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GettinAway · 04-14-2012, 06:41 AM

I have the GYMs on my new 2011 23' FB FC. I believe they are 14".
Any suggestions on tires? I've got a little homework to do.
Maybe I can find a 14" Michelin. I can't imagine a 16" would fit..

I sure don't see any reason to go to the 15" tires/wheels everyone is having problems with. (I know, I shouldn't say "everyone")
I plan on an Alaska trip in the next few years. Seems like a little less to worry about.

Do the 14" GYMs have any better track record?

Thanks,
Jeff

GettinAway · 04-15-2012, 06:02 AM

Thinking a little more on this.. Maybe putting the 15" wheels on with appropriate tires, might be ok.. They must certainly have a higher load rating than the 14s I have on there now.
Plus, maybe there is someone out there that just went from 15" to 16", and maybe they want to sell them?

I think I'd still like to get away from the Marathons, and I'm not even sure a 15" would fit on a 23 FB, if someone has answers, I'm curious.

Jeff

mutcth · 04-15-2012, 06:19 AM

14" just doesn't sound right. It really should have 15"s from the factory.

Tom

Wayne&Sam · 04-15-2012, 06:23 AM

Factory specs say 14". I'm surprised they're not 15"

Midnightmoon · 04-15-2012, 07:12 AM

We looked at a couple new 2012 23's recently. I was shocked also to see them sitting on 14's.

**moosetags** · 04-15-2012, 07:28 AM

I'm surprised also. When I see 14" wheels, I think boat trailer. Do they have a 5 or 6 bolt pattern?

Brian

Jim Flower · 04-15-2012, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GettinAway

I have the GYMs on my new 2011 23' FB FC. I believe they are 14".
Any suggestions on tires? I've got a little homework to do.
Maybe I can find a 14" Michelin. I can't imagine a 16" would fit..

I sure don't see any reason to go to the 15" tires/wheels everyone is having problems with. (I know, I shouldn't say "everyone")
I plan on an Alaska trip in the next few years. Seems like a little less to worry about.

Do the 14" GYMs have any better track record?

Thanks,
Jeff

My 1997 25' Safari came with 14" GYM and the experience was dreadful. The problems were resolved completely by replacing them with 15" wheels and Michelin LT. The only difficulty was finding a 15" wheel with a 14" wheel bolt pattern. The upgrade to 16" would be awesome and most likely result in worry free traveling.

dkottum · 04-15-2012, 07:53 AM

The 23's also have smaller 10" brakes to fit the 14" wheels than the larger trailers.

doug k

JBinKC · 04-15-2012, 07:54 AM

We are our tires' worst enemy. We don't protect them from the sun, or from dew and overnight condensation, or from under-inflation and we don't put quality valve stems on them. We don't keep them balanced and rotated. And we let them sit for months without turning them. Then we blame Goodyear for short life and sidewall failures.

fmr.capt.evi · 04-15-2012, 08:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JBinKC

We are our tires' worst enemy. We don't protect them from the sun, or from dew and overnight condensation, or from under-inflation and we don't put quality valve stems on them. We don't keep them balanced and rotated. And we let them sit for months without turning them. Then we blame Goodyear for short life and sidewall failures.

...and we routinely exceed 65mph.

AirsDream · 04-15-2012, 08:41 AM

My '99 Safari 23' came with 14" wheels and GYMs (I purchased it used) and I had zero problems with them. At some point, due to the tires' age, I replaced them with new 14" GYMs and again had zero problems.

It may be worth noting that I am a stickler for air pressure monitoring and use an infrared thermometer on every tire and hub at every stop. About a thousand years ago, I sold tires, and I learned early on that most - not all, but most - tire failures are the result of underinflation. Often due to something like a slow leak around an embedded nail, etc. that goes unnoticed for a day or two while the tire pressure slowly bleeds down. The result of careful monitoring, etc. is that over many decades of driving and towing, I've only once had a catastrophic tire failure, and it was on an auto, not a trailer.

But it seemed to me that larger and higher speed rated tires would give me more "margin of error" ... this was mostly unscientific, though I'd read dozens of articles on the subject. So ultimately I decided to replace the GYMs with 15" Michelin LT tires (LT 235 75 R15) ... and of course new wheels and all-metal valve stems, etc. These are LR "C" tires, and at 45 psi each has a load rating of 1785 lbs as opposed to the 14" GYMs load rating of 1760 at 50 psi. And of course, they have a higher speed rating.

I've been totally satisfied ... BUT ... here's where the "measure twice" bit comes in: they only have about 1" - 1 1/2" of clearance fore and aft in the wheel wells. And the larger tire / rim assembly BARELY fits into the spare tire carrier. So if you are gonna' go that route, I strongly suggest that you check out the inflated diameter and section width of the proposed new tires and measure carefully before pressing the "go" button. It might be worth talking to a trailer specialist to make sure that the proposed wheels have the correct offset, etc. also.

One other potential issue is that the slightly larger tires have slightly more leverage against the original 10" brakes, so in theory at least, the brakes are a bit "weaker." This has not so far proved to be a problem for me, even with a lot of mountain driving, but they need to be maintained in a good state of adjustment.

Good luck with your decision!

xrvr · 04-15-2012, 08:44 AM

Good post, thanks for the info. jim

GettinAway · 04-15-2012, 02:49 PM

All good info. Thanks
I've only had the 23FB for a month.
I'd like to avoid a bunch of tire issues if I could, but I think I will wait and see how the 14's do.

Alumitater · 05-31-2012, 06:30 PM

I have four 15" aluminum wheels which came off my 2007 25 Safari when I replaced them with 16" wheels at Jackson Center. They are 6-bolt pattern and were mounted with Goodyear 225/75/15 tires. They are sitting idle in my backyard. If you decide to try out 15's holler at me and perhaps we could work out a price. Have no idea about shipping costs, but could explore. Tom

mutcth · 05-31-2012, 06:38 PM

Learned (and spent) a lot since my above post six weeks ago:

I just upgraded the rolling stock on my 2007 Safari SE 23'. OEM fittment was 14" wheels with a 5 by 4.5 bolt pattern. Went to 15" trailer wheels from etrailer.com and a set of 205/70/15 Nokian Hakka C Van tires with a higher weight rating than the stock Marathons. Expensive, but very good tires.

The five-bolt hub was the thing that stopped me from going to 16" wheels (and sadly would make the 25' Safari wheels offered above a non-option.) Mind you, I'm not sure that the 23FB has the same bolt pattern.

Tom

Alumitater · 06-01-2012, 06:03 AM

Excellent! Sounds like you have made a good decision. Tom

GettinAway · 06-04-2012, 04:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mutcth

Learned (and spent) a lot since my above post six weeks ago:

I just upgraded the rolling stock on my 2007 Safari SE 23'. OEM fittment was 14" wheels with a 5 by 4.5 bolt pattern. Went to 15" trailer wheels from etrailer.com and a set of 205/70/15 Nokian Hakka C Van tires with a higher weight rating than the stock Marathons. Expensive, but very good tires.

The five-bolt hub was the thing that stopped me from going to 16" wheels (and sadly would make the 25' Safari wheels offered above a non-option.) Mind you, I'm not sure that the 23FB has the same bolt pattern.

Tom

Thank you for the info. That's some serious $$ to go to the 15s.
Just curious, what issues you had with the 14s, or was this a preventative move to avoid issues.
Also, did it give you more clearance under the trailer? I guess it's at least a half inch, but I would like to get more than that. We tend to go back into places that are maybe a little rough..
Thanks,
Jeff

mutcth · 06-04-2012, 05:27 AM

Totally preventative move. My Marathons were five years old, so I wanted them replaced. I also figured 15" wheels give me more tire choices down the road. My motto is "life is too short for cheap tires."

I actually lost a hair of clearance, about 0.2 inch, due to smaller diameter tires. Even though 15" wheels give you more choices, you're still stuck with what each tire manufacturer offers in that size.

If you want a larger diameter, the Continental Vanco 2 comes in 15" in a wider variety of sizes. Would have gone with them (they're slightly cheaper than the Nokians) but they were back ordered at the time. And if I wasn't so hung up on weight rating, the Michelin LTX M/S 225/70/15 would give more clearance. Was very happy with the LTX's on my Argosy.

Hope this helps
Tom

wdh · 08-09-2012, 05:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AirsDream

My '99 Safari 23' came with 14" wheels and GYMs (I purchased it used) and I had zero problems with them. At some point, due to the tires' age, I replaced them with new 14" GYMs and again had zero problems.

It may be worth noting that I am a stickler for air pressure monitoring and use an infrared thermometer on every tire and hub at every stop. About a thousand years ago, I sold tires, and I learned early on that most - not all, but most - tire failures are the result of underinflation. Often due to something like a slow leak around an embedded nail, etc. that goes unnoticed for a day or two while the tire pressure slowly bleeds down. The result of careful monitoring, etc. is that over many decades of driving and towing, I've only once had a catastrophic tire failure, and it was on an auto, not a trailer.

But it seemed to me that larger and higher speed rated tires would give me more "margin of error" ... this was mostly unscientific, though I'd read dozens of articles on the subject. So ultimately I decided to replace the GYMs with 15" Michelin LT tires (LT 235 75 R15) ... and of course new wheels and all-metal valve stems, etc. These are LR "C" tires, and at 45 psi each has a load rating of 1785 lbs as opposed to the 14" GYMs load rating of 1760 at 50 psi. And of course, they have a higher speed rating.

I've been totally satisfied ... BUT ... here's where the "measure twice" bit comes in: they only have about 1" - 1 1/2" of clearance fore and aft in the wheel wells. And the larger tire / rim assembly BARELY fits into the spare tire carrier. So if you are gonna' go that route, I strongly suggest that you check out the inflated diameter and section width of the proposed new tires and measure carefully before pressing the "go" button. It might be worth talking to a trailer specialist to make sure that the proposed wheels have the correct offset, etc. also.

One other potential issue is that the slightly larger tires have slightly more leverage against the original 10" brakes, so in theory at least, the brakes are a bit "weaker." This has not so far proved to be a problem for me, even with a lot of mountain driving, but they need to be maintained in a good state of adjustment.

Good luck with your decision!

Now I am looking at the same thing and after measuring twice, I too will have a 1" - 1 1/2" clearance fore and aft. Have you had any problems with that minimum clearance? Are you still happy with your decision?

AirsDream · 08-09-2012, 06:08 PM

I'm just back from an 11,000 mile trip to Alaska and back. Zero problems, and the tires on the trailer look new. And the new wheels are prettier than the factory originals, too!

I'ts time to replace my axles, so I think that in doing so I'll up the brake size ... but on this recent trip, I adjusted the brakes carefully before leaving - and had no issues on the sometimes steep grades in BC, the Yukon, and AK. But more braking power is always a useful thing to have, at least in reserve.