Best 16" Wheels ?

[John&Vicki]

As a longtime Michelin fan I'm going to upgrade to 16" wheels and the appropriate Michelins pretty soon. My question is what 16" wheels are you using? Looks are important but I'm most concerned with price/performance.

Thanks,
John

[xrvr]

If I were to change over I would get plain black disc wheels and get baby moons. Be sure the wheels have a high enough weight capacity. These would be a lot less expensive and have a different look than what most people are using.

[John&Vicki]

Thanks for the input. I know from searching that Sendel aluminum wheels are a popular choice here. I'm wary of aluminum wheels as I had them on a Porsche rally car at one time and an inspection revealed a manufacturing defect that would have caused a catastrophic failure. I'm giving some thought to maybe using Maxxis M8008ST Radial ST225/75R15/10 tires on my original 15" steel wheels. I realize that they're trailer tires (ST's vs. LT's) but the reviews I have read are uniformly positive.

John

[BoldAdventure]

I happen to be fond of mine 16x6 Sawtooth Aluminum Wheel from AWC 3,200 lb load and rated for 100psi.





16 x 6 Aluminum Allied 870 Trailer Wheel 6 Lug with Center Cap and Free Ground Shipping.

[FishinHatteras]

This is what I and many others have mounted:
SenDel T03-66655BM
I got mine from trailer wheels.com

No complaints, and they look pretty sharp too. Not real impressed with the caps that came with them, but that's a minor complaint. They have lost that real shine. I was on a 16 day trek, with no place to wash the rims, and we travelled thru snow, mud, ice, hail and some very heavy rain. Rims look great, the caps...well..
Gavin

[John&Vicki]

@Bold - Those wheels look great! Where are they made?

John

[John&Vicki]

@Gavin - Are the differences in the various models of SenDel rims mostly cosmetic?

Thanks,
John

[slowmover]

Look long enough and you will be happy to avoid the 8008. The UE-168 Maxxis is good if it has the weight reserve, but one is much better off with 16" LT

As to wheel quality there are excellent American wheel manufacturers out there. But do they make trailer wheels to our spec? Yes, but

. For the most part it is China made if one will not pay more than $200/whl.

[switz]

Note that the SenDel T03-66655T wheels are the ones installed at the Airstream factory on the Eddie Bauer models as well as the 2015 and later 31' Classics with a GVW of 10,000 pounds. These wheels are rated for a 3,580 pound load at 80 psi. There are two models, one with black high lights and the other plain aluminum:

T03BM | Sendel Wheels

Note that by using the same tire and wheel as the factory already installs on current models or will retrofit to any newer trailer brought to the factory, you could avoid any litigation for selecting the wrong equipment for your trailer in the event of an incident.

Using the 16" wheels, I chose the Centramatic wheel balancers model 300-356 "All 'A' plates, the Dill TPMS model #1506-453 tire pressure monitoring system (mounts inside the wheel as the valve stem) and the McGard 24138 Chrome Cone Seat Wheel Locks and McGard 64010 Chrome Bulge Cone Seat Style Lug Nuts (1/2" - 20 Thread Size).

SenDel makes the same appearance wheel in 15" diameter for the 23' Airstreams using a 14" five bolt circle so the original 14" drum brakes can be reused. In that case, my tire of choice is the Michelin LTX (P) 235/75R15 XL 2,183 pounds @ 50 psi derated to 1,985 pounds 28.9" diameter 4 x 1985 = 7,940 pounds 4 x 2,183 = 8,732 pounds. Run at 44 psi. The Centramatic wheel balancer for the 14" brake drum is the model 200-221.

The SenDel 15" wheel can also have the configuration for the 15" drum brakes as well with the Centramatic part number "200-221 Special" which is a six lug configuration. The other parts mentioned above could be used in this application as well.

[GMarugg]

The Al rims would look a lot better than the steel rims I have and the LT tires would have a speed rating more appropriate for driving Texas roads. However, when I looked in the wheel wells of my 1983 Excella I was really concerned about clearances. The tires did not have any excess clearance with the standard trailer tires.

[paiceman]

We ordered our 2015 30' FC wit 16" Michelins and the factory mounted them on Sendel wheels.

[Gneiss Guy]

I labored long on just the same decision. I finally elected to go with the 15" Maxxis tires for our 2011 FC 30. I was almost ready to bite the bullet and opt for new 16" wheels and Michelins, when I remembered I would have to buy five of each, since my 15" spare wouldn't work any more. I figure the Maxxis are worth trying, as I have read some good things about them. I will install them with Centramatics and hope for the best. If these prove unsatisfactory, then I will go the 16" route.

[MelGoddard]

What are "Centramatics"?

[GCinSC2]

Got my wheels, tires and Dill TPMS thru Discount Tire from http://www.hispecwheel.com/ previously documented.

[drboyd]

Originally Posted by MelGoddard

What are "Centramatics"?

Magic wheel balancers.

http://www.turbodieselregister.com/t...alance-masters

[switz]

Centramatics are dynamic wheel balancers. I started using them on my Honda GoldWing motorcycles and have put them on all our Airstreams and my Dodge 2500HD diesel truck. See the link below:

Wheel Balancers for many trucks, buses, trailers, and motorcycles from Centramatic

Airstream specific units are by installed wheel size:

14" model 200-221 with 5 bolt circle of 4.5"
15" model 200-221 Special with 6 bolt circle of 5.5"
16" model 300-356 all "A" plates with 6 bolt circle of 5.5"

They can ordered either by phone or on-line.

[BoldAdventure]

Originally Posted by switz

Centramatics are dynamic wheel balancers.

16" model 300-356 all "A" plates with 6 bolt circle of 5.5"

They can ordered either by phone or on-line.

I ordered the above, all A plates for my 16's.

[FishinHatteras]

John&Vicki,
Yes they are mostly cosmetic with that specific bolt pattern, size & width.
I followed BoldAdventures lead, and mirrored his choice. It's a damn good lookinig rim on any AS. With his lead, and Switz's advice, along with Jack (jcanavera), I was set to go. I thank them all for their help, and a few others too.
Seeing the pictures of the damage caused by GYM tires, was just too much for me to bear. I hated the tire to begin with, and had always used Michelin's on my entire "stable" (kids cars too). With the price of AS's these days, Michelins are a drop in the bucket to protect your asset.
Sea ya down the road,
Gavin

[Siegmann]

I've got centramatics on my 15" wheels. Does anyone know if I change to 16" wheels, will they still fit. Seems like the same bolt pattern, but I'm not sure what the "A" plates are on the centramatic 16" version.

[John&Vicki]

I've done a bunch of reading about Centramatics and magic beads on various forums, including trucking and motorcycling forums. Not a lot of hard data.Some think that centramatics are downright miraculous. Some think that beads are even more miraculous. Some think they're both over priced snake oil. I get the impression that truckers use the beads pretty extensively and there is evidence that they keep things smooth, create an even wear pattern and extend tire life. There was one story where they put golf balls in truck tires and it worked well.

I have beads in mine and have no hard data as to their effectiveness. There were signs that the trailer was rolling a little rough (open drawers and doors, loose screws, the usual). I balanced the tires and added the beads so changed two variables at the same time. The signs of a rough ride have gone away but it could be due either or both of the two changes.

Cheers,
John

P.S. Thanks very much to those contributing informative posts to this thread. I'm going to move forward with 16" SenDel wheels and Michelins - and move the beads.