Why the change from 15 to 16 tires?

[hanktheyank]

Haven't been following wheel issues. Why the change from 15 to 16? I have a 2012 flying Cloud 27fb. And will check -- but assume I have std. 15". Planning a cross country trip next spring. Are there safety/reliability issues?

[Snaken49]

Originally Posted by hanktheyank

Haven't been following wheel issues. Why the change from 15 to 16? I have a 2012 flying Cloud 27fb. And will check -- but assume I have std. 15". Planning a cross country trip next spring. Are there safety/reliability issues?

I think the main concern driving the wheel and tire upgrades is the failure rate for the original Goodyear Marathon (GYM) stock tires due to belt separation which can cause a lot of damage to your rig.

Upgrading to 16" wheels allows for a much better tire with greater load capacity and reliability which equal piece of mind.

I wound up going the upgrade route after finding a pending belt separation on my GYM tires that only had 6000 miles. see the link below:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f438...ar-105296.html

You may want to also read the following thread: "Oh No, Marathon issue!

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f438...sue-89518.html

Not wanting to risk a tire failure I parked my rig until the wheels and tires were replaced. Recommend you inspect your tires and brakes before taking a long trip.

Good luck on your trip!

[Wingeezer]

Originally Posted by hanktheyank

Haven't been following wheel issues. Why the change from 15 to 16? I have a 2012 flying Cloud 27fb. And will check -- but assume I have std. 15". Planning a cross country trip next spring. Are there safety/reliability issues?

It isn't so much 15" vs 16" but rather getting away from ST tires (Special Trailer) which many folk now think are less reliable than tires used on Cars/trucks - although supposedly, ST tires incorporate features specially suited to trailer use.

The reason people are moving to 16" wheels is that for many trailers, you need to move to the larger wheel diameter to be able get a LT (Light Truck) tire that is rated to carry the trailer load.

On smaller trailers some folk are sticking with the 15" wheel size but moving to
a Michelin tire that is not an ST. Not sure off hand if it is an LT or P(Passenger) tire in that case. A search will no doubt identify what has been used. I think Can Am, the AS dealer in London Ont had been using them with success for many years.

Brian.