Changing wheel size on caravan

Member - John and Lynne replied:

It may well be easier and cheaper to sell your van and buy one with suspension and interior designed for dirt roads! Any of this would be expensive and you would probably still have a van with the interior fittings too lighweight for dirt road travel. Check how your cupboards are fastened to the walls!
One other issue is the design and size of your wheel arches. They could need to be replaced to accomodate larger wheels. John and Lynne Thumbs UpThanks 0

member - mazcan replied:

hi ray h5 in adition to whats been mentioned if you already have an annexe that has been made for existing van check that
if you change to 16inch wheels and tyres make sure that the 16's are the same overall height other wise your annexe walls may not reach/ meet the ground as it did before ????
cheers barry Thumbs UpThanks 0

Member - Kevin S (QLD) replied:

Hi Ray. Have you checked your Coromal dealer for the price of an upgrade to a genuine off road model? We got an almost unbelievable deal at the Brisbane Caravan Show from the dealer from who we had bought the original van.
If you did what you have suggested the tyres on each side will be very close together. Might increase tyre operating temperatures.
Kevin Thumbs UpThanks 0

luhuanhuan l replied:

This post has been read by the moderation team and has been moderated due to a breach of The Advertising/Self-Promotion Rule .

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PeterInSa replied:

Agree with the above on checking the wheel arches the annex and annex skirt, From memory the 14inch wheels have 10inch brakes and the 16 inch wheels ahve 12 inch brakes, someone more knowledgeable that I can comment on this, but if you have to change over your brakes, I think in SA you would need and engineering certificate and an RTA check which could set you back up to $1,000.

To get more ground clearance suggest spring over the axle to give you another 4 inches, but then again If I did it I would get an engineering certificate/RTA, becasue in case of accident insurance companiies have been known to follow up the manufacturer re your original van spec.

Re shocks, do a search, another thread a month or so ago on caravannersforum, gave the correct method of installing shocks and how not to do it, if its done incorrectly you could have major chassis problems.

I would also talk to Concept, a mate has a Concept and he has received good advice from them in the past.

Peter Thumbs UpThanks 0

Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) replied:

Ray!!
I know of a guy who had the same problem on his own personal van, it is a 22 foot van from memory, he simply removed the axles and springs and added 50x 100 RHS to the chassis rails and new hangers and is now 100mm higher. You obviously need to know what you are doing, he owns his own licensed caravan repair business. He left the wheels and tyres. He simply wanted to gain some clearance and I guess there are some options in the suspension area if you go down that track. So its not impossible without changing your van but as mentioned above, a trade may be simpler Michael Thumbs UpThanks 0

Member - Kevin S (QLD) replied:

Ray, I can't check this myself as my van has gone as a trade and I am waiting for my off roader to arrive. But look under your van to see if the springs are above or below the stub axle. They are probably above. Then go to this link Coromal suspension and scroll through the gallery and you will see that for the current off road Magnum the springs are under the stub axle. Yours may be able to be changed. Others may find this interesting as Coromals do not have a full cross axle.
Kevin Thumbs UpThanks 0