Tires

[Dirke]

I have been given a boat trailer that hasn't seen the road for quite some time. I am thinking it might be a good idea to buy some new tires for it before I try and bring it home. Much easier to fix it on site then the side of the road and I want new tires anyway. Any advice on what to purchase? What size tire should I use for the best handling, etc? Does the weight rating mean per tire...so if the tire holds 800 lbs and I have two it could hold 1600 lbs?

Thanks

[les45]

The subject of tires can spark a lot of discussion and lots of different viewpoints. It all boils down to what your taste is in how you want the tires look on your teardrop. A lot of people use the 12" Chinese tires that come on the HF and NT trailers and have many years of good luck with them. Others move up to American made 13, 14, or even 15" tires to make the ride smoother and to have the right look to go with their teardrop. Then there is the discussion as to whether car tires will work safely on a trailer. All I can say is that I did a lot of research and decided to move up from the 12" Chinese tires on my NT trailer. I ended up buying General tires in 175-70R13. These are car tires that ride fairly soft (I needed to smooth out my ride) and are made in America with a pretty good reputation. I decided on car tires because my teardrop is so light that it only puts half the rated load on each tire. They were the widest that I could fit without rubbing the frame or buying a longer axle. Price was very reasonable on Amazon.com. I bought my wheels on Ebay because no one had what I wanted in the tires or wheels (at a reasonable price) at my local tire stores. Another advantage of buying online was that I didn't have to pay the sales taxes and environmental (disposal) fees associated with buying new tires locally. Walmart will mount and balance, including new valve stem, for $11 each.
Check out the other related threads in this section.
Larry S.

[_Ryan_]

The subject of tires can spark a lot of discussion and lots of different viewpoints. It all boils down to what your taste is in how you want the tires look on your teardrop. A lot of people use the 12" Chinese tires that come on the HF and NT trailers and have many years of good luck with them. Others move up to American made 13, 14, or even 15" tires to make the ride smoother and to have the right look to go with their teardrop. Then there is the discussion as to whether car tires will work safely on a trailer. All I can say is that I did a lot of research and decided to move up from the 12" Chinese tires on my NT trailer. I ended up buying General tires in 175-70R13. These are car tires that ride fairly soft (I needed to smooth out my ride) and are made in America with a pretty good reputation. I decided on car tires because my teardrop is so light that it only puts half the rated load on each tire. They were the widest that I could fit without rubbing the frame or buying a longer axle. Price was very reasonable on Amazon.com. I bought my wheels on Ebay because no one had what I wanted in the tires or wheels (at a reasonable price) at my local tire stores. Another advantage of buying online was that I didn't have to pay the sales taxes and environmental (disposal) fees associated with buying new tires locally. Walmart will mount and balance, including new valve stem, for $11 each.
Check out the other related threads in this section.
Larry S.

Did you have to replace the axle on your NT trailer? I was under the impression this was the only way to upgrade the tires.

[les45]

Did you have to replace the axle on your NT trailer? I was under the impression this was the only way to upgrade the tires.

No, the NT 5X8 trailer has a lot of room to accommodate bigger tires up to a point. I had researched this on several other threads in this section to find out how big others had gone. With the stock 12" tires, I had about 2" of clearance between the tire and the frame. I went with the widest 13" that I could (175-70R13) and still keep about 1" of clearance. You could probably go on up to a 14" tire if you keep the tire width at 175 mm or less. I stayed with white spoker trailer wheels (zero offset) with 5X4.5 bolt circle. Some people on the Forum have gone to even larger tires by using adapters, but I had concerns that the offset caused by the adapters would cause an eccentric load on the bearings and possibly premature wear on the bearings. You will have to modify the fender or possibly even get a new fender for larger tires.

[_Ryan_]

Great info to know, the tires are one thing I think I will have to upgrade at some point. Thank you!

[Jim Edgerly]

If it's OK to use car tires on trailers, then why do they make specialty trailer tires? I asked the salesman at Expert Tire this morning while I was having a couple of tires replaced on my wifes car. He said I should only use trailer tires on a trailer, period. He said it was Ok to decrease the pressure some from maximum for a softer ride (to as low a 30-35psi), but not to use car tires on my trailer. Now, that being said, I also read on e-tailer, and other trailer tires sites, that trailer tires should always be inflated to maximum to limit sidewall flexing, which causes heat, which breaks down the tire. I think I trust the experts and trailer manufacturers over the salesman making minimum wage, who may only have 2 weeks on the job.

"Max speed on trailer tires is 65mph, at full inflation (50psi)". At 35psi, who knows, 50mph, probably considerably less? Also, "Underinflation is the number one cause of trailer tire failure."

Is there any definitive answer to this quesion?

[Shadow Catcher]

The problem with opinions is that every one has one and the amount of misinformation is monumental.
From http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTr ... eFacts.dos
Why Use An "ST" Tire
"ST" tires feature materials and construction to meet the higher load requirements and demands of trailering.
The polyester cords are bigger than they would be for a comparable "P" or "LT" tire.
The steel cords have a larger diameter and greater tensile strength to meet the additional load requirements.
"ST" tire rubber compounds contain more chemicals to resist weather and ozone cracking.
Mileage
Trailer tires are not designed to wear out.
The life of a trailer tire is limited by time and duty cycles.
The mileage expectation of a trailer tire is 5,000 to 12,000 miles.
Inflation
Always inflate trailer tires to the maximum inflation indicated on the sidewall. (SC note when weather is hot Goodyear recommends higher pressure)
Check inflation when the tires are cool and have not been exposed to the sun.
If the tires are hot to the touch from operation, add three psi to the max inflation.
Underinflation is the number one cause of trailer tire failure.

Most of our trailers are grossly underloaded so the use of passenger tires is not a big problem and the high failure rate is an indication of problems in ST tires. I talked with a Goodyear exec and he said Chinese tires are "crap" and since I could not find any ST tires that were not Chinese that informed my decision to opt for passenger car tires.