popeye766
lake tx.
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A 1996 32' Pace Arrow with 16' tires instead of 19.5 RV tires ??????
Is that standard ? Is that a good idea ?
thanks Tom.
* This post was
edited 08/19/12 09:53am by popeye766 *
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tatest
Oklahoma Green Country
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Joined: 05/14/2005
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It was standard at the time, for panel vans and other things built on the G or P-30-series truck chassis, like motor homes. One of my friends has a 32 foot Stormy that has gone almost 20 years on 16 inch Michelin XPS without any tire problems, although I find the handling a bit squirrely on broken-up high-crown back roads.
In the tire sizes and load ratings used on 16 inch wheels, GVWR can go to about 16,000 pounds without overloading the tires. In the late '90s most smaller type A motorhomes were still being built on the 11,000 to 12,300 pound GVWR G-30 chassis.
That was before slideout rooms, solid counter tops, ceramic tile floors, marble bathrooms et al started pushing the weight way up to where A gassers needed a GVWR of 24,000 to carry it all, requiring bigger wheels and tires with higher ratings.
Tom Test
Itasca Spirit 29B
2001 Ranger Edge
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wny_pat
Western NYS
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Yep, standard at the time, but not the greatest innovation. But there is help out there if you have a coach you like and want bigger wheels and tires. Take a look at Rickson Wheel. You can swap up to 19.5 wheels and tires. But it isn't cheap.
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RLS7201
Some Where
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Hi Tom, I have a 32', F53, 95 Bounder on 16" tires. In over 70K miles of driving, I've only had one tire failure. My fault, the tire was 8 years old. Ford delivered that chassis with Michelin, all steel cord, XPS tires. Probably one of the toughest 16" tires you can buy and the most expensive. I suspect Ford knew the 16" tires were marginal and used the best tire for the job. Keep those 235/85R16 tires inflated to 80 psi, and don't over load your chassis. 6,000lbs. max front axle and 11,000lbs max rear axle.
Richard
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bsinmich
Holland, MI
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I would guess you are lookiing at a Ford chassis with a 460 engine. The Chevy in '96 and even earlier had the 19.5" wheels. As stated, many MHs are out there with the 16" wheels and there was no recalls that I can ever remember for under size tires.
2003 Newmar Mountain Aire, Workhorse W22, 2008 Saturn Vue, Falcon 5250, & US Gear Unified Tow Brake
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Weathertodd221
FL
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E rated tire... pretty common and likely to find one even in the most remote parts of the country.
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96Bounder30E
America is my home!
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You will be glad it has 16" tires when you go to buy new ones......$$$$$$$$
Eric
96 Bounder 30E-F53(460)
stock Ford intake w/K&N air filter
used Thorley headers
new Banks resonator, muffler, tail pipe and 4" polished SS exhaust tip
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Valkyriebush
Yuma/Port Townsend
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Yep, my 95 Pace Arrow on the F-53 had 16 inchers, Never had a regular tire problem.
Command Master Chief (AW) USN, (ret)
2003 Fleetwood Excursion 330 Turbo Cat 39D
2000 Jeep GC
2005 Big Ruckus (Rides Behind Jeep)
2003 VTX 1800
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Nick-B
Vaughn, WA
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16" tires are fine. Some folks make a fuss that they are too small but the axles are your limiting factor on the older chassis. Don't worry - go campin' !
Nick
1995 Coachmen Santara MB360 w/slide
F53/460 chassis w/tag
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MustangGT
Athens, Alabama
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the 16" tires are easier to find, cheaper and its easier to find an installer. Almost all tire seller/installers can handle the 16" tires as they are no different than 16"-18" tires (wheels) on cars and pickups (light trucks). Many can't work with the 22.5" size because they don't have a changer large enough. You'd have to go to a truck or RV shop. At $90-$110/hour labor.
Mark, Jean, Paul & Lizzy (the mutt)
1997 Fleetwood Southwind Storm 34LS
Thirsty, noisy & clunky. She ain't pretty, but she sure is fun!
"Aerodynamics are for people who can't build engines." Enzo Ferrari
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