Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

Besides wondering that age old question as to whether size matters...what size tires do you have or recommend? My axle came with 12" tires, but I am going to upgrade them. Not sure whether to go 13, 14 or 15.

I had a friend ask a tire dealer the same question about his teardrop. It was really focused on what rim size. He went with 15" rims since there are a wide range of 15" tires. I got the impression that 13" tires are limited.

When it was all said and done, he put some tiny little tires on his 15" rims.

Tony

Larger rim and tire sizes, like 15", also have the side benefit of turning slower. Fewer revolutions per mile = less heat generation from the bearings.

Mine are 17" 34 Chevy truck wheels with I believe without actually checking, 3.50-4.00 tires.. a 20" od tire spins roughly 50% faster than a 35" od tire to cover 1 mile
Just FYI if interested in how much faster in real numbers, the 20" tire will make 1,005 revolutions per mile vs 576 for the 35" tire.

Consider symmetry and scale...

Some very nice designs can look silly when paired with tiny little wheels/tires.

Rob

How are the roads that you will be traveling on? Larger wheels handle potholes and bumps better than the smaller wheels, and are also easier on the wheel bearings and tires because they rotate at a slower rate. I used the 12" tires on my first two builds and never had any problems, but stepped up to a 15" wheel and tire on my latest build. Handles much nicer on dirt roads, and also looks a lot better in my opinion.

On my present build I am using the same size tires as my TV. 16" suv tires, I believe. They handle much better than the 12 inch ones on my last build.

absolutsnwbrdr wrote: Larger wheels handle potholes and bumps better than the smaller wheels, and are also easier on the wheel bearings and tires because they rotate at a slower rate.

I would think controlling the unsprung weight of a larger wheel would put far more abuse into the wheel bearings than the rotational speed. The impact loads would be far greater with a larger wheel and tire.

Just a dumb thought I get them from time to time.

bobhenry wrote:

absolutsnwbrdr wrote: Larger wheels handle potholes and bumps better than the smaller wheels, and are also easier on the wheel bearings and tires because they rotate at a slower rate.

I would think controlling the unsprung weight of a larger wheel would put far more abuse into the wheel bearings than the rotational speed. The impact loads would be far greater with a larger wheel and tire.

Just a dumb thought I get them from time to time.

Yeah that! This age old (seems like) question comes up every so often. Most folks already have their own opinion about what looks 'right' on their rig & those who've had experience with certain size tires probably won't be convinced to change their mind. My experience (for 40-50yrs) with smaller tires/wheels (mostly 12-13") from coast to coast, over almost every conceivable type of road & terrain, has been uniformly good. I've personally had no instances of tire/wheel/spindle/bearing failure on my many journeys towing everything from a heavily loaded 'utility' trailer, my TD, to pop-up trailers, some with 8" wheels & others with 12/13" wheels. Many of my trips were at 'highway' speeds (interstate & cross country driving) & others were 'crawling' over barely maintained BLM & forest service 'tracks'. I've built a number of utility type trailers along with the TD & usually use whatever 'factory' wheels/tires came with the axle I used. I build my trailers to 'follow' whatever tow vehicle I have (usually some kind of 4WD) & normally prefer same track width or maybe a little narrower than my TV. I 're-pack' bearings before initial use if I have any question of their 'factory' background/suitability, & carry a set of bearings/seals already greased in zip-lok bags with appropriate tools if I should have a problem 'on the road'. Never had to use 'em but I'm kind of obsessive about being prepared & I've found that most folks who are prepared for trouble seldom have much of it

I do have a small Starcraft pop-up trailer with Dexter 'torflex' axle that some PO had apparently had a problem with the bearings/spindle on the street side (wheel well showed some rub marks & the spindle had been replaced [welded on] with another that had a different size seal journal than the factory side ). I didn't trust a 'weld on' with that much heat being applied to the rubber rods in the main axle beam so I recently replaced the entire axle with a new Dexter of identical specs. I've no idea if the apparent failure was because of tire/wheel size but it maybe could be attributed to that, or perhaps careless maintenance??

I'll continue using what my experience tells me works, & expect other folks will do the same...

Larger diameter tires roll over obstacles much easier (reduced rolling resistance because of larger circumference), which makes things easier on the tire and the bearings. Its why many mountainbikers like to ride 29ers (29" wheels) vs the standard 26" wheels. Easier to roll over logs, rocks, etc. Not to mention, the larger wheels typicall have taller sidewalls which absorb more impact.

Imaging a bowling ball rolling down a concrete sidewalk and over the joints. Fairly smooth. Now imaging a small marble navigating the same sidewalk. It gets stuck in the joints. Yes, this is a very extreme comparison, but on a different scale the science is all the same.

I have nothing against 12" wheels. As I mentioned, I had them on both of my first builds and they worked great. I designed my last build with larger wheels for the aesthetics. The performance was just a plus.

12" marble on left. 15" bowling ball on right.



Yes, it makes a big difference. See the little 2x4 under the front of the little tire. The larger tire can roll right over it.

So, based on advice from this board, I order wheel spacers since my new 15 inch tires rub against the springs.
In the box is a note with the following caution : this product is only intended for off-highway use.

Should I be concerned?

Wheel spacers art technically legal alot of places but installed correctly they should be no more likely to cause issue then a normal hub.just used good quality ones

I went with 13" for the one Im building
My anglia has 13" rims and got 120 000 miles hard driving with the original bearings

13" rims are cheap as are tyres (I can get brand new 165/70 x13s for $60NZ)

Bearings are NZ$28 a hub, thats cheaper than the difference in price for tyres

Hey, Ken!

That's more of a liability issue for the mfg ... due to a lot of issues, wheel spacers/adaptors are not typically used for cars/trucks driven on the highways for "regular" use, therefore their warning. However, trailers don't get the same kinds of forces applied to them that normal wheel-driven vehicles do, so you are fine! I had to have spacers/adaptors on my personal trailer due to the wheels matching the tow vehicle ... I probably put 60-70,000 miles on them with absolutely no problems ... ... in fact, I still have them and will install them on the next personal trailer I build, and I expect them to be every bit as fine for the rest of my life ... ...!

Continued Good Luck, and as always ...

CHEERS!