Can I put 16" wheels on my 2002 T320SR?

kendoo3 · 08-13-2007, 02:27 PM

It came with 225 75R 15 tires. I need new tires and have access to some nice 16" chrome wheels off my father's trailer. Tire dealer says the 225 65R16 LT tires I'm looking at have a 1.1" larger OD. If I'm thinking correctly, that means I would lose 1/2" clearance in the wheelwell and 1.1" between the tires on the same side. When I look at the clearances on the trailer, I think it should work. Am I thinking correctly? Anything else I should verify or consider?

**Sunline Fan** · 08-13-2007, 03:28 PM

Welcome!!!

I'm a little surprised you didn't have 16"'s on there from the factory. I don't know if others would have come with them, but it seems like they should have put the bigger ones on the longer trailers.

The one thing you didn't mention was the bolt pattern. Are these new wheels 5 or 6 lug, and are your current 15's 5 or 6 lug? If you have the same number of studs, then you need to check the distance between them (center to center). Your current distance should be 4.5", but check both wheels to make sure they match. If they don't, you'll have to change out your brake drums, which can be quite expensive.

Assuming your bolt pattern is the same and you have enough room in your wheelwell, then I'd say go for it.

Jon

kendoo3 · 08-13-2007, 03:56 PM

Thanks for the welcome. Been a long time sunline owner (also own a 1994 T-2251) and lurker here on sunlineclub. Yes, the 16" rims also have 6 lugs. I will check the bolt pattern prior to pulling the trigger for new tires. I was just wondering if anyone else has put 16" rims on their sunlines, in case I was overlooking something. I'm estimating there is about 4" of clearance at the top of the tire. Is some of this spaced used when the suspension compresses? I can't imagine that 1/2" larger tire would be enough to make it hit...but stranger things have happened.

emam · 08-18-2007, 09:43 PM

Well we just got back from General RV and after having multiple technitions come out and look the Sunline over, here is the verdict on upgrading to 16" wheels.

Yes it can be done on my camper. With the added lift, and the extra space in my wheel wells, I have plenty of room for a bigger wheel. Everyone said unanamously that they would be very worried about the minimal space between the two tires, but it could be done.

Now here is the hard part. I only have 5 lug rims. Most 16" rims are 6 lug. I guess there are a few rims out there that are 5 lug 16" models, it's just trying to find them and making sure the are rated for the weight of the camper.

General RV said they wouldnt feel comfortable mounting a 15" rim on my coach, and if I really wanted to make the upgrade, then I would have to swap out my backing plate with a 6 lug model. Once you do this, you are talking big money and something that I dont not have much of.

So needless to say, it can be done, but it wont be something that we will be doing anytime soon.

Our new tires we will have installed before we head West, will probably be 15" Goodyear or Maxxis depending on which model I can get and waht the current warranties are.

If anyoen can figure out something different, I'd be happy to know the outcome.

Pat

**Sunline Fan** · 08-18-2007, 09:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by emam

Well we just got back from General RV and after having multiple technitions come out and look the Sunline over, here is the verdict on upgrading to 16" wheels.

Yes it can be done on my camper. With the added lift, and the extra space in my wheel wells, I have plenty of room for a bigger wheel. Everyone said unanamously that they would be very worried about the minimal space between the two tires, but it could be done.

Now here is the hard part. I only have 5 lug rims. Most 16" rims are 6 lug. I guess there are a few rims out there that are 5 lug 16" models, it's just trying to find them and making sure the are rated for the weight of the camper.

General RV said they wouldnt feel comfortable mounting a 15" rim on my coach, and if I really wanted to make the upgrade, then I would have to swap out my backing plate with a 6 lug model. Once you do this, you are talking big money and something that I dont not have much of.

So needless to say, it can be done, but it wont be something that we will be doing anytime soon.

Our new tires we will have installed before we head West, will probably be 15" Goodyear or Maxxis depending on which model I can get and waht the current warranties are.

If anyoen can figure out something different, I'd be happy to know the outcome.

Pat

Pat,

That's good info to know. If you do find a 16" five lug, double check the offset. I've found this is a huge problem on some trailers, so you must have the same offset if you don't have much space behind the wheels when loaded.

As for changing out to 6 lug drums, I'd recommend looking for a good used set. They are most likely found at some sort of salvage yard (probably RV salvage yard), which there aren't many of around here. I do have a list of RV salvage yards around the country if you'd like a copy. I got it at the RV/MH Hall of Fame Museum in Elkhart a couple years ago. Some of the numbers are out of date, but some now have websites found with Google. There's some in the southwest that are really big and ship out all over the country.

Jon

emam · 08-18-2007, 10:12 PM

That was one of the topics of discussion when we were were going through all the possibilities. But it all boils down to money.

What we (Cindy and I) finally said was, "When it comes time to replace the drums due to wear and tear, and the cost is going to be there anyway, then maybe we will upgrade" I just cant see throwing out a good set of 5 lug drums with the the added cost of new rims, new tires (Which was going to be incurred anyway) and probably new bearings...etc

So this will be a upgrade that will come down the road. I did see a Sunline post somewhere that has upgraded to Disc Brakes, and thought if you were going to go through the entire hassle of swapping out the drums, why not upgrade to some disc's at the same time. But again, this is one of those "if I ever find a bag of money that I dont know what to do with" situations.

Not something that happens to me that often

Thanks for the info though Jon

Mark · 08-20-2007, 11:42 AM

With the amount of traveling you do, you have better chances than most of us for finding a bag of money.

emam · 08-21-2007, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mark

With the amount of traveling you do, you have better chances than most of us for finding a bag of money.

Believe me, we're looking as hard as we can...LOL We sure do have lots of money going out, and not too much coming in

For those of you that are thinking about going full time, start saving now. With fuel prices and just about everything else rising, the costs are adding up.

kendoo3 · 08-21-2007, 01:23 PM

Well, they are on. BFG Commercial T/A's in 225/75/16E mounted on some nice chrome wheels. I took it for a ride and hit some pretty good bumps with no rubbing. I have about 2 inches of clearance up top and a little less than that between the front and rear tires. I will be taking it on a 1600 mile trip over labor day and will post again after that.

The swap was on a 2002 T320SR that came with 225/75/15D.