Changing Tire & Wheel Size To Raise The Height Of Your Trailer
Question:
I have a 18foot Wildwood lite trail that has 205/75R14 tires on the tandem axles. Can I switch to 15inch tire and rims without any issues as Im trying to get a little more ground clearance?
asked by: Bill J
Expert Reply:
In order to account for clearance issues that may occur from changing to a larger wheel and tire combination, you will want to measure a few things on your Wildwood trailer first. To start, you will want about 2-3 inches between your tires. Also, you will want 4-1/2 inches between the top of the tire tread and the inside of the wheel well to accommodate for suspension travel and maximum bump clearance.
If you switch from a 205/75R14 tire to a 205/75R15 tire like the highly recommended Westlake Radial Trailer Tire, # LHAW121, for example, the tires will have the same width, but the new tire will have a larger overall diameter of about 1". This means the tires will sit about 1" closer to each other and they will sit about 1/2" closer to the wheel well. If you have enough clearance to accommodate for this, then you can switch to the larger tires.
Keep in mind that although switching from a 14" rim to a 15" rim will raise the height of your trailer, the increments that will be raised is very minimal (approximately 1/2"). For a significant increase in ground clearance, if your axles sit atop your leaf springs, I recommend flipping the axles with our Dexter Trailer Springs Over-Under Conversion part # K71-384-00 for 2-3/8" diameter axles and part # K71-385-00 for 3" axles rather than changing your wheel size. Another option is installing longer leaf spring hangers to increase your trailer height.
I have linked a page to our current hanger offerings in addition to a product review of the Provider tire and Dexter axle flip kit.
Products Referenced in This Question
Dexter Trailer Springs Over-Under Conversion Kit
- Trailer Leaf Spring Suspension
- Alignment and Lift Kits
- Boat Trailer
- Camper
- Car Hauler
- Snowmobile Trailer
- Utility Trailer
- Double Eye Springs
- Round Axle - 2-3/8 Inch
- Single Axle
- Dexter
more information >
Dexter Trailer Springs Over-Under Conversion Kit
- Trailer Leaf Spring Suspension
- Alignment and Lift Kits
- Boat Trailer
- Camper
- Car Hauler
- Snowmobile Trailer
- Utility Trailer
- Double Eye Springs
- Round Axle - 3 Inch
- Dexter
more information >
Product Page this Question was Asked From
Westlake ST205/75R15 Radial Trailer Tire w/ 15" Silver Mod Wheel - 5 on 4-1/2 - Load Range D
- Trailer Tires and Wheels
- Tire with Wheel
- Radial Tire
- Load Range D
- 205/75-15
- 15 Inch
- 5 on 4-1/2 Inch
- Steel Wheels - Powder Coat
- Westlake
more information >
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on Trailer Tires and Wheels
Rick K.
6/13/2020
have 5.70x8 tire on my popup.flipped axle.hard to find out what tires i can pur hase to increase tire size.