Sailun tire size

Anything else to consider if you go from 235/80 r16 load G, to 235/85 r16 load G. What is the minimum space needed from the top of tire to bottom of the deck to safely run a larger diameter tire?

Thanks
 

NP_Chief

Well-known member
There's usually plenty of room up top... It's the distance between the two tires that causes issues, should be a minimum of four inches.
 

mlpeloquin

Well-known member
When you go to the Sailun 235/85 r16 load G tires it will require a commercial tire shop to install them. The standard tire shops equipment is not strong enough to handle the very thick sidewalls.
 

WillyBill

Well-known member
There's usually plenty of room up top... It's the distance between the two tires that causes issues, should be a minimum of four inches.

No offense NP_Chief but out 2011 Triple axle Cyclone only had about 2" with the original 235/80r16 but now with the Sailun 235/85r16 it's about an inch and sometimes a half inch when backing or jockying around. IMHO, as long as they do not touch it will be fine. It may be that the Morryde equalizers need a little more room, I do not know, we have the Dexter easy flex equalizers. It's common to make a two hour run and find stuff still on the counter where we left it, so we have been happy with the easy flex even though some don't prefer them.

Regards, WB
 

mthompson

Well-known member
Anything else to consider if you go from 235/80 r16 load G, to 235/85 r16 load G. What is the minimum space needed from the top of tire to bottom of the deck to safely run a larger diameter tire?

Thanks

Please keep in mind that the tire ratio (which is the 80 or 85 in the tire designation) is only 5 mm different, which is ONLY 0.19685 of an inch which is LESS than a 1/4".

So changing from a 235/80 r16 load G to a 235/85 r16 load G you have added less than a 1/4" to the tire height from the ground to the center of the wheel. It would be hard to see how this could make much of a difference for fit under the RV or between the 2 tires, the movement of the wheels and axles while going down the road or while making tight turns will more than makeup for that small difference. JMHO.
 
Thanks for all the information. It looks like I should be able to safely upgrade from the 235/80 16s to the 235/85 16s. I already know that my wheels can handle either sizes, 110 psi and 3750# max load. Again, thank you all for the input.
 

MCTalley

Well-known member
Please keep in mind that the tire ratio (which is the 80 or 85 in the tire designation) is only 5 mm different, which is ONLY 0.19685 of an inch which is LESS than a 1/4".

Slight correction, the 80 and 85 are the percentage of sidewall compared to width, not a number of mm. Plus, don't forget to multiply by two, since you have two sidewall heights (top and bottom).

235/80's will have a sidewall height of 188mm (7.4 inches)
235/85's will have a sidewall height of 200mm (7.85 inches)

The difference would be .45 inches x 2 (top and bottom), or just less than an inch.
 

mlpeloquin

Well-known member
I have the 85's and about an inch is correct. I did not have to modify anything on my Bighorn, but they do come close to the plastic wheel trim.
 

8404fmfvet

Active Member
I had heard all new UP campers came with sailun tires? I have trailer kings on mine. Should I be concerned? Thinking about buying new tires because reviews aren't comforting.
 

rhodies1

Well-known member
If you have the Trailer Kings then Yes you should be seriously looking at replacement now. Those tires are notorious for blow outs. Blows outs usually cause extensive damage before you get stopped.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
I had heard all new UP campers came with sailun tires? I have trailer kings on mine. Should I be concerned? Thinking about buying new tires because reviews aren't comforting.

No, not all come with Sailun. But I don't think Heartland has shipped anything with Trailer King in a few years. You should call Heartland Customer Service at 877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030. Have your VIN # ready. Hopefully they can tell you what tires your rig had when it left the factory. If not Trailer King, then you should have a discussion with your dealer about how your trailer ended up with them.
 

8404fmfvet

Active Member
I bought my trailer new last year, a TQ371. Had it driven up to Alaska from Michigan. I looked at the tread and wear and it looks fine to me. I was so occupied with them not being tow max I never looked up trailer king tires until recently and I have to say I am not comfortable with them, especially since next month we are driving down to Texas. I guess I should seriously think about addressing the tires. Just FYI 3 of the tires are 45/17 and one is 46/17, so they are about 2 years old. The tires are 12 ply, st235/85r16 lr f.
 

jimpav

Well-known member
Just great......My 2019 Elkridge 31 RLK came with brand new, shiny Trailer King RST tires! I'm just so thrilled that I now have to spend another several hundred dollars for new Sailuns!!! Yes, at least the wheels ate 3750/110 lb. rated. I feel better already........
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Searching the NHTSA website for tire complaints, "TRAILER KING" pulls up 8 complaints, mostly involving Keystone RVs with 2016 or older model years. No complaints on 2018 or 2019 trailers.

Searching for "TRAILER KING RST" pulls up 0 complaints.

By contrast, searching for "TOWMAX" pulls up 92 complaints for "POWER KING TOWMAX", and another 31 for "TOWMAX STR ST"
 

jimpav

Well-known member
Searching the NHTSA website for tire complaints, "TRAILER KING" pulls up 8 complaints, mostly involving Keystone RVs with 2016 or older model years. No complaints on 2018 or 2019 trailers.

Searching for "TRAILER KING RST" pulls up 0 complaints.

By contrast, searching for "TOWMAX" pulls up 92 complaints for "POWER KING TOWMAX", and another 31 for "TOWMAX STR ST"

Thanks for the research, Dan. I wonder if the new Trailer King RSTs are an improvement over the older ones, or do they just classify the tires without any suffix (RST) which explains zero complaints? Those are only the complaints that people take the time to make. I'm sure there are many other frustrated Trailer King RST owners out there that had problems that didn't complain to the NHTSA. Good for a data point anyway.

By the time we get to the National, they will have about 250 miles on them since installation at the Heartland factory in Elkhart. How bad can a 12 ply, load range F, speed rated to 81 MPH (M), 5 year warranty tire be, carrying a GVWR of 13,500 ????? Needless to say I will be monitoring my TST tire monitors very closely on the trip. Thanks
 

danemayer

Well-known member
I think the search results reflect how people filing complaints named their tires. It's a good sign that there are no complaints for recent trailer builds, regardless of name.

The codes on the tire sidewall can be used to determine who actually manufactured the tire, and when.

My impression is that there is a weak connection between Brand Name and plant of manufacture, or molds and processes used to make the tires. So it's possible that "Trailer King RST" in 2019 is completely different from "Trailer King ST" in 2016. It might be manufactured with different materials, processes, and in a different manufacturing plant. Without comparing the codes on the sidewall, we don't know and we're just assuming the worst.

As an example, Goodyear Marathon tires were replaced by Goodyear Endurance tires. Marathons had an awful record. Endurance, so far, seems to be pretty good. Probably different materials and different processes involved.

BUT, if nervous about your tires, for peace of mind, it may be worth trading them out for something with a known good reputation.
 
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