Changing Out 205/75-14 Tires for Larger 215/75-14 Tires with Greater Weight Capacity

Question:

Load range, tire dimensions and highway speed limitations for 215/75 trailer tires. Tired of changing flats on my single axle 16 foot travel trailer. presently fits 205/14 load range C. These just fit the wheel wells.how much larger is the 215/75. I could enlarge the wheel wells a certain amount, but how much wider and larger in diameter would the 215 tire be compared to the present 205 tires. What would be the gain in carrying capacity with 215/75 load range D? If necessary, I can cut away the outside wheel well skirt and put spacers behind the wheels to gain side room for the new wheel/tire combination, an even add lift blocks to the axle to gain extra diameter space.

asked by: Clayton S

Expert Reply:

The 215/75-14 tire would be about 1/2 of an inch wider than the 205/75-14 tire and about 3/8 of an inch larger in diameter. Our tire size guide estimates that your load range C 205/75-14 tires have a capacity of about 1,760 lbs.

For a 215/75-14 load range D tire, I recommend the Provider ST215/75R14 Radial Trailer Tire, # TTWTRTM2157514D. This tire has a maximum load capacity of 2,200 lbs, which would increase your current capacity by about 440 lbs per tire. This tire is also rated for a speed of 81 mph.

Another option would be to keep the same size tire you currently have, 205/75-14, and simply increase your load range. Our load range D Karrier ST205/75R14 Radial Trailer Tire, # AM10235, has a maximum capacity of 2,040 lbs, which is still a considerable increase from your current tire. As there is no speed listed for this tire, this indicates that the manufacturer did not speed-rate this tire, so the speed defaults to 65 mph.

I have attached a FAQ article about tires as well as an article on measuring trailer tires for you to check out.

expert reply by: John H