my wife to ride in the trailer for a 100 km to see if the ride is smoother(!) so no report on that......"

RMB,

I do the trailer ride the beginning of every Season...couple miles usually does it.

You need to get your co-pilot checked out, the trips are much more enjoyable when sharing the driving....it's also a great help in case of an emergency.

Bob

[JDS]

Hi RMB,

Could you give the data on your replacement wheels & tires? I have a 2011 23' Int'l. with 14" also and thought about getting replacements for my GYMs but couldn't fid anything really good in a 14" tire, so a 15" solution seems to make sense. Would appreciate your thought process regarding what you ended up with.

Thanks in advance,

John S.

[RMB]

Hi John,

We travel quite a bit with our trailer. Last year - 10,000 miles to Belize and back- In a week we head back to Mexico for 2 months- Interstate, dirt and back roads. The Forum here has made me very conscious of the GYM tires failure possibility not to mention the usual damage that follows, so I have been examining my tires carefully every day we travel. I dont like the wear I see, the small bulges or swellings in the sidewalls and the clearance is an issue. I researched the GYM tires' reliability here as well on other RV sites. Following the lead taken by others here on this forum, I decided to go with a light truck tire from a quality brand - Michelin.
I bought LTX M/S 225/75R15 and matched them to an "Ultra" rim Type 62 which matches the old rims style pretty well.Kal Tire - provided the rims and tires. They are closely associated with Les Schwab Tires in the US. I will have photos up in a little while and you can see for yourself the difference in size and the "loo"..
I feel totally at ease now, heading south to the not-the- best-roads-in-the -world-land!..

[woodfox45]

Did you get 15" or 16" rims ? what load range ? I didn't know of a 15" LT tire
Les Grace toledo Ohio wbcci#14183

[ROBERT CROSS]

IMHO....I still prefer the ST option...looking at these when the time comes.


ST225/75R15 Carlisle Radial Trailer Tire LR E 2,830 lb Capacity
Item Id:*TW-C5151411http://www.trailer-wheels.com/ST22575R15-Carlisle-Radial-Trailer-Tire-LR-E-2830-lb-Capacity_p_1133.html#.UNtwHI6f_zICarlisle : Radial Trail RH : ST225/75R15 5151411

Carlisle Radial Trail RH Tires

SIZE: ST225/75R15
PART: 5151411
SIDEWALL:
SPEEDRATING: 0
LOADRANGE: E (10 Ply)
UTQG:
PRICE: $119.64 ea
SHIPPING:



Bob

[Lucky Dog]

I know it is the common upgrade, 14" GYM to 15" Michellin LT, but Michellin also makes a 14" LT tire called the Agilis. It comes in a 205/75/R14 and load rated at 2266 lb at 69 psi that seems to match up pretty good. I put a set on my son's VW Westfalia camper years ago. Anybody ever use these as replacements for the GYM 14" to avoid the added expense of the rim change when going to a LT tire?

Rich

[JDS]

Originally Posted by Lucky Dog

I know it is the common upgrade, 14" GYM to 15" Michellin LT, but Michellin also makes a 14" LT tire called the Agilis. It comes in a 205/75/R14 and load rated at 2266 lb at 69 psi that seems to match up pretty good. I put a set on my son's VW Westfalia camper years ago. Anybody ever use these as replacements for the GYM 14" to avoid the added expense of the rim change when going to a LT tire?

Rich

Tried to get these recently and they are out of production, per Michelin.

John S.

[BAB]

Like many of us on the Forum, I replaced my brand new 15" wheels and GYM's with 16" Tredit wheels and Michelin LT's. After a year -- and about 10,000 miles, I am delighted with the upgrade. I monitor the tires with a TPMS and while I don't like to go over around 63 MPH, I've had to hustle a couple of times...and the larger wheel and tire is a definite confidence builder that I CAN go faster than 65 if I need/want to.

[RMB]

[RMB]

[RMB]

Michelin Agilis are available in Canada though Canadian Tire at 189$ per tire.

[JDS]

Originally Posted by RMB

Michelin Agilis are available in Canada though Canadian Tire at 189$ per tire.

I checked their website and it appears that there's only one size available and that's a 15" tire.

John S.

[BlackAces]

Originally Posted by RMB

Well, I took the plunge. The 14" OEM wheel rims and GYM tires came off my 2010 International 23 and I had 15" rims and Michelin LT tires installed over the weekend.

The Michelins are a larger tire but fit in the wheel wells without any issues. Not a lot of clearance but there is enough and, as they say, a miss is as good as a mile. My spare is still a 14" tire/wheel and I know I will have to stretch the spare rack for a 15" wheel/tire to fit but thats for another day after my VISA card cools down.

Result: The trailer tows as well as it always has so I found no difference there; I can't persuade my wife to ride in the trailer for a 100 km to see if the ride is smoother(!) so no report on that ; the trailer rides higher and gives me more clearance-which pleases me. We take a lot of back country roads and boondock and I always worry about the water tanks' clearance being so close to the road underneath, and as we are often on and off ferry ramps here in the Pacific Northwest, and we often scraped the rear end - it will be much less of a concern now. Lastly, as we head out to Mexico for two months and given the quality of their roads, I feel a lot more at ease that I wont have tire troubles now that the GYMs are gone..

Ill post photos as soon as I get them off my cell phone.

There is an industry procedure to follow that, in the end, will provide you, all persons that may service your tires, and all future owners with the correct (recommended) tire pressures for your upgraded (plus sized) tires. I can post it here in the open forum or as a PM. Your choice.

BlackAces.

p.s. I will need to know the size of the OEM tires and their replacements.