Upgrading from 14" to 15" wheels

[GregU]

I have a 23' 2008 International CCD with 14" wheels. The trailer sits so low to the ground that it drags whenever I back it into our drive and into its storage shed. Also, the water dump valve is only a few inches off the ground and does not drain well unless the dump pipe is downhill from the RV. I also have had problems with the Goodyear marathon Radial tires that came with the Airstream. A trusted RV repair shop in Houston has suggested that I upgrade to 15" wheels and 8 ply biased tires instead of radials. He has upgraded other trailers but not the 23' CCD with 14" wheels.
Do any of you have experience with this type of upgrade? Is it safe to do and is it worth the money ( probably $500 for new wheels)?
Thank you,
Greg

[Seemore 1]

Hi Greg - we have the same trailer and the same issues with the 14" wheels. Did you ever complete the upgrade or receive any relevant information?

Thanks - Sandy

[GettinAway]

I'd be curious too.. Our 23FB has the same 14" wheels.
Thanks
Jeff

[Wazbro]

Here is 1 of the threads on this.
http://www.airforums.com/forums/f438...-lt-96716.html

[Seemore 1]

Thanks. That was helpful (and a bit scary!)

Sandy

[GregU]

We chased the upgraded wheels issue about as far as we can. Three reps at AS said it can not be done. You can read other posts on this thread where an upgrade to 15" has been done. I had 3 bad marathon tires. Two from tread separation and one from a puncture on our last trip. I ended up buying 5 new Carlye 14" Tires just to be able to drag the trailer to Bob Jones RV. Bob Jones recommended I upgrade the axles to six stud 15" and called Dexter to find out if the upgrade was feasible. Dexter apparently did not call them back. By now I was into almost $1000 just to have my existing axles checked, bearings repacked, 5 new tires, Two balancings for each tire. I gave up.
If Dexter says the new axles will work, there are many advantages. 15" wheels, 12" brakes, better tires than those available for 14"and a higher load capacity to name a few.

I really like the towability of my 23' but my tire issues, filiform corrosion and that corner bed are all negatives. At this point I am considering trading up to a 25' FB with 15" wheels and giving up trying to make the 23" into something it is not designed for. My next step would have been to call Dexter to see if the upgraded axle idea is workable and how much it costs.

By the way, watch out for those Marathon tires. I met a fellow Airstreamer who recently had a GY Marathon tire blow out on his 25' AS and take out the side of this rig and all the wiring just above the wheel well. In addition to the two tread separations I had on my AS, I two more Marathon tires that had tread separation on a utility trailer just sitting in my garage. Those Marathons were 7 years old with less than 1000 miles and were made in New Zealand, not China. My two AS Marathons were 4 years old. I am anal about air pressure and have weighed my AS several times to make certain it is not overloaded. Marathon tires are trash. My local AS dealer says to avoid them at all costs.