popper wrote:Never thought about the centrifugal forces placed on bearings before. I had always assumed going to larger tire was easier in all respects on every component. It is less RPM per MPH and more cushioning for all the sprung and non sprung components. I love the fact that centrifugal force was brought up.. this forum is great.
veedabowlu wrote:all this accident/insurance talk is BULL...
I agree with you that its BS. Everybody is free to decide what they personally are comfortable doing once they have all the data. I'm thinking about doing a lot of the things you mention doing with your build. Including overhang, and also towing more than I probably should with a weak engine.
The
centrifugal force on the bearing is actually less, as the bigger wheel is spinning slower for a given road speed.
Other forces, the names of which escape me, but think of the wheel as a lever trying to bend things sideways, are increased.
So, thinking of the wheel as a lever as you apply sideways (axial?) forces, and you can see a bigger wheel places more load on the bearing and axle.
It has been pointed out that many people who want bigger wheels upgrade to a bigger axle.
I'm one of those people. Here in Oz, it's a very cheap exercise to go from a 750 kg 39mm round beam axle to a 1000kg 40mm square axle.
I spent $180 or so, and sold the old axle for $80.
I should point out I did the upgrade because I wanted extra length. I wanted the axle to stick out further from the springs, to get the wheels further apart, and one parts supplier told me the distance I wanted was a bit more than he would usually recommend. So I chose to go to a heavier axle for insurance.
A little research helps.
In my case, my first trailer came with 10 inch cast alloy boat trailer wheels, and I wanted at least 13 inch wheels. I figured the 10's were just plain going to look stupid.
The stud pattern was HT Holden 5 stud which was used on Holden cars with 13 and 14 inch wheels. This included such race winning road weapons as the 327 and 350 powered Monaros, and the mighty GTR XU-1 Toranas.
A little research showed that the trailer manufacturers all offer the 5 stud HT Holden hub, with Holden LM series bearings, for 14 inch wheels on 1000 kg axles.
So my hubs and bearings were good for what I wanted to do.
So, have a look at the bearing numbers on the trailer, and then do a bit of Googling, see what typical setups use this bearing number. Should soon find out whether the bearings are right for the increased diameter.
But take a critical look at the axle. Is it a u-shaped channel with stubs welded into it? That might be too light for the job.