1979 Dodge RV Mobile traveler

[J L Walker]

Hello all,

I have some dry rot on the back 2 tires of my Mobile Traveler.  It came to me with Wrangler LT225/75R16 M+S.

Did the previous owner purchase these at an RV outlet?  Or is this a tire that can be found at retail locations?

Does anyone know what the original recommendation from the manufacturer?

Any help would be great.

[Russell E Johnson]

Wrangler tires are a Goodyear brand tire. Since you did not mention having dual tires on the back I will tell you that 225/75R16 LT tires are no where adequate to carry the load of your class C. I would go with 235/75R16 with a minimum of a G load range, or using the new load index you want 111 or higher. The LT tire is a load range C light truck tire for pickups that do not carry much of a load. Going to the next size bigger and higher load range will get you a true truck tire that is designed to handle heavy loads and will have thicker side walls and will include a steel belt that wraps up the sidewall.

When you decide on tires, go to a reputable dealer. Do not purchase online and then have them mounted. Way too many things can go wrong and having a tire dealer that is nationwide could prove to be beneficial down the road.

Now this is a guess, but since your rig is a 1979, I suspect that it came with 7.50x16 bias ply truck tires which should have led to a 245/85R16 metric size radial tire, not a 225/75R16 tire.

Hope this helps.

[J L Walker]

Mr. Russ,

thank you so much for your information!  I purchased this class C about 3 years ago and the family that drove it cross country from Washington state, told me they had purchased the tires... probably used, as I am figuring out now.  The tires have done well, and traveled my son & I safely on our frequent camping ventures until now.  The dry rot has gotten worse & it's time to replace. 

The front tires will need replacing in the next few months, however I am having a time finding a comparable to a Wildcat Radial LT  8.00 R16.5LT.  With your info, I'm guessing whoever put these on the RV, just didn't know what they were doing. 

The back tires look much more 4x4 than the front.  I was under the impression the front tires were more of a driving tire, as the front is more of a "van type" and the back were for traction in an off-road camping scenario.  Because we mostly camp at State Parks, is it safe to say I could get the same 235/75R16 for both?

Thank you for all of your help. 

[Russell E Johnson]

Ah ha, those 16.5 wheels are more than likely what came on it originally. The POs had trouble finding tires to fit that 16.5 wheel and swapped them out for a 16 inch wheel. It will cost more to begin with but buying 16 inch wheels for the front will let you have good 235/75R16 truck tires all around so if you get a flat tire the spare (which will be the same size and load range) will fit any position. 

When I put new tires on our MH I went with a more aggressive pattern all around because the mud here sticks and plugs up a tire. The aggressive tires are more likely to toss the mud out than a smooth tread pattern. Here is a link to the tires I bought so you can see the pattern I chose.

Sailun 737 Tire

So far these have worked very well, we have driven on ice, snow, rain, mud and dry paved and dirt. Sailun tires are gaining in popularity are becoming more readily available. These tires are made in China, but they are built very well. When I had to purchase 6 at one time, $200 a tire was way easier on the pocket book than $400 plus a tire LOL.

BTW, learn how to read tire dates. When you purchase you want to be sure you are getting the newest ones you can get because 7 years is about all you will get from them before dry rot sets in. If they are a year or more old you have lost that much time and have to replace early. Here is a link on how to read tire dates plus some good information about tire care and maintenance.

Tire Specs, Care, ETC.

Good luck.

[Jack Wasmuth]

Most Dodge dual-lies will only take a 225/75/16 as the tires will rub. 

[Lakota Wolf]

Jack has a point on the rubbing of duallies. Dodge originally put a spacer ring between the rims,, But 90% of the time a tire shop or careless owner will forget to install between the rims,, I have seen the ring mounted on the outer rim and the owner thought it was a tire ring for the outside.  Dodge also has a line up pin on their rims,, Converting to a 16 inch progressive tire w/16 inch rim. is the most logical way to go,, 16.5's are getting really hard to find that isnt OLD stock that has collected dust on a shelf for a couple years,

[Daniel Long]

I only know of 2 tires that meet the load rating and size. One is a Firestone and that was about 200 bucks a tire. I think the other was some off brand the tire place was not really thrilled about.

[Daniel Long]

I had a Dodge RV Class C of that vintage with the 16.5 tires. still have a couple here and I bought Firestones for the LH1 a couple of years ago (1200 bucks worth) and they are still on her down in Daytona Beach for a homeless guys pad.... sigh.