Tires

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motojavaphil

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 22, 2006
Posts
673
Location
Rio Rancho, New Mexico
I am entering the zone for tire replacement on my 5r.  I currently have E range, LT 235/85/R16's.  I have purchased tires from magazines for cars at a substantial savings.  Are there any places one can do the same for RV tires?  I figure I can jack the RV up on one side and take the tires down for mounting and balancing and then repeat the other side.  Having never dismounted a tire on an RV is this a good idea and is there anything I need to know to do this aside from having a good chocking and jack stands.  Can a standard car tire care center mount and balance RV tires?  If this is too risky then I do not mind spending the money but if I can save it is always nice!  Thanx 
 
Most any local car tire dealer can handle 16 inch trailer wheels on their equipment, including mounting and balancing. A few trailers may have wheels with large diameter hubs, which would require a special adapter on the spindle of the balancing machine, but most are will fit on the standard cone-shaped spindle.

The prices online look good but by the time you pay for shipping and local installation I don't think you save much unless the tire itself is a special tysize or type. Since an LT236/85R16-E is a fairly typical size for a pick-up truck tire, I would bet that you can get a good price locally because of price competition.  You can often get a package price for four tires all balanced and mounted, whereas you will pay full list price for mounting and balancing services if you bring in your own tires. 

You will probably pay less for LT tires than ST trailer service tires and LT's are as good or better than ST's for trailer use.  I would not recommend using "P" type passenger car tires - the sidewalls are more flexible than ST or LT tires and may allow the trailer to sway a bit more. You probably wo't find a "P"  tire in Load Range E anyway.

There is no special considerations for changing trailer tires - just the usual precautions in jacking safet and torquing the lug nuts properly when re-installing. 

Shop around and see what yields the best bottom line price in your area.
 
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