Upgrade for 235/75-15 Tires on a Travel Trailer

Published 08/14/2021

Products Featured in This Question

Westlake ST235/75R15 Radial Off-Road Trailer Tire - Load Range D

(80)

$315.64

Karrier ST235/85R16 Radial Trailer Tire with 16" White Wheel - 6 on 5-1/2 - Load Range E

(1556)

$281.70

Question:

I have a 6inch BC. 6inch from top of tire to the top of the well, but only 2inch from the side of the well to the tire. There is no restriction as far as tire width. I am concerned about room to go with a 16inch wheel. Any suggestions?

asked by: Mike

Expert Reply:

Ideally, you'll want the combined capacity of your tires to meet or exceed the GVWR of your trailer.

If your unloaded trailer weight is 5000 lbs and the combined load capacity of your tires is 5820 lbs, you've only got about 800 lbs of remaining tire capacity for your gear/water/propane, which would explain why you're concerned about blowouts. Your current tires sound like they're not rated high enough.

We don't offer a 15 inch tire that's rated higher than what you currently have, for a higher rated tire you'd need to upgrade to a 16 inch wheel/tire.

If your current wheels have a 6 on 5-1/2 inch bolt pattern, a 235/85-16 Load Range E wheel/tire like what's included with the Kenda # AM32764 would offer a 3640 lb per tire/7280 lb per axle capacity, which would provide plenty of extra capacity for your cargo.

If you need a 8 on 6-1/2 bolt pattern, we offer a 235/85-16 Taskmaster Provider Load Range G wheel/tire with a 4400 lb per tire/8800 lb per axle capacity as part # TTWA16RGWSHD. Plenty of extra capacity here, as well.

Going with the larger tire will move the top tire about 1.4 inches closer to the wheel well or fender than your current tire size, ideally you'll want about 4 inches of clearance between the tire and fender or wheel well.

The tires I mentioned above are mounted on a standard 16x6 white spoke steel wheel, but there are other options which you can see by using the provided link.

expert reply by: Mike L

Mike

8/14/2021

Mike L.

8/14/2021

By '6" BC', do you mean you have 6 inches of clearance? If so, once the taller tires are installed you'll have a bit more than 4-1/2 inches of clearance which would be just fine, anything above 4 inches is considered acceptable. The 235/85/16 tire I recommended are the same width as the tires you currently have, so the taller tires should work well for you.