Tires: Tires unavailable, bottomline, winnebago

Question
We have an "84 Winnebago MiniWinnie and the tires are very old, even though treads look good.  I contacted the manufacturer who referred me to the chassis maker, who referred me.... who referred me.... for 6 hours today.  The problem is that the 8.00x16.5 (with load bearing D) bias tires are no longer made and no one will recommend a different kind of tire that is readily available.  Radials are not recommended for this vehicle either, and they are also difficult to find in this size.  When the experts won't help, how can I find a solution?

Answer
Sue,

I wrote up a web page to describe what needs to be done.  Unfortunately, it means replacing the wheels as well as the tires, but here's how to do this:

http://www.barrystiretech.com/165tires.html

Bottomline:  If you can not find tires in the proper size (and radials ARE acceptable regardless of what others may say!), then you need to convert to 16" tires and wheels, using my web page as a guide.  It would be best to do this through a retailer who knows what he is doing.