OldMan5 here----I am very pleased with the performance & wear of the Hankook tires as mentioned above. As noted I run them @ 60psi and I have not noticed any edge wear at all. I also raised the trailer slightly by moving the front spring mounting to the lower hole which raised the trailer about 1/2"-3/4". I was seeing some rub marks on the plastic fender wells on the heavy side even with the original tires, after about 2,500 mile this summer & some very rough roads I see no tire contact on the fender wells.
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If you go with the Hankook tires--I'm sure you'll be pleased.
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OldMan5
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ps.
The trailer handles great----I was told by Fleetwood & others not to use radials and stay with Bias tires--and that this trailer would handle well with radials. Wrong--- On freeway, forest roads, fast curvy mountain roads---I find no problems with handling. Look at what I'm pulling with!
Oldman5 - we too have wear issues on the stock Loadstar tires which came with the pup. We have the 2007 Niagara and we are looking to replace them this winter to be ready for next season. I have looked into the Hankook and I see that you have moved the front spring to the lower hole. Did you have to do this because the new tires were rubbing or was it just for more clearance? If we go with the Hankook tires, would they fit properly without moving the leaf spring? I did get the measurements for the Hankook and the Loadstar but I am not sure what all the numbers mean. Hankook - OD=26.3, SW=7.6, TW=5.5, TD=12.5 and the Loadstar - OD-26.3, SW=7.8 (I was unable to find the other numbers). Thanks for the help
The tire contact issue was there before I changed the tires. The flimsy plastic inner fenders don't hold shape perfecting and the clearence is tight to begin with. The slide on mine actually touches the top of the inner fender well and may be causing the fender to be a little lower than the other side. If I had not changed the front spring hole position, the original tires would have rubbed thru before long. The contact only occurred when the springs were being compressed from bumps and poleholes while driving. There was some clearence when not moving.
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In regard to tire size---they are almost identical in demensions--very slightly taller. The original tire size is a tight fit.
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Hope this answers your questions
OldMan5
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ps--When I weigh out my trailer on all points I'm at not over the max ratings, but right there. I dry camp alot---I'm always carrying a full fresh water tank, full propane tanks.
2007 Fleetwood Niagara (AKA the ChuckWagon)
EU2000 Honda
1989 E150 Ford van (Restored)
We've been tent camping for 30yrs----This is a nice change
Oldman5, you say that that the dimensions are slightly taller, do you mean the dimensions on the stock tire or the Hankook? I looked at our current loadstar and there is not a lot of clearance currently. As far as I can tell, they have not been rubbing. Also, did you just have the tires mounted to the stock rims? Thanks for the helpful information.
Kim
DH
DD (1990)
DS (1995)
Dog Cosmo born 4/06, rescued 8/06
2004 GMC Yukon 4x4 5.3 L Towning Fleetwood Niagara
Nights Camped in 2005: 31
Nights Camped in 2006: 25
Nights Camped in 2007: 30 Our Adventures and Mods
popupbound wrote: Oldman5, you say that that the dimensions are slightly taller, do you mean the dimensions on the stock tire or the Hankook? I looked at our current loadstar and there is not a lot of clearance currently. As far as I can tell, they have not been rubbing. Also, did you just have the tires mounted to the stock rims? Thanks for the helpful information.
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On my trailer the stock Kenda Loadstar tires were making rub marks on the heavy side of the trailer on the inner fender.
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The Hankook tires were mounted on the original aluminum wheels that came on my trailer.
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The Hankook tires are very slightly larger in diameter----a tire man would say were the exact same size as the Kenda tires.
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OldMan5
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--Note: I've been on some very rough mountain roads with this trailer,
so rough I have had the entrance door snaps come loose and drop the door on the slide & counter. And have the filler (trim) piece between the back of the shower and the rear bunk bounce out and be on the floor under I opened up the trailer. I take good care of my stuff & use it, but where I camp most people take tents.
That most likely accounts for the rub marks I have but you don't have.
* This post was
edited 11/11/09 05:14pm by OldMan5 *
I also had severe tire wear on my stock Niagara. It turns out that the axle on the Niagara bends too easy even when it is not overloaded. It bends at the point where the spindle is connected to the axle tube....very hard to see that it is bent. After messing around trying to rebend I finally bought a new axle from Dexter. I opted for a larger thicker axle tube. It is the same tube they use on the heavier axle..I think 5300#. They just use the same spindle so everthing else fits perfect. No more bending axle for me. Now I just need to get the tires replaced and I will be back to perfect.
jlwardn wrote: I also had severe tire wear on my stock Niagara. It turns out that the axle on the Niagara bends too easy even when it is not overloaded. It bends at the point where the spindle is connected to the axle tube....very hard to see that it is bent. After messing around trying to rebend I finally bought a new axle from Dexter. I opted for a larger thicker axle tube. It is the same tube they use on the heavier axle..I think 5300#. They just use the same spindle so everthing else fits perfect. No more bending axle for me. Now I just need to get the tires replaced and I will be back to perfect.
What was the part you ordered from Dexter? I am assuming this would still fit the rims on the stock axle from the Niagara. We have 2007, what year is yours? Is this a do it yourself replacement or better for a mechanic to perform the work? Thanks
Hi. I want to thank all for this discussion. I have a 2008 Niagara with a bent axle - and yes, it is bent. There is no upward curvature. It looks exactly as jlwardn describes "It bends at the point where the spindle is connected to the axle tube..." making both tires lean in at the top. I think this is a Fleetwood / now FTCA design and potential safety problem. There simply is not enough axle capacity to handle the weight of these units. Incidentally, I had my unit weighed - it weighs 3625 lbs with no cargo and no water in the tanks - on a 3500 lb rated axle.
I want to encourage those who have undertaken axle repair/replacement to report it to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. It's easy - the link is:
http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm
I did. If you want to look mine up it's complaint number 10292064. If enough complain, it will force FTCA to acknowledge and fix the problem.
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