The only advantage from having larger wheels/tires with overall larger circumference that I can think of is less wear on the bearings. A larger diameter tire requires less rotations to travel a certain distance than a smaller diameter tire.

[quote author=camphappy link=topic=1022.msg7706#msg7706 date=1314019169]
Not the big wheel like many had when we were kids.  Camper big wheel.  Is there an advantage to having larger rims or tires on a camper?  Will it last longer or run better?

A larger size could also get you a higher load limit per tire.

John

Also larger tires give you higher axle ground clearance.

Our old popup, a 2007 Fleetwood Saratoga, had an odd sized 13" that was hard to find anywhere local in the event of an emergency on a long road trip.  I believe it was an ST185/80D13 LRD and only came in Bias-ply.  After one of the tires decided to throw its tread and go flat (not sure in which order) on a trip, I decided to switch to a larger size radial (ST205/75R14 LRC).  I think it increased the overall diameter by about an inch and a quarter and the width was slightly wider (8.1" vs 7.2"), but there was more and sufficient space in the wheel well.  To accommodate the larger diameter, I did move the leaf spring shackle to the lower hole, and then installed the new wheels and tires.

The benefits, as I see them:

[li]The 14" radial tires ran much cooler than the older 13" bias-ply tires - could be a number of reasons other than size, though[/li]
[li]Greater load capacity, 1760lbs vs 1725lbs per tire, which I wasn't planning to use other than to give me a greater safety margin.[/li]
[li]Lower air pressure - 50lbs vs 80lbs[/li]
[li]Relatively common tire size and load rating that I can find readily in a pinch[/li]

It did raise the camper by about an inch total, but it wasn't noticeable.

We sold it back in 2011, so I didn't get to see how the tires worked in the long run, though.