Questions About Putting New Tires On 2000 StarCraft Venture Pop Up Camper  

Question:

Helpful Expert Reply:

Hello Bradley, thanks for reaching out. I am happy to answer your questions!

So as long as your wheels are in good condition, and there is no damage or excessive rust or corrosion or anything like that, you can definitely just replace your tires and keep your current wheels. I would say this is what a majority of people do.

Trailer tires are not balanced the same way as vehicle tires. They are not spun on the same machine and weights are not used. Every trailer tire and every wheel has a high (heavy) and low (light) spot. The manufacturers offset the high spot on the tire with the low spot on the wheel to balance them. All of the pre mounted tires we offer come balanced in this way.

If you get tires only, you will need to take them to a shop that specifically does trailer tires to have them installed and balanced. Some regular tire shops can do trailer tires, but not all of them have the ability to do this since they are different from vehicle tires. Basically they need a machine that can balance lug-centric tires. Vehicle tires are mostly hub centered.

It is recommended to replace the valve stems when you replace the tires. Most tire shops can provide these, but if you want to provide your own, and you want good ones, use the Americana Metal, Bolt-In Valve Stem # AM20906.

As far as the tires themselves, we do have options for the 5.30x12. We can do just the tires, or we do have some pre-mounted tires if you want to skip all the hassle with balancing and stuff. Totally up to you though.

The sidewall of the tire should say if it is radial or bias ply. Typically there would be a letter "R" in the tire size to indicate radial, or there would be a "D" to indicate bias ply. Radial is what I recommend going with. All of the tires on your camper should be identical as far as radial or bias ply, size and load rating. If you have all radial tires it would be fine to use a bias as a spare, but you would really only want to use the spare temporarily until you can get another identical radial tire back on. If you are buying new tires, I would encourage you to just get three. That way your spare would be identical and it will just be easier for you going forward. Two spares is even better. Then you have a spare for your spare haha.

Now for the tire recommendation, the Taskmaster 5.30R12 Radial Trailer Tire w/ 12" Vesper White Spoke Wheel # TA79QR is what I recommend. Just please confirm your hub uses a 4-lug bolt pattern. Then for your spares you can use the Taskmaster 5.30R12 Radial Trailer Tire # TT53012C.

I hope I covered everything. Feel free to reach out with any other questions. I am here for you :)

expert reply by: Jesse M

1

TA79QR
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Jesse M.

8/7/2025

Hey Bradley, how did the tire replacement go for your StarCraft Venture? Did you decide to go with the radial tires and get the valve stems replaced as well? I'm curious to know how everything worked out for you, as it could really help others in a similar situation.

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