Tires for a 1997 2518 ?

[h20diver]

Hello All,
I just bought a 1997 2518 and would like some tire suggestions . I am adding a 2 IN lift kit to the 2518 and the size 13 tires that are currently on it in my opinion are too small for my frequent interstate travel. We also camp in some tough terrain in WV and the Carolinas where a lift would prevent dragging.
Any help would be great !
Thanks.:new_newbi

[Bill]

I don't know what the 2518 weighs (loaded), but it is my guess that you are right - 13 inch tires are pretty small for any TM. It ought to be pretty easy to move to 14-inch tires - I'm not sure about going all the way to 15-inchers.

In either case, the lift that you plan to add would get the body high enough so that the top of tire would not hit the underside of the wheel well. However, you will need to pay close attention to the width of the new tires. Will they fit, without scraping against either the wheel well cover (on the outside) or the frame (on the inside)?

Bill

[h20diver]

Thanks for your advice Bill, I am going over to the storage lot now to check clearance between frame and wheel well. I plan on weighing the 2518 at a truck stop on Monday so I can have some actual numbers before making a tire selection . I would like to have 15in but 14in tires are a little better than the 13in that are on it now.
Is there anyone on this forum with a 2518 that has installed a 2in lift with 15in or 14in tires ?
Thanks again Bill.

[Bill]

As seen on the Wayback Machine
http://web.archive.org/web/19980702072714/www.trailmanor.com/specs.html
the dry weight of a 1997 2518 was 2190 lbs, with a load capacity of 1169 lbs. Total max weight therefore 3359 lbs. This is a it less than today's smaller TMs, probably due to the smaller tires. Your trailer hasn't grown any, but your load may have, so a move to 14 inch tires is probably sensible. There is probably no need to go to 15 inch tires.

Bill

[h20diver]

Thanks Bill , great website ! The 13in tires have only 1in clearance between the torsion lift bars ! There is 4in of clearance on the frame side ? This is before the 2in lift. The torsion bars are mid top of the tire diameter so I am hoping that the lift will allow 14in tires to fit. Monday I will get an actual weight. Thanks Again .

[h20diver]

Well 2in lift was not quite enough ! 14in Tires fit with only 1/2 inch clearance at the torsion bars with nothing loaded in the Trailmanor. I really want to get away from the 13in Tires so I am going up another 2in which will give me enough clearance. My new question is that with 4in lift how will the Trailmanor act while towing ?

[h20diver]

Yahoo ! :cool: 14in tires on ! 4IN lift to the TM. Two inch clearance at forward torsion bars with Dry weight.1996 2518 TM Dry weight is 2360 at Cat Scale, which gives me 999 for cargo. I will not load it up past 700 to give a safety margin.
Best of all is that it will still fit in My garage , Over sized door;). Thanks again Bill for your advice I will stick to the 14in tires I think. Leaving now for TM 's first outing up Florida West Coast to Sarasota. I do not have an Electric Brake Controller (truck is wired for it though) but will add one before our 3800 mile round trip in a month.
I plan on adding Golf cart batteries when I get home. :rolleyes:

[Al-n-Sue]

I plan on adding Golf cart batteries when I get home. :rolleyes:

Checkout the energizer golf cart batteries at Sam's Club. I bought 2 a few weeks ago to replace my depleted Trojans. About $72 each. Much better than Trojans at over $100. I'll know how well they work after this weekend - our first outing this year.

Alan

[h20diver]

Trip went great, 14in tires a big difference. Towing was a little squirrely, the 4 in lift must allow too much air underneath trailer. I towed it completely dry too. I will weight it down a little more next trip.
I could not get the Refrigerator to work on propane? :confused:
Alan , thanks for the Sams tip , I will get those this weekend.:cool:

[Bill]

Glad to hear the trip was good. The handling should definitely NOT be squirrelly. If you're experiencing that, I don't think the lift caused it. Squirrelly handling is often the result of too much weight in the rear of the trailer (behind the axle), and too little in the front. Can you move 100 pounds or so (or even add 100 pounds) as far forward as possible? Once you've done so, try it out again.

Another possibility, and one that is easier to check out. Since you have an Expedition, a big vehicle, you shouldn't feel much squirrelliness unless the trailer weight distribution is really off. But the problem might arise because of too little air in the Expedition's tires. The pressure in your Expedition's tires is probably set according to the label on the driver's door frame. That is the "cushy ride" pressure. Instead, take a look at the sidewalls of the tires and find the Max Pressure statement. Increase the tire pressure to about 5 pounds less than that, and try it again. I bet you'll find it's lots better.

I know that my Explorer feels like this, and it is really disconcerting. In my case, the door post says 32 psi, and the tires say 44 psi max. When I am towing the TM, I run the tires at 40 psi, and I can feel the dfifference. Firms things right up. Then, when the trip is over and I get back home, I bleed them back down to 32 psi if I remember to do it - it is not critical.

Bill

[h20diver]

Thanks for the tip Bill. :) I run 265 75 R 16 on my truck and the sidewall has a max pressure of 35psi. I inflate truck tires to specs on the sidewalls. However I have 205 70 R 14 on the trailer that has a max pressure of 65 psi in which I inflated to 55 psi for a softer trailer ride. The trailer had nothing in it on the way to the State Park, and about 40lbs more on the way home. On the way home it tracked a little better ? I think that maybe the Axle is out of Square (tow in on one side tow out on the other) ? I will measure a center line and out to each tire to see. Just a thought.:confused:

[Bill]

I think you are saying that the handling got a little worse after you installed the lift. Are you sure you got the axle reinstalled completely square? I've never checked an axle for square, but maybe a big carpenter's square, applied once to the frame just behind the axle, and applied again to the frame just ahead of the axle, and then repeated on the other side, would do the job? Someone help me out here.

Bill