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Post by steveo on Mar 24, 2016 9:58:39 GMT -5
We purchased a 2015 Durango Gold 370RE and it came with 8 lug 16" aluminum wheels and E rated tires. I want to upgrade to F (90 psi) or G (110 psi) rated tires.
KZ... Will the wheels that came with my RV support either or higher psi required?
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Post by whichway on Mar 24, 2016 15:49:44 GMT -5
There should be a yellow and white sticker attached to the outside of coach listing tire size and rim size. Get the code for rim call tire shop they will tell you if they will work.Pretty sure bigger tires will work on your rims but before you do add your weight up remember hitch approx 20 percent.Good brand E rated tire will be fine unless you plan on hauling alot of weight.The higher rated tire will give you a stiffer ride.My stoneridge came with same tires and they will support bigger tires but i do not like paying extra money for overkill.
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Post by ronc on Apr 27, 2016 10:31:38 GMT -5
Whichaway ... what you consider "overkill" I would consider margin of safety, and more of that is better. Your points about the weight are spot on. E rated tires are normally plenty as they typically come mated to 7,000 lbs. rated axles. A pair of E rated tires will carry more than the axle they are mounted on ... in theory. The problem with E rated tires (almost all of them) are ST (Special Trailer) tires made specifically for trailers and often made in China, Thailand or some other cheap labor country. All ST tires, no matter the load range, are speed rated at 65 MPH (maximum). The higher rated G tires are mostly LT (light truck) tires, often made in the USA and speed rated for 75 MPH (maximum). You can get by with Chinese made, E rated tires if you are meticulous with tire pressure, keep the speed to 60 MPH, don't overload the coach and get lucky. When it comes to tires, I'm not comfortable with "getting by". But to each his own.
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Post by ronc on Apr 27, 2016 10:32:47 GMT -5
Steveo ... if you ever get an answer to your question, I too am interested in that answer.
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Post by whichway on Apr 27, 2016 11:40:43 GMT -5
You are right sir you cannot put a price on safety. with that being said I have no idea why anybody would want to pull there 14 - 16000 pounds coach down the road faster than 60 to 65 miles per hour unless you have a semi to stop at with. and if I recall correctly I think Goodyear tire has a manufacturing plant in China. The tire debate has been going on for years and many more to come; seems like there is no right or wrong answer to this question.
Safe travels to everyone.
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Post by steveo on May 4, 2016 16:20:20 GMT -5
Ronc, well we pulled a tire and on the back of the rim it indicated it was rate to 110 psi. So off to Les Schwab we went and had 4 new G rated GeoStar tires installed and man what a difference... Immediately noticed some of the "wallowing" we were experiencing with E rated tires disappeared, it now feels more stable behind the 1 ton dually! And that is running them at only 90 psi to start with. If I think I am still getting a little side wear, I can bump up a little more.
We then made the 440 mile drive to the closest dealer for warranty work and they checked out all of the axles, bearings, bushings and hangars and found all tight and in great shape. Quote from the service manager "G rated tires are the best thing you could have done, I believe you solved the tire wear issues the moment you put them on".
So for my peace of mind as we continue to explore / tour the country (over 20k & 28 states in the past 14 months) this was the best $1027 I ever spent.
Makes me question why the larger KZ 5th wheels don't come standard with G rated tires (like their competition is starting to do).
I hope this helps someone else who is stuck wondering if G rated tires are the right to do. If have a wife like mine, you are not travelling light enough to gamble with E rated tires. Besides, who wants to be stuck on the side of the freeway changing a tire as the 18 wheelers blow by at 70 mph?
Call me SteveO the happy camper!!!
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Post by ronc on May 6, 2016 20:56:36 GMT -5
SteveO ... glad you're happy. I also have a KZ but mine is a 2017 381REF. It also came with E rated ST280/80x16 Trailer King tires ... made in China with a max speed rating of 65 mph. My wheels were also rated at max pressure of 110 psi. While I typically run 60-65 mph, it's good to know that if I need to jump up to 79-75 to pass or deal a short term situation I would like that, so I switched to Goodyear G614 RST tires 235/85x16 load range G speed rated at 109 Mph at 110 psi. Tires run cooler than my truck tires and I feel I have a LARGE margin of safety with both the load and speed ratings. Just a side note, when I changed the tires I discovered that the lug nuts had a "shiney" jacket of thin metal over the actual lug nut ... very wierd ... I changed all 32 of them for REAL SOLID METAL lug nuts. I run 110 psi and torque the lug nuts to 110 also ... torque is within KZ's range (90-120), and since it's the same as the tire pressure, it's easy to remember. Good Luck with your rig.
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Post by fordtruckguy on May 30, 2016 19:17:36 GMT -5
The best way to know for sure is to pull the wheel and look on the inside of the wheel... Somewhere between the lug holes should be a max capacity stamp in the wheel... When I had my 08 KZ , the wheels we were stamped 3750 on the inside which told me the "G" tires were good to go . . .
By the way , if you do in fact do the upgrade , make sure you also put in the bolt on steel valve stems...
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Post by ronc on May 30, 2016 21:29:23 GMT -5
Excellent point regarding valve stems!!
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Post by ronc on May 30, 2016 22:15:54 GMT -5
You are right sir you cannot put a price on safety. with that being said I have no idea why anybody would want to pull there 14 - 16000 pounds coach down the road faster than 60 to 65 miles per hour unless you have a semi to stop at with. and if I recall correctly I think Goodyear tire has a manufacturing plant in China. The tire debate has been going on for years and many more to come; seems like there is no right or wrong answer to this question. Safe travels to everyone. Goodyear does have a Chinese plant ... They make Marathon tires there. The G614 RST tires are made in the US at their (big) truck tire plant. |
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