Wheels and Tires

[John E Davies]

I asked about the brand and model, they are Lionshead, but I can not find that actual snowflake style wheel, it is not shown here.

https://lionsheadtireandwheel.com/wheels

One reason they may be retaining the 6 on 5 1/2 pattern is that the load rating is about 700 pounds higher, which is good. I did find one very nice 15” wheel with the smaller bolt pattern, and it has a 3200 pound rating. I would be quite reluctant to use a wheel with a 2150 limit on an LE2.

John Davies

Spokane WA

[ScubaRx]

12 hours ago, John E Davies said:

I asked about the brand and model, they are Lionshead, but I can not find that actual snowflake style wheel, it is not shown here.

https://lionsheadtireandwheel.com/wheels

One reason they may be retaining the 6 on 5 1/2 pattern is that the load rating is about 700 pounds higher, which is good. I did find one very nice 15” wheel with the smaller bolt pattern, and it has a 3200 pound rating. I would be quite reluctant to use a wheel with a 2150 limit on an LE2.

John Davies

Spokane WA

John, Lionshead is the distributor that supplies the already mounted tires and wheels to Oliver. 
 

The wheels had a small removable sticker on each one that stated they were made by the company Sumec. 

[Mainiac]

As I understand it, an ST rated tire has a stiffer sidewall. A stiffer sidewall should help eliminate any (or at least minimize) side way sway caused by flexing sidewalls. I must also say I have never noticed any sway while underway with my 2017 Michelin LT rated tires. If you was to stand at the back side of the Oliver and push and release, push and release you would see the sidewall flex. That was a concern, when picking up our unit that it had LT rated tires instead of  ST. As the same tires were 10 ply we figured we would give them a try as they had performed very well on plow trucks. It turns out it was really a non issue. Think it would be nice to know that  replacement tires are readily available most everywhere.

Now for the important "stuff": do I have enough instate firewood and wine for tonight?

[Aria39]

On the weels is also marked vin number, you can find out its history)

[bugeyedriver]

The Wonder Egg has new shoes!

Tires - Maxxis 8008 Plus ST205/75R15  /  Max load: 2150 LBS at 65psi, 2040 at 60psi  /  Tread depth 9/32"  /  8 PLY

Wheels - Raceline 870 Element Wheels Size: 15 X 6 bolt pattern 6 X 5.5. /  Load rating: 2830 LBS

 

[Mainiac]

As I understand it, an ST rated tire has a stiffer sidewall. A stiffer sidewall should help eliminate any (or at least minimize) side way sway caused by flexing sidewalls. I must also say I have never noticed any sway while underway with my 2017 Michelin LT rated tires. If you was to stand at the back side of the Oliver and push and release, push and release you would see the sidewall flex. That was a concern, when picking up our unit that it had LT rated tires instead of  ST. As the same tires were 10 ply we figured we would give them a try as they had performed very well on plow trucks. It turns out it was really a non issue. Think it would be nice to know that  replacement tires are readily available most everywhere.

Now for the important "stuff": do I have enough instate firewood and wine for tonight?

[Steph and Dud B]

The Goodyear Endurance tires are well regarded in the towable RV field. I'd be ok with them on my Oliver. ST tires have strengthened sidewalls to handle the sideways scrubbing trailer tires endure in tight turns.

@bugeyedriver We've had Maxxis on our previous 3 trailers with absolutely no issues at all. Very nice tires, too.

[SeaDawg]

We loved our maxxis. Good choice. 

[ADKCamper]

15" Rims and Goodyear Endurance ST225/75R15 *seems* like a good match-up for the dual-axle LE2. I'm not so sure for the single axle LE... or maybe I just don't understand how this works.

Starting with a 5,000 lb GVWR, ignoring the ~500 lb tongue weight carried by the tow vehicle and assuming all weight is evenly distributed, doesn't this mean that each tire needs to safely support 5,000/2 = 2500 lb? To do that with the 15" Endurance (load index 117) you would need to run slightly over 70 psi in that tire (70.6 psi by my math...). Kind of a rough ride on our rarely perfect roads and close to the tire's 80psi max.

 

Also, some more conservative folks than I recommend a 20% safety margin, bumping up the 5,000 lb GVWR to 6,000 lb of support, requiring each tire to support up to 3,000 lb (which is above the 15" Endurance's max load).

My 2018 LE has the now-obsolete 16" (Cooper Discoverer HT3) tires. Without doing an exhaustive search and/or verifying wheel well clearances, there are a number of ST (Endurance, Maxxis) and LT (BFG A/T KO2, Goodyear Wrangler Duratrac) tires in 16" LR-E1 sizes that will support a 2,500 lb load in the 60-65 psi range.

The only issue is that the tire diameters run from 30.5" - 30.8"; bigger than the 2018 Cooper HT3 diameter of 28.03". Without measuring I'm not sure that any of the newer/currently available 16" tires will fit in the original spare tire cover on the rear bumper. I've only had that cover off once, and from memory the original Cooper HT3 was already a very snug fit.

Hopefully I still have another season to figure out what I want to do for the next set of tires!

 

[DreamCatcher]

On 10/18/2022 at 8:42 AM, topgun2 said:

Michelin stopped making the tire.

Papa Bean counter had nothing to do with it.

Bill

Interesting, but Michelin makes the BF Goodrich tires.  I have been happy with them.

[Nan]

I am using Cooper LT tires on my 2017 Elite 2.

 

[BBL]

On 10/17/2022 at 10:30 PM, ScubaRx said:

The decision has been made that going forward and starting immediately, both Oliver models will be equipped with 15 inch wheels and tires with a matching spare. The tires will be Goodyear Endurance ST225/75-15’s. 

We took delivery of our Oliver LE II last week and we got the Goodyear Wrangler Workhorse AT tires in LT225/75R16.

I really like the tread pattern and have had good luck with these tires before.

[GrayGhost]

On 3/6/2023 at 4:11 PM, DreamCatcher said:

Interesting, but Michelin makes the BF Goodrich tires.  I have been happy with them.

The BF Goodrich LT’s is what my 2015 came with. 7 1/2 years later, they were still like new, no cracks whatsoever, and plenty of tread, but due to age replaced them anyway… with the same BF Goodrich LT’s.

[SeaDawg]

On 10/21/2022 at 2:22 PM, bugeyedriver said:

The Wonder Egg has new shoes!

Tires - Maxxis 8008 Plus ST205/75R15  /  Max load: 2150 LBS at 65psi, 2040 at 60psi  /  Tread depth 9/32"  /  8 PLY

Wheels - Raceline 870 Element Wheels Size: 15 X 6 bolt pattern 6 X 5.5. /  Load rating: 2830 LBS

 

Loved our maxxis. If we could have found maxxis st replacements a few years back, they'd be on our trailer now.

I've also read super reviews of goodyear endurance. (Looking for tires for the flatbed trailer, now.)

We have run st tires all 15 (now going in 16) seasons, and have been very happy.

[taylor.coyote]

Does anyone have experience running Cooper ten ply HT3 tires?  Seems to be Cooper Tire's version of the original Michelin that came on the Oliver.

 

https://coopertire.com/en-us/find-tires/all-tires/discoverer-ht3

 

 

 

[MAX Burner]

On 10/18/2022 at 3:48 PM, Hokieman said:

Airstream uses same tires on current models. 

My one and only (knock on wood) blow-out was with my AS running Goodyear Marathons (made in Korea, as I recall)... FYI

[BBL]

5 hours ago, MAX Burner said:

with my AS running Goodyear Marathons (made in Korea, as I recall)... FYI

@MAX Burner we too are coming from an AS. They had just transitioned to the Endurance tire when we got ours.  Everyone called the Marathons "May Pops" because you never knew when one may pop... 😉 

Brian

[MAX Burner]

@Brian and Brandelyne:  We lucked out - no wheel well or banana wrap damage.  Went to 16" Sendel wheels and Michelin RIBs - piece of mind, brother!

73s!

[ScubaRx]

Our 2014 LEII came outfitted with Michelin RIB's. When it came time to replace them I went with Hercules H-901 LT225/75R16. They are F/12 Commercial Light Truck All-Steel Belted. These are also available in a ST model if you are so inclined.

I prepared this chart for a fellow Oliver owner several years ago to help him compare several different brands.

Tire Comparisons.pdf

[Wayfinder]

Well, my tire shop also just recommended the Michelin Agilis Cross Climate LT (225/75R/16) quoted at $261 each.

Man, I HATE to get rid of what I have (Michelin LT), they look BRAND NEW!  But they do have a year date of 15 on them.  What a shame, and waste.

I just don't want to take a chance though.

I'm going to have to put way more mileage on them then the previous owner.  I promise myself!   LOL

 

Michelin-Agilis-CrossClimate-tires.pdf

[ScubaRx]

If those Michelins were on your truck would you be getting rid of them?

[Wayfinder]

1 minute ago, ScubaRx said:

If those Michelins were on your truck would you be getting rid of them?

Ordering them in the morning.  Errrrggggg.

[Mike and Carol]

1 hour ago, Wayfinder said:

Man, I HATE to get rid of what I have (Michelin LT), they look BRAND NEW!  But they do have a year date of 15 on them.  What a shame, and waste.

The way I look at it (for both my vehicles and trailer) is that there is a mileage (wear) OR time limit on tires.  The BF Goodrich’s on the Oliver had plenty of tread after 5 years and over 60K miles.  Some small cracking could be seen if I looked close enough.  Same on my Audi S3, the tires had lots of tread left after 5 years (but only 25K miles) but I replaced them too, not cheap.  Peace of mind is more important to me than squeezing another year or so out of older tires.  That’s just me, YMMV.

1 hour ago, Wayfinder said:

I just don't want to take a chance though.

Exactly.  I don’t either.  Mike

[Wayfinder]

So I've ordered my Michelin Agilis CrossClimate #72022 (225/75R16)  If I estimate my OE-II is approximately 6000 with a light load for camping, is this chart saying that 40 PSI per tire can handle the trailer load, at 1650 lbs x 4 wheels = 6600 lbs total?  Am I reading that right?  

40 PSI seems low to me. My current original Michelin LTs I typically run around 55-60 with a light load.

What would you experts do here?

Michelin-Agilis-Climate-Control-Inflation-Chart-for-RV-Usage.pdf

[Hokieman]

9 hours ago, Wayfinder said:

What would you experts do here?

Tire Pressure Confusion LE2

This link will provide you feedback from several experienced owners, as well as supporting evidence from a few major  tire manufacturers including Michelin, Cooper & Goodyear.  They all show similar results as your table.  Oliver has reduced their recommendations from 80 psi to 55 psi in 2022 & 2023 models.   As you know, those newer models weigh about the same as your 2016, depending on options and loading.   If you are unsure about choosing a tire pressure, certainly you are safe with what Oliver recommends.