Hi all,
My camper has 205/75/D14 tire's on it, and I would like to find a heavier duty tire. Problem is, I know nothing about trailer tires, or 14" rim's. Can I step up to a 15" rim, and run a load range C or D truck tire? Do they make a better 14" tire? What brand tire should I go with, if I can stay with a 14"?
I was looking at these. They have a 2040# weight raiting, vrs the 1760# weight rating I currently have.
http://www.etrailer.com/Tires-and-Wh...a/AM10235.html

I also looked at the 15's on there, and they are roughly 1" taller, but the weight rating is only 18**ish lbs. So I would have to buy tires Rims, to get no advantage. HELP
Edit: The reason I want to upgrade, is my camper is 30ft, and by the time it is loaded it has to be at or above the tire rating's.

 

Based on years over here RV NET Forum, and seeing oodles of arguments over trailer tires, you are not going to find anything above D rating in 14".

If you want to stay at 14", you should look at an LT tire (if they make any), in D rating. Something not a "Chinese Bomb". I cannot tell you how many people over that RV Net have had blowouts with ST tires. Virtually all, if not all, ST tires are made in China. And many of them, not very well. Even the big names.

Maxxis 8008 is one of the few that some people like, though others still have them blow. But then again, your stuck at your 1760 weight rating and if you think you are above, they don't help.

First thing I would do, if I were you, is load up the trailer, and go get it weighed. See exactly what weight you are putting on those tires.

Then, if your stuck, post over at RV Net. You will get a wealth of information. Weed through it to find helpful, common responses. There are certainly 15" wheels out there that you could use (if they fit your trailer), and those folks will again, be able to help a lot.

Interesting: 14" thread

 

You know what I hate about trying to answer this question? No one really knows the answer. Unless you actually know the rates at which various manufacturers products fail in comparison to how much of the market they command all it really comes down to is anecdotal responses (and I do not mean this as a put down of any one or any site).

With tires, in particular, I doubt anything on an RV is more frequently neglected. We were camping last weekend and I would be willing to quessimate 50% of the rigs in the park were running underinflated and the overwhelming percentage of tires on those campers were made in China. So when and if they fail, is it because of where they were made or owner neglect, and I don't claim to know the answer.

My tires dealers swear Maxxis is better and fails less often, but if they populate a much smaller percentage of the marketplace it stands to reason they see them fail less often.

Again, I am not targeting any brand or statement about any brand, just suggesting our grasp of real knowledge about anything to do with RVs is very iffy. I can tell you quite a bit about how to fix things, but please don't ask me which brand is best! I just don't have reliable data, which is why so many "what is best" questions, in my opinion, lead to disagreements.

And yes, by all means, weighing whatever you drag down the road is always the starting point when it comes to tires.

Steve