Our 2017 Winnebago Era 70A 4×4 camper van is a gorgeous 24-foot tiny home on wheels, and I love her. But she came with less than beautiful wheels and tires, which continued to look less and less beautiful with each passing day. So, at just over the 2-year/36,000 mile mark, we were more than ready to say good-bye to the old and hello to something new, more rugged, and a bit more flashy.

And, thanks to The Husband, that makeover ended up including more than just new tires and wheels! ?????? Let me show you!

SPARKLY STICKERS

We had been thinking about adding our web address to the van since Day 1. What took us so long?! We now have our URL on both the front and back windows so folks know where to find our park reviews, blogs, articles, etc.

The funny thing is: When Bill ordered the stickers online and chose the Premium Glitter option, little did he know just how sparkly the premium glitter option is. Personally, I love it, but they are rather showy when the sun hits them, and I don’t think that was quite what he was going for.

Regardless, the Era is now loud and proud — and ever so glittery — with theRVventurer.com plastered all over it. He ordered them from carstickers.com.

LIGHT BAR MOUNT

Now from the glitz of our stickers to the more rugged side of van life: A LIGHT BAR MOUNT.

For years Bill has dreamed about boondocking out west, and apparently, part of that dream requires a light bar (or two) to see well into the dark, off-road desert flats. Who knew?

Now, with the mount installed, a new light bar has been ordered. The mount is from Aluminess, and here is the direct link. It is a stout Schedule 40 aluminum and weighs in at just 25 pounds.

We think it gives the van a more 4×4 look. What do you think?

NEW TIRES & WHEELS 

And now for what I am most excited about — the new wheels and tires!!

By way of background and full disclosure, the woman writing this never even noticed wheels and tires until very recently. But like I said, the ones we had on the van were looking so bad that I was feeling a bit self-conscious.

But I’m also too much of a penny-pincher to get new tires before we needed them. So we waited until we needed them and then decided new wheels were in order too. If you doubt me, check out these pics:

And here are the new ones…

Bill headed over to agileoffroad.com and did his research before deciding on:

TIRES: BF Goodrich All-Terrain KO2s

The factory originals were 215/85/16. The KO2s are 235/85/16.

WHEELS: Ultra 003 Hunter Dually Wheels

We swapped out 4 wheels but kept the inner dually wheels (since no one sees those anyway). While 6” wide wheels are recommended for these KO2 tires, the inner dually (factory) 5.5” wide wheels work just fine.

TPMS

Now we need to figure out what to do about our TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system). For years, long before the van, we have been using several TPMS products from Minder Research. We’ve used their products on every vehicle we’ve owned, from the mothership-motorhome down to Bill’s motorcycle. So when we got the van, we started using their TM-77 system and loved it. Unfortunately our previous substandard dually valve-stem extenders failed, resulting in flat tires and lost TPMS sensors. So we need to decide if we’ll just replace what we’re already using on the remaining tires, or find out if they have a newer system altogether that we should consider. I’ll definitely keep you updated on that once we decide.

I know TPMSs are important to everyone out there driving on anything with wheels, but they’re especially important for the safety of all RVs! And a note about Minder Research: Bill has relied on their expertise and their outstanding customer service (second to none) for many years. They’ve certainly become our go-to source for anything TPMS related, and Bill is not an easy sell. ?

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

That’s what we have accomplished so far. — And by “we,” I mean Bill. What are your favorite mods that either you’ve done, had done, or seen on other RVs? I’d love to hear about them!