Mixing old and new tires and wheel sizes

[The_Handier_Man1]

From: fatty74271  (Original Message)
Sent: 3/9/2004 12:35 PM

I know this ? gets asked alot but can not find info i need. I have a 72 18' brave m300. There are 7.50 by 16 tires on split rims. The tires say nylon on them not sure of the make. My right rear tires looks like they need to be replaced. The steer tires are ok. Should i just buy 2 new fronts and move the 2 old steer tires to the rear right. These tires are bias correct. I just found a store that  has INDUS tire 7.50 by 16, 10 ply, naylon for 68.00 and i found tubless wheels 8 lugs 16 inchers for about $75.00 . Im pinched for money right now so should i just buy 2 tubless wheels and 2 tires put on front and when i get more money buy new tubless wheels  for the rear. I hope this makes sense. And can i even do this. Will i beable to put tubed tires on tubless wheels.



From: mightybooboo
Sent: 3/9/2004 2:09 PM

Fatty,I personally would do what you are suggesting,seems OK to  me FWIW. But....how old are the tires,I blew 3 that were only 5 years old and had been sitting.They were firestone radials 16.5. Blown tires SUK!!!!! You get real unstable,really fast.Not a good thing. How old are yours and how long have they sat?
BooBoo



From: mightybooboo
Sent: 3/9/2004 2:23 PM

Tubed tires on tubeless wheels (with a tube?) I  dont know.Youre right,does sound confusing if you think about it.If you put your current fronts on those split rims to back,OK. Are the 2 new rims NOT splits? Solid front rims?If so,are the new tires, tubed style,going on tubeless rims?I have put tubes in tubeless auto tires before(radial tires with radial tubes) and it was fine.Dont know about those MH rims though,I would get tubeless bias plys for tubeless rims on front if possible.Wouldnt want a front blowout from a tube failure at 60 mph,been there,done that,wife following behind said it looked like Winnie was falling over,felt  like it too.Dont mess with this,do it within specs.A truck stop tire place should know the answer.
BooBoo



From: fatty74271
Sent: 3/9/2004 4:24 PM

Boy this got confusing real fast. HMMM The front tires are good probly two years old, the guy i bought it from replaced them or so he said. They look good anyway. The rear right 2 are not so good. So i was going to buy find or how ever i get them 2 tubless wheels for the front before this season. Then i was going to buy 2 new tubless bais tires and put them on the front.( Back ones are bais also) Taking the nice front ones and puting them on the right rear tires. Then when i get more money and start rounding up more tubless wheels and buying new bais tires. SO what im getting at is i can put tubless steer tires and have split wheels in the back and have no problems. Is 10 ply tires alright to put on them. They sit all winter but i bet i put 2500 miles on in 4 or 5 months from when i bought. MAN I LOVE THAT THING.



From: denison
Sent: 3/9/2004 5:05 PM

You can definitely put one piece wheels with tubeless tires on the front, and move those to the back. The tires that are on each side of the rear axle have to match, in height and construction - so they each take half the load. If the front tires are the same size and brand, they will live next to each other just fine. As to the ply rating, you only need to ensure that the max load rating of the tires is higher than the load they would ever carry. Add up the numbers on the sidewall. My 7.50-17 tires are 10 ply rated, and the max load rating from the sidewall is 3170 at 90 psi for single use, like the front axle, and 2780 at 80 psi for dual use, as on the rear axle. Thus the max load for my front tires could carry together would be 6340 lbs at 90 psi, and it is a 5000 lb axle. With the 4 tires on the rear axle the max load the tires could carry would be 11120 poounds, and it is a 10,000 rear axle. Since I only have about 4000 pounds on that front axle I run the fronts at 75 psi, and with about 6500 on the rear axle I run the back tires at 65 psi. I think yours has a 4500 lb front axle, but I dont know what the rear axle rating would be - probably in the 7500 lb load range. denison 



From: UluzYarx
Sent: 3/11/2004 9:25 AM

Can you buy good second-hand (pre-used tyres) where you are Tatty?
Check their age as well as the normal things - reject anything over 5-7 years old, even less in a very sunny climate.
~
If I were in your shoes, I leave the fronts alone and put used tyres on the rear.
New tyres will grown old long before you get your money's worth from them.
~
Dave



From: ErikGatz
Sent: 3/12/2004 1:49 AM

Yes fatty, you are correct, not all chev and ford wheels will fit on dodge chassis.. the center hole is usually smaller on the chev and ford.  the newer ones shouldnt be a problem though.  Good Luck

Erik



From: 73Indian2
Sent: 10/7/2005 6:45 PM

I have 17.5 on my 73 Winnie and would like to change to a modern wheel. What size can I go to? I have a 5 lug pattern.



From: denison
Sent: 10/7/2005 7:42 PM

I thought the 5 bolt pattern on our motorhomes was only the Budd style wheel (with largish nuts) and came in 17 inch, split rim wheels; 7.50-17. As far as I know, the only alternative is to get the 5 bolt one piece wheels taking a 19.5 inch tubeless tire. These wheels were made in the later 70s, like 76 and 77, and some winnies came with them. They have also been made since then by other wheel makers than Budd. Alcoa made shiny aluminum ones, available new as recently as 1995 that I know of.
I presume you could find 5 bolt 19.5s in RV Salvage yards, or from places like Arizona Salvage (www.azrvinc.com). A business near Baltimore is going to make a run of new ones for the 19.5 inch tubeless tires, www.ricksontruck.com. You might find them used for $50 - $100 each. I expect the tires would be over $100 each too. The tires would need to be for light truck applications, load range D or E I think. I dont spend much time trying to find cheap tires. My 7.50-17s arent cheap, but they hold up very well.



From: denison
Sent: 10/7/2005 9:50 PM

I might add that my advice to anyone with a vintage winny would be to keep the original type of wheels that came with the vehicle. Just know that you cant expect the 7.50-17LT tires to be commonly stocked in retail tire places. 



From: MacD22C
Sent: 11/3/2005 10:43 AM

  When I 1st got my '72 D22C, 20 years ago, it had bias belted - Firestones I think,  On my 1st trip a 2"x6" chunk of rubber flew off - clunk clunk...
Anyway, I then bought all 6 as Michelines (sp?), 6.50 x 17 steel radials with radial tubes. Now 15 years later, and 20,000+ miles, no problems.
John



From: denison
Sent: 11/3/2005 11:16 AM

Are you saying you have gotten 15 years of service out of the same 6 Michelin radials? Also, I would be curious to know if your Michelins sidwalls have the label giving the maximum load per tire at a specific max psi, and the DOT code for the date? I have some used Michelins that do not have the DOT sidewall required info. 



From: MacD22C
Sent: 11/30/2005 4:12 PM

Denison,
  I'll check the side walls, maybe a pic.
  And yes, 18+ years of Michelin service!
John



From: MacD22C
Sent: 12/5/2005 3:33 PM

18 yo Michelin 7.50-17 XCA after 18 yrs!  This is a DOT rated tire, sorry the actual load pic did not turn out.
John