Baby needs new shoes...

[SeaDawg]

We're working on getting the camper cleaned up, checked out, and ready for camping season.

 

Our Maxxis load range e st tires look fine for tread, but sidewalls show some checking, and they're old enough (5 years)  that we are going to replace them before we tow the trailer anywhere.

 

Steve, Pete, and Aubrey all changed their 2008 trailers over to light truck 16 inch tires years ago. We're going to change out the wheels and go to the LT Michelin. Since Pete did all the research for years ago, and he's been happy, I'm not going to "reinvent the wheel." For anyone with an early Oliver with the 15 inch st tires, here's a screenshot of his installation.

 

It will increase the height of the trailer a bit, but we had the double step installed a few years back.

 

Thanks, Pete!

 

Sherry

[Overland]

I think those are the very tires that Oliver uses now. At least the ones in production a year ago had them - they could have changed by now.

[SeaDawg]

I believe so, too, Overland. At least two other owners adopted the same wheels and tires in 2012, and the people I've spoken to are very happy with the results.

 

I may use a different Michelin tires, though. Haven't decided on that yet.

 

Pete's post details the correct specs for wheels and bolt pattern, which saved me a lot of time.

 

Sherry

[bugeyedriver]

Keep in mind, any early owners who have not had the 5200# axle mod done cannot benefit from those wheels.  The early original 3500# axle only had 5 bolts and those 16" wheels have 6.

[Raspy]

SeaDawg,

 

My Oliver has 16" BFG Commercial T/A tires in the size you listed and load range E.  I'd rather have the Michelins if given a choice.

 

3500 lb axles can have either the 5 or 6 bolt pattern.  My Ollie has the 3500 lb axles with six bolt pattern.  If yours has the five bolt pattern, it would be a simple matter of ordering new 6 bolt drums and new bearings to fit the 16" wheels.  I think that would be a worthwhile change since 16" E rated truck tires are readily available.  I haven't priced them, but new drums shouldn't cost more than about $50. each.

[John E Davies]

Has anyone thought about other brands and types? Michelins are good tires but I don't think they are worth the extra expense for any trailer. I had the LTX tires on a Land Cruiser and they were simply awful in winter and just OK on gravel. You can save a significant amount with say BFG All Terrain K/O 2 or General Grabber. Having had Michelins of different types on a number of vehicles, I never replaced them with that brand when they wore out. I think they are over rated.

 

Comments?

 

Here are some All Terrains from Tire Rack.

 

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/TireSearchResults.jsp?zip-code=99208&width=225/&ratio=75&diameter=16&rearWidth=255/&rearRatio=40&rearDiameter=17

 

A set of the BFGs with the spare tire exposed on the back would look terrific IMHO. But I am a little weird....

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[SeaDawg]

Thanks, John. My 08 single axle has the 5200 axle, and 6 bolt pattern, same as Pete. Your info is really helpful though, to others who might want to change up the bolt pattern.

 

If an older owner of the original single axle trailer still has a 3500 axle, though, I'd encourage him to contact the factory about trading it up for the 5200# . I don't know if any are left, but there may be a few. And, as Pete noted, his specs are for the higher rated axle, six bolt pattern most of us earlier  small trailer owners have. I should have mentioned that in my original post.

 

Thanks for the catch, Pete. And thanks for the info, John.

 

Sherry

 

 

[Overland]

I'm curious what the advantage of all terrain tires is on a trailer. I know I see them on small offroad trailers all the time but since the wheels aren't driven it seems like the disadvantages of roll resistance, poor highway performance, noise and greater wear would outweigh any offroad advantage they may give. Is it puncture resistance that people are after?

 

On the 5200lb axles, I can see the desire and am usually one to go for overkill, but in the case of unsprung weight I think I'd rather keep it lighter myself.

[Raspy]

Sherry,

 

The 5200 lb axle is an excellent axle.  It has larger brakes in addition to being stronger.  I'm glad that's what you have.

 

 

 

John,

 

I've had some experience with the BFG All Terrain T/A and they are the worst tires I've ever had.  Won't stay balanced, very weak sidewall, get noisy as they wear, etc.  I had one that separated and the warrantee was worthless.  There is a thread in another forum about them and the general consensus is to stay away from them.  That's why I mentioned that I have the BFG Commercial T/A.  I'm hoping they are better, but we'll see.  I was thinking I'd rather have the Michelins if given the choice.  I'm glad you mentioned the Michelin problems, I've never had a set.

[Raspy]

I’m curious what the advantage of all terrain tires is on a trailer. I know I see them on small offroad trailers all the time but since the wheels aren’t driven it seems like the disadvantages of roll resistance, poor highway performance, noise and greater wear would outweigh any offroad advantage they may give. Is it puncture resistance that people are after? On the 5200lb axles, I can see the desire and am usually one to go for overkill, but in the case of unsprung weight I think I’d rather keep it lighter myself.

 

The only advantage of All Terrains I can think of is possibly more braking traction under some circumstances in the dirt.  But they are probably worse under other circumstances, like cornering or on wet pavement braking.  Can't see how they would be more puncture resistant.  Definitely more noisy than highway tread.  I'm sticking with highway tread.  Nice, quiet, low friction rolling and long tread life.

[John E Davies]

I’m curious what the advantage of all terrain tires is on a trailer. I know I see them on small offroad trailers all the time but since the wheels aren’t driven it seems like the disadvantages of roll resistance, poor highway performance, noise and greater wear would outweigh any offroad advantage they may give. Is it puncture resistance that people are after? On the 5200lb axles, I can see the desire and am usually one to go for overkill, but in the case of unsprung weight I think I’d rather keep it lighter myself.

 

Compared to an All Season LT:

 

Better resistence to sidewall damage, better resistance to flats from rocks and road debris, better braking on loose surfaces, MUCH better handling on twisty gravel roads.

 

Possibly better braking on snow if snowflake rated.

 

The downsides are significantly higher rolling resistance. Weight isn't always higher, but it tends to be. Tread life isn't usually a problem since they will "time out" before they wear out. They will be noisier. Some trailers with marginal stability will get spooky.

 

If all you tow on is paved roads, go with a ribbed or regular All Season LT or ST tire.

 

Rabidly hard core offroaders use matching tires and wheels on both trailer and TV, so a spare can be used on either...

 

I love the look of All Terrains on a trailer of any kind... most Ollie owners would not see much benefit.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[SeaDawg]

Overland, our original 17 trailer has only a single axle, and the 5200 # has worked very well for us. If we load the trailer up with full gear and full tanks, we're probably around 3600 pounds. I have weighed it in the past at CAT scales, and I don't remember the exact weights, I would have to look it up, but the 5200 gives us plenty of safety margin.

 

Oliver changed out the few 17 ft trailers that had the original 3500 # axle for the 5200 early on. We don't have the doubling factor of two axles, like the newer, bigger trailers . As far as the tires, I will likely get one of two locally available Michelin ltx load range e tires. We don't drive slow unless we have to, and good load range e st tires are almost impossible to find anymore, so ltx it is. We can find Michelin ltx, just about anywhere. If they last five years, as most of our tires do, it's not a huge amortized cost. We only have to buy two, after all...

 

Sherry

[SeaDawg]

John Davies, I see we posted about the same time. I know you do a lot of research, too, like the rest of us. Any opinion on Michelin Ms/2 vs Michelin Defender ltx tires. The price different here in my county is about a dollar a tire.

 

We definitely do many more highway miles than gravel. It's 650 miles from my driveway to the mountains near Asheville.

 

Shery

[ScubaRx]

When our Oliver was built in early 2014, there were no "standard" tires or anything else, for that matter.  I discussed tire selection with Jim Oliver and he suggested the Michelin® XPS® Rib™ LT225/75R16/E 115/112Q LRE.  That is what we went with.  I have been extremely satisfied with them.

[GrayGhost]

Our 2015 came with the BFG LT's..... for those that have them, curious what tire pressure you maintain in them?

 

Thanks.

[Overland]

Sherry, I was thinking double axles with the 3500lb comment. There was a thread a while back talking about how some Elite II owners ended up with 5200lb axles and that's what I thought you were talking about. I assumed the single axles had always came with 5200lb axles so that's an interesting piece of Oliver history to know.

[John E Davies]

We only have to buy two, after all… Sherry

Well, three if you include the spare. Even if unused and continually covered, it has degraded considerably through oxidation.

 

If you don't change it, then understand that it should only be used as a "get us to the tire store" remedy, not as a permanent replacement for one that got damaged.

 

I think rotating the spare makes lots of sense, especially if you tow a lot of miles, and then buy all new tires when the need arises.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[rideandfly]

Our 2015 came with the BFG LT’s….. for those that have them, curious what tire pressure you maintain in them?

 

Thanks.

 

 

GrayGhost,

 

We currently have (installed new at Oliver) LT BFG Commercial TA 225/75R/16 Load Range E installed on 5200 pound capacity axles on our 2015 Ollie. Our Ollie weighs in around 4950 pounds ready to camp with empty water tanks.

 

Here's Tire Rack information on a LT BFG tire:

 

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=BFGoodrich&tireModel=Commercial+T%2FA+Traction&partnum=275QR6COMMTAT&vehicleSearch=false&fromCompare1=yes

 

Here's Michelin's LT load and inflation tables for their 16" LT tires, have not found BFG load/pressure tables yet. Michelin recommends different pressures according to load.

 

http://www.michelinrvtires.com/reference-materials/load-and-inflation-tables/#/

 

When we replace the LT BFG tires, plan to go to Michelin LT tires next.

[bugeyedriver]

SeaDawg wrote:

We only have to buy two, after all… Sherry

Well, three if you include the spare. .......... I think rotating the spare makes lots of sense, especially if you tow a lot of miles, and then buy all new tires when the need arises. John Davies Spokane WA

 

The early Ollies will not accommodate a 16" tire under the tire cover.  My spare is a 15".  Yeah, I know it is not optimum but it will get me to a repair shop.

 

(BTW, my mother-in-law says that she likes the way the trailer rides with the Michelin LTX tires best)

[SeaDawg]

 (BTW, my mother-in-law says that she likes the way the trailer rides with the Michelin LTX tires best)

Too funny, Pete.

 

Yup, even deflated, my understanding is that a 16 won't fit under our older tire cover. All the more reason to go with a mainstream, readily available tire if we do have to limp to the tire shop.

 

One tire shop told me today that the Michelin Ms/2 is being phased out in favor of the Defender.

 

Steve, I looked up consumer reviews on your Michelin Ribs. Stellar. And, interestingly, many of the reviews were from people who actually used them on trailers. That's impressive, though they're about 25 per cent higher than the Ms/2 and Defender, certainly worth considering.

 

Sherry

[Raspy]

John E Davies wrote:

SeaDawg wrote:

We only have to buy two, after all… Sherry

Well, three if you include the spare. ………. I think rotating the spare makes lots of sense, especially if you tow a lot of miles, and then buy all new tires when the need arises. John Davies Spokane WA

The early Ollies will not accommodate a 16″ tire under the tire cover. My spare is a 15″. Yeah, I know it is not optimum but it will get me to a repair shop. (BTW, my mother-in-law says that she likes the way the trailer rides with the Michelin LTX tires best)

 

I have even considered running without the spare tire cover if I could then have the same size tire as is on the ground.  Has anyone tried to mount a 16" on the spare bracket?  If it fits, a nice canvas cover would be OK.  BTW, the fiberglass cover sticks out farther than the rear bumper and seems pretty vulnerable.  I've got some rubber bumpers that I plan to put on the rear to fix that.

 

It doesn't seem useful to rotate the tires.  They'll time out before they wear out.

[ScubaRx]

...There was a thread a while back talking about how some Elite II owners ended up with 5200lb axles and that’s what I thought you were talking about. I assumed the single axles had always came with 5200lb axles so that’s an interesting piece of Oliver history to know.

 

In 2007-early 2008 all the Elites were sold with 3500 lb axles.  Somewhere in middle to late 2008 problems started to arise due to the fact that these early trailers were too heavy for that size axle.  The factory swapped out most (if not all) of them for 5200 lb axles with 6 bolt lugs and provide 3 new tires and wheels for each.  It's doubtful, but there may be some still out there with the original 3500 lb single axles.

 

During our Elite II build I asked for twin 5200 lb axles to be mounted on ours because that was what we had on the original Elite I.  All the new Elite I's have been equipped with 5200 lb axles.