Leon's LXi Modifications

[davidbrady]

Al,

Shortly after I bought my LXi I attempted to install 365's. I bought wheels and tires. Had everything mounted only to discover that the tires rubbed my tie-rod ends and the fiberglass fender flares. Recently Alcoa released a second 10.5" wheel with different inset/outset dimensions. I'll dig out the part number in a minute. The new wheel pushes the wheel centerline towards the outside of the coach just enough to clear the tie-rod ends. Leon uses this new part number and if you look closely at his fender lips you can see how he modified them for clearance.

[al perna]

thank you , I can see this as a great upgrade on the LXI bigger tier , lower pressure means safer ride with more comfort .

[davidbrady]

Al,

I put an email into Leon to see if he can give us more details. I'm confused as to which Alcoa wheel he used. The Alcoa catalog shows two 10.5" wheels but they have different bolt circles, 335mm for the 80350X, 285.75mm for the 80360X, my Prevost runs 803601's. (The bolt circle is the diameter of a circle that passes thru all the hub studs; measure from the center of one stud to the center of the opposite stud). Leon told me the Prevost wheel won't work so that leaves 80350X, but I think the bolt circle on that wheel is wrong. Leon also said he had to install longer wheel studs to accommodate the thicker webbing of the 10.5" wheel.

My H3 weighs 52,000 lb with 16750 lb on the steer axle. My tire pressures are 95, 85, and 85 psi for the steer, drive, and tag axles respectively. I'm running 365's, 315's, and 365's, steer, drive and tag. It's a phenomenal ride.

[al perna]

I love the pressure your running . From my TPS I saw temps in the 140 s coming from Ca back in May . no wonder a crack in the road sent little Lola under cover . I think it is a great upgrade for our LXI s cant wait to hear what we need .

[davidbrady]

Hey Al,

Leon told me he is using the Alcoa 803601, so it is the same wheel used by Prevost in my H3. Leon used a wheel stud that's 1" longer than original so the lug nut's take a full nut's worth of threads; these are available from Euclid. Lastly, after trimming the fender flares, the raw fiberglass needs to be dressed and sealed with a fiberglass resin. Leon invites anyone to email for more details or to stop by his home to see what he's done. Hope this helps!

[al perna]

thank you David, very helpful indeed . We look forward to the upgrade