Max tire/wheel size for 2003 2720

[tentcamper]

With the 14 inch ST radial tires it seems to be limited to either 205 or 215 with a max rating on the 215 of 1,870. Are there any other radial tires with a higher capacity that anyone knows of?


I will not go to bias ply tires. Had my run with them.

[Bill]

Although it won't answer all questions, there is some relevant info in this post.

http://www.trailmanorowners.com/foru...ead.php?t=6245

Bill

[TM Pilot]

Originally Posted by tentcamper

I could be wrong, but from the pictures I have seen it looks like the rims are dexter "Dexstar rims'?

What I see online, they are rated for 65 psi and 2,040 load. But there should be a sticker or stamping on the rim for the max load and psi.

Here is a link to the rim that I referenced. http://www.etrailer.com/Tires-and-Wh...r/AM20352.html

My 14" TM factory rims are stamped 1870lbs max on the outside of the rim. I have yet to pull the tire off the rim and look for any stampings on the inside of the rim.

I wrote TM and asked for the manufacturer of the 14" rim and its psi limitation. So far no answer. Until I know otherwise, I'll limit the 14" rim to 50psi. It is made in China!

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by TM Pilot

Dave,

In addition to weight (1870lbs), I consider pressure (50psi) to be a limiting factor on my TM's factory 14" rims. I haven't seen any documentation from Trailmanor or markings on my factory rims that state otherwise. I am also not aware of any 14" rim made by any manufacturer that is limited to 1870lbs yet is also rated to 65psi. Therefore, I'm not comfortable being a test pilot and fitting a 14" load rating D tire filled to 65psi on a rim that is, most likely, limited to 50psi. In my opinion, that's not safe.

No rim manufacturer is going to authorize one to fill their rims over the maximum pressure for the rim. That a tire mounted on that rim can handle a higher pressure is irrelevant. Safety limits itself to the most restrictive component.

Here is one example from a rim manufacturer (see pg. 10): http://www.accuridecorp.com/files/20...4-06-22-12.pdf

Here is one example from a tire manufacturer: http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires...plications.pdf

Rim and tire manufactures both agree that one should not fill a rim (a.k.a. wheel) beyond its maximum pressure.


Lots of TM owners with 14" rims/tires have never blown their tires. Some with 15" rims/tires have blown theirs.
Did you have your 14" Kuhmo's mounted on your TM factory 14" rims or mounted on aftermarket 14" rims when they both blew out 3 years later? What was the maximum psi limitation for your rims? Just curious.

Bruce

Of course, lots of TM owners have never blown their 14" tires. It's just a matter of odds -- what level of risk are you comfortable with? I had 3 blowouts on 14" wheels (one Marathon, two Kumhos) within a 3-year period, and may others here with 14" wheels were having the same problem, so I decided that if I didn't want more blowouts, I was going to have to make a change. The risk was too much for me. Having a blowout is a near surefire way to ruin your weekend, and worse, can do major damage to the TM.

Yes, I had my Kumhos mounted on my TM factory 14" rims - I don't know what the pressure limit was, but since they were OEM, it was probably 65 psi like yours. The Kumhos had a max pressure of 65 psi, so that never exceeded the pressure limit of the rims. After upgrading to the 15" tires, I did run them briefly at 70-80 psi, but that shook the crap out of the trailer, so now I always run them at 65 psi. And in using the lower pressure, I still have a significantly higher weight carrying capacity than I did with the 14" wheels, which I feel reduces my risk of a blowout. And this change in turn has left me with zero blowouts after 4 years and many thousands of miles.

IMHO, the bottom line is if you can fit 15" tires on there, that's your best bet by far.

I had to put the lift kit on mine, but that was inexpensive ($40), and easy to install (a little more involved than changing a tire, less involved than changing bearings or brakes).

Dave

[TM Pilot]

Originally Posted by ShrimpBurrito

Yes, I had my Kumhos mounted on my TM factory 14" rims - I don't know what the pressure limit was, but since they were OEM, it was probably 65 psi like yours. The Kumhos had a max pressure of 65 psi, so that never exceeded the pressure limit of the rims.
Dave

Since there is a correlation between a rim's weight and pressure limits, 1870lbs is correlated to 50psi, not 65psi. If someone can find a 14" rim that is rated by the manufacturer to 1870lbs @65psi - please post the link. To date, when I have searched for a 14" rim rated to 1870lbs it always stated a maximum pressure of 50psi. But the internet is a big place...

[ShrimpBurrito]

All I can say is that many on this forum, including myself, have run 14" tires at pressures higher than 50 psi (as I said before, my Kumhos were at 65 psi) on OEM rims. Have never heard of any sort of rim failure on either this forum on the Casita forum, where the Marathon/Kumho debate has also been argued extensively. I acknowledge that does not mean it's within spec, but on the other hand, I also would argue that it certainly could be within spec, if there even is one. And most importantly, I would argue it's better than using 14" tires on those same rims.

Perhaps wmtire will chime in with his opinion, as this is his professional area of expertise.

Bottom line -- 15" wheels and tires make this a mute debate.

Dave

[TM Pilot]

Filling a rim to 65psi that is only rated to 50psi may not produce a dramatic, catestrophic blowout hole through the metal rim. However, over time it may deform the rim just enough to be an additional link in a tire failure chain. The deformation may not be noticable to the naked eye or felt while driving. Measuring a rim without the tire mounted using the proper tools may reveal hidden defects. Same principle applies after blowing a tire - Get your rims inspected for defects and make sure the tire "professional" uses measuring tools and not just his eyeballs to be certain the rim in still in spec!

Dave, do you still have your old 14" rims laying around? If so, might be interesting to put a carpenter's square on them and see what it says.

[Bill]

Dave et al -

I think it is terribly dangerous to inflate a tire without knowing what the rim will take. If the OEM tires take 50 psi, then I would not assume that the rim can take any more than that.

Most of us have occasionally seen news stories about some shade-tree mechanic who overinflates a tire to the point where it explodes. Quite often it kills him, since his face is near the tire when it explodes. I'm quite sure that if a rim explodes, it is just as likely to be fatal with all those metal hunks flying around.

As noted in an earlier (much earlier) post, the rim's pressure limits, along with load-bearing capacity and other info, is likely stamped into the interior of the rim. In other words, once the tire is mounted on the rim, you can't see the stamped info any more. You must check for the info while there is no tire on the rim.

Just my opinion. But count me out on this operation. It scares me way too much.

Bill

[ShrimpBurrito]

Originally Posted by TM Pilot

Filling a rim to 65psi that is only rated to 50psi may not produce a dramatic, catestrophic blowout hole through the metal rim. However, over time it may deform the rim just enough to be an additional link in a tire failure chain. The deformation may not be noticable to the naked eye or felt while driving. Measuring a rim without the tire mounted using the proper tools may reveal hidden defects. Same principle applies after blowing a tire - Get your rims inspected for defects and make sure the tire "professional" uses measuring tools and not just his eyeballs to be certain the rim in still in spec!

Dave, do you still have your old 14" rims laying around? If so, might be interesting to put a carpenter's square on them and see what it says.

I agree with you to an extent, and frankly, I had not even considered that rims had a pressure limit until you mentioned it in this thread. But I personally am not concerned about the debate because I have 15" wheels.

I don't have my old 14" rims. My last 14" blowouts were in Colorado in the middle of a transcontinental trip, and since I didn't have room to take 3 rims with me, the tire shop kept/scrapped them. Of course, this was also on a Sunday afternoon, when few tire distributors are open. Did I mention how blowouts can really ruin your day?

Dave

[tentcamper]

How come it always seems that the tire shop does not have the tire you need and they have to get it from the warehouse.

But getting back more on track. It sound like i need to do some measuring.