Where the Rubber Meets the Road

Wheel and Tire Information

Flagstaff uses a variety of wheel and tire sizes depending on the model or series of camper*. In most cases the tires that come from the factory can be upgraded either with a different wheel style of the same size or with a larger wheel (though this typically requires a lift kit/raise frame addition to provide enough clearance between the wheel well and larger tire).

Wheel and tire size comparison

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Are 12" tires too small?

We hear this question a lot. Many times this question is followed by something like, "When I was growing up my family had a trailer and the tires seemed to blow out all the time." The thinking, then, is that bigger tires must be better or stronger than their smaller counterparts.

Controlling for all other variables a larger tire should last longer than a smaller tire simply because there's more rubber contacting the road and, at a given speed, the larger tire will spin less than the smaller tire. However, the "blow out epidemic" decades ago had less to do with the size of the tire and more to do with the build of the tire. Most of the bias against smaller tires stems from, well, bias tires.

Twenty years ago most pop-up campers used bias tires. When our rental campers used bias tires we could expect about a dozen blow-outs during the course of the rental season. A combination of hot roads and long drives (like driving through Nevada or Arizona in July for several hours without taking a break) could be enough to heat up the tire to the point of blowing out. In the mid-1990's Flagstaff changed to radial tires and the incident of blown-out tires dropped to (nearly) zero. Radial tires have proven to be much more reliable. In fact, if we had the choice between a 12" radial tire and a larger bias tire, we'd take the 12" radial every time.

That being said, Flagstaff often follows the notion of "bigger 'n better" and has since started using 13", 14", and even 15" wheels on their campers. But Flagstaff still uses 12" wheels and they work great for the LTD Series and 206LT.

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Do I have to upgrade to 15" wheels to get M+S (mud and snow) tires?

Not necessarily; we've seen "mud & snow" tires on 13" and 14" wheels. Here's a 14" example, LT195/75R14 99/96R M+S:

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Providing your own wheels and tires

If you're buying a camper from us and would like to bring in your own wheels and tires for installation on your camper, we are happy to help with that****.

When shopping for your own wheels and tires, please refer to the chart at the top of this page for the wheel and tire sizes. Note: all current Flagstaff campers use a 5-bolt on 4 1/2" hub bolt pattern.

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*Flagstaff may change wheel and tire style and specifications at any time without notice.

Flagstaff's brochure states: "Forest River reserves the right to make changes in colors, materials, equipment and specifications at any time without notice and assumes no responsibility for any errors in this brochure."

**For these campers Flagstaff typically uses two aluminum wheels on the ground and one steel wheel as the spare. (Since the spare tire has a tire cover and the steel wheel usually won't be seen.) (Back )

***Wheel and tire options available from Roberts Sales. Availability subject to change without notice. (Back )

****There may be a nominal fee for mounting tires if the tires are not already mounted on the wheels. This offer applies to first-time camper purchases with your wheels installed prior to delivery. This offer does not apply to previous purchases.

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