Recommended Tire And Wheel Sizes To Change To For A Camper With 5.70-8 Tires

Updated 06/16/2010 | Published 06/15/2010

Products Featured in This Question

Kenda 5.70-8 Bias Trailer Tire with 8" White Wheel - 5 on 4-1/2 - Load Range C

(7486)

$60.86

Kenda 5.70-8 Bias Trailer Tire with 8" White Wheel - 5 on 4-1/2 - Load Range B

(7490)

$58.92

Kenda 5.70-8 Bias Trailer Tire with 8" Galvanized Wheel - 5 on 4-1/2 - Load Range D

(7214)

$72.81

Kenda 5.30-12 Bias Trailer Tire with 12" White Wheel - 5 on 4-1/2 - Load Range D

(7486)

$122.08

Question:

I have an older Coleman Sedona pop-up. It has 5 by 4.5 hubs, and the tires are 5.70 - 8. The tire diameter is 18 inches. I am interested in putting larger wheels on the unit as I have had an unusual number of blowouts - which I attribute to heat buildup on the smaller tire. Not sure if this a correct conclusion on my part. What rim/tire combinations would you suggest? Thank you

asked by: Brandt S

Expert Reply:

When you say blowouts and attribute them to heat buildup, you are correct. The reason you have heat buildup in tires is not just because of the size, it will also be from overloading, damage to the tires and age. So to just change size first might not solve the problem.

If the tires hit curbs a lot it would cause damage to the sidewalls and form a weak spot, which would allow the heat to buildup and go to the weakest spot in the tire and fail. Also any punctures or repairs to the tires would cause the same results.

Also, if the tires were sitting a lot with the weight of the camper on one spot of the tire and not moving they could become dry rotted, then when put back on the road the heat would go to the weak spot again.

What you might first look at is what load range 5.70-8 tire you have on your camper and make sure it has the correct load capacity for your camper. The load range for the 5.70-8 comes in three different ranges.

The Americana Tires and Wheels, # AM30100, is a load range B (4-ply rated) tire and has a maximum load of 715 lbs. at 50 psi.
The Americana Tires and Wheels, # AM30140, is a load range C (6-ply rated) tire and has a maximum load of 910 lbs. at 75 psi.
The Americana Tires and Wheels, # AM30156, is a load range D (8-ply rated) tire and has a maximum load of 1,075 at 100 psi.

Those load ratings are per tire so you will multiply that by how many tires are on your camper to get the total load all the tires can handle.

If you are still wanting to change size you might look at the 5.30-12 size that is on the newer Sedona campers, but you will want to measure to make sure you will have clearance on your camper.
The overall diameter on the 5.30-12 tire is 21.9 inches.

Also, the only wheel and tire in the larger 5.30-12 size that will get you more maximum load than the 5.70-8 tire choices is the Americana Tires and Wheels, # AM30859, which is a load range D and has a maximum load of 1,250 lbs. at 105 psi.