Rivet gets new running gear!

Recently, we decided to replace the Airstream's wheels and hub caps with aluminum rims. Although the hub caps were in relatively good shape and provided a true vintage appearance, their removal was necessitated every time we re-torqued the lug nuts. And, if they weren't continually adjusted and installed perfectly, chances were high that we would lose one on the road. Sometimes we were able to backtrack and retrieve the hub cap...sometimes not. So, we contacted our friends at Capital City Customs who provide all the service on our Airstream. As luck would have it, they had a vintage set of aluminum wheels for our model year.

Since it was time to replace tires and have wheel bearing service performed, we bit the (silver) bullet and opted to have all this done at one time. We have had ongoing concerns about all the bad press and posts on ST tire quality and their lack of regulation. So, after spending many hours researching tires, we opted to go with the Michelin  LTX 235 75R-15. Although these are not ST tires, many Airstreamers have run these tires for years and had no problems after suffering multiple failures with various ST tires.

As often happens, one thing led to another. We became painfully aware that it was time to replace the original Henschen axles. Capital City recommends the Henschen/Axis axles produced by Colin Hyde. Since we had to wait 6 weeks for new axles, our old Marathons were mounted on our newly polished aluminum rims so we'd have use of the Airstream in the interim. Six weeks later, we returned the Airstream for an axle exchange. A day later, we had new axles, brakes, wheels and tires! Now we just need some time to take them on the road!