16" Wheels on 2015

[21Airstream]

I wish more people were concerned about traffic safety.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Balancing a new tire and wheel is nice, but that does not take care of the hub and drum.

Two things a person can do.

1. Find a shop that can balance the tire, wheel hub and drum as an assembly.

2. Balance the tire and wheel, and then install Centramatic balancers.

I am amazed at the demand for the Centramatics.

Seldom do you ever see a product that is so cheap, and yet does so much, especially for peace of mind.

Andy

[moosetags]

Old Lucy had the 16" Michelins with the Centramatic balancers. I put 60,000 miles on those tires without ever rotating them. When I traded Old Lucy in, those tires hardly showed any tread wear, and I never had a single issue with them.

Brian

[renderit]

I have a 2015 20' single axle. Ran it last year up to the mountains, probably 4000 miles and maybe 500 since. I have been reading all of these threads and trying to figure out all this stuff. I certainly don't want to find out the hard way I should have changed them out.

Can ANYBODY tell me what to get EXACTLY? Include the Centramatics. And where is a good place to get them. I would assume full load as I'll bet I get pretty close at times. Include info like steel stems etc. I am really tire stupid and y'all are making me feel stupider. More stupid? Exceedingly stoopid?

[renderit]

Dug through a bunch of stuff and got my answer. Michelin LTXMS2 225/75R16 E rating with Sendel T03-66655 (I did BM for black accents), Centramatic 200-221Special, and Einkey Valve stems. And the search feature was worthless...

[switz]

Since you are going with 16" tires and wheels, the two six lug bolt pattern Centramatic models are the same price. I would suggest the larger diameter "#300-356 all A plates" to gain additional balancing capacity.


Centramatic Part Numbers for Airstream use:

14" 5 bolt pattern #200-221 standard part

15" 6 bolt pattern #200-221 Special

16" 6 bolt pattern #300-356 all A plates

[MaineStreamer]

Where does one purchase and get Centramatics installed?

[khollister]

I keep seeing the reference to "all A plates" on the 300-356 but can find no reference to that on the Centramatic website or anywhere else. What is the difference?

[switz]

The all "A" plates are either the front or rear set being duplicated as the other set had a different cutout.

I ordered mine directly from Centramatic in Texas with no sales tax but around $20 shipping.

http://www.centramatic.com

Call them to order the 16" for your Airstream.

Installation requires removal of the tire and wheel, place the Centramatic disc over the lug nuts with the tubing toward the middle of the trailer and then put the wheel back on. Tighten the lug nuts to the recommended torque for your application. Then like every tire and wheel removal and re-installation, check the lug nut torque at 25, 50 and 75 miles and before every trip.

[kry226]

Originally Posted by Phoenix

A year or two ago, I recall reading one or two isolated comments about small patches of clear coat peeling off of a Sendel wheel. However, after a couple of posts, there were no further reports. Also, that member's concern seemed to be mostly about the cosmetic appearance; and I don't recall any specific complaints about poor workmanship or wheel failures.

Perhaps that member could post an update (here), regarding the final outcome for the complaint...

I don't believe that was me as I don't remember ever mentioning this here on AirForums, but I have had issues with some of the clear coat finish flaking off my Sendel wheels, as well as what I believe is filiform corrosion spreading out from the stud holes.

I bought the wheels/tires from JC at Alumapalooza in 2011 and they have performed flawlessly. But on several occasions, I have had to tow our trailer through snow or ice and on treated roads. The road treatments were absolutely murder on my wheels (stabilizer jacks and door steps too) and in some places there is only so much clean-up you can do until the spring thaw.

I'm a little disappointed, but it is what it is, and it's only cosmetic. I just chalk it up to the cost of doing business in the winter.

[fran&frank]

So I am new to this thread and understand from it the desire to upgrade to better tires, but whats the reason for for upgrading to bigger wheels? Do you need the bigger wheels to get the model tire you want, or is there also an advantage to moving up to 16" wheels?

[Ted S.]

Originally Posted by frthompson

So I am new to this thread and understand from it the desire to upgrade to better tires, but whats the reason for for upgrading to bigger wheels? Do you need the bigger wheels to get the model tire you want, or is there also an advantage to moving up to 16" wheels?

As I understand it, the light truck tires (LT) are only available in 16" and larger rim size. There maybe an exception to this but I have not found it, and the tire of choice is the Michelin, which does not have a 15" LT tire.

[CapriRacer]

Originally Posted by frthompson

So I am new to this thread and understand from it the desire to upgrade to better tires, but whats the reason for for upgrading to bigger wheels? Do you need the bigger wheels to get the model tire you want, or is there also an advantage to moving up to 16" wheels?

Going to a larger diameter wheels allows one to go up in load carrying capacity. It is my considered opinion that trailer manufacturers don't put a big enough tire on. I think they make 2 mistakes:

1) Underestimate how much stuff people put in their trailers

2) Underestimate how much more capacity is needed to a) account for side to side and front to rear load variation, b) how much over capacity should be specified for good engineering, c) how much is needed to prevent tire failures, d) how much is needed to cope with speeds greater than 65 mph.

Plus, going larger allows the use of lower pressures for the same amount of load carrying capacity - which reduces the amount of impact force generated when encountering pot holes and bumps in the road.

[switz]

For dual axle Airstream trailers between 23' and 28', many folks have installed the 15" Michelin LTX (P) 235/75R15 XL tires sidewall rated 2,183 pounds @ 50 psi but must be derated to 1,985 pounds for trailer use. They are 28.9" in diameter versus the 28.3" diameter of the stock GYM ST225/75R15D tires that are speed limited to 65 mph on their sidewall.

On the single axle trailers and dual axle trailers over 25', many upgrade to the 16" SenDel T03-66655T wheels and Michelin LT225/75R16/E LTX M/S2 tires rated 2,680 pounds @ 80 psi that are 29.2" in diameter. The Michelin part number is P/N 05681. This tire and wheel combination is factory installed on the Eddie Bauer and 2015 and later Classics. They are also for sale at the factory service center in Jackson Center, Ohio.

When doing the tire upgrade, many folks installed a tire pressure monitoring system with a display in the tow vehicle (we install the Dill 1506-453 TPMS system)nalong with Centramatic wheel balancers in the models shown below:

Centramatic Part Numbers for Airstream use:

14" 5 bolt pattern #200-221 standard part

15" 6 bolt pattern #200-221 Special

16" 6 bolt pattern #300-356 all A plates

[waldosgone]

I just purchased a used 2015 20' Flying Cloud. I'm moving from Oklahoma to Alaska in June and plan on doing a 30 day road trip with the trailer as part of the move (this is the second third time I'll have made the drive). I'm looking at upgrading to the 16'' Sendel T03 wheels with the recommended Michelin tires (LTX MS/2). My question is, does the forum think it's worth it to upgrade the spare and tire to the same standard or just keep it stock?

[dkottum]

The forum has done it both ways, stock or upgrade for their own reasons. We got the 16" Michelins for reliability, I haven't heard of a failure in the years since we all started doing this. We kept the original spare. The only change we will probably make in the near future is to remove the spare and travel as earlier Airstreamers did when the spare was optional.

[OTRA15]

Originally Posted by waldosgone

I just purchased a used 2015 20' Flying Cloud. I'm moving from Oklahoma to Alaska in June and plan on doing a 30 day road trip with the trailer as part of the move (this is the second third time I'll have made the drive). I'm looking at upgrading to the 16'' Sendel T03 wheels with the recommended Michelin tires (LTX MS/2). My question is, does the forum think it's worth it to upgrade the spare and tire to the same standard or just keep it stock?

Welcome to the forum, and congratulations on a great choice of trailer!

FYI there is a forum for our 20-footers where tire issues are being discussed, including Sendel wheels:

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f516...rs-127845.html

I am planning on a similar upgrade without a new 16" spare, although if I were heading to Alaska I would probably get the 5th 16" wheel and tire. Your model year may require a modification of the carrier for the spare?

Cheers,

Peter

[waldosgone]

Peter,

Thanks for the warm welcome. We've been looking at Airstreams for ~6 years and with the job getting hired back in Alaska, full-time this time, decided to take the plunge last week. It's my wife, my Cocker Spaniel, and myself so we didn't feel like we needed more space. Plus we're dedicated tent campers so we'd rather spend time outside, even if it's raining. I've read through all the tire/wheel posts and want to make this trailering experience as safe as we can. Both for us and others on the road.

First upgrades are the 16'' wheels and tires and got the dealer to put on an equalizer hitch. Will be spending some weekend mornings in empty parking lots with cones to practice.

Thanks for all the help this forum has been so far!

[OTRA15]

Thanks. You will find good company on the 20-footer thread, as many have similar traveling companions and backgrounds.

Peter