[Richard and Rhonda]

So..............

I have been thinking about this upgrade for a year now. Some at Newell say it won't work with a straight axle like mine, others say yes with a change of wheel studs and addition of wider fender flares. The poppets may have to be reset in the steering gear box to keep from rubbing during a sharp turn.

Some time ago I bought the Alcoa rims to do the conversion. They were intended for a Prevost and are 22.5 diameter with 12 in width to handle the wide tires. I got a good deal on two brand new ones from a surplus dealer.

I am still up in the air on whether to continue or not. It's time to buy fronts and obviously that is the time to do the conversion. On the other hand I have had no problems with the existing setup.

It was interesting to hear of first hand experience of the handling before and after the tire swap. I would really like to hear more to help me with the decision.

In the mean time the rims I scored off Ebay age gracefully in the garage.

One thing I had already decided was that it was going to be much cheaper to drill the lug holes bigger than it was to remove the hub, press out the studs, and replace the studs with smaller ones.