Small tires: Does brand matter?

[eggsalad]

The downside of buying a used trailer was that it needs new tires. The existing tires don't hold air for a week! Okay, fine - the trailer was really cheap.

The size is 4.80x12, and I need a 5x4.5 lug wheel. The current wheels are mismatched, so they have to go.

I see 3 or 4 brands in this size. No brand I've ever heard of, of course. They all seem to be Chinese-made. I don't think there is a bias-ply tire factory left in America.

A place selling on Amazon has "H188"-brand tires. Two tires on wheels are $95, delivered. Wal-mart has "Carlisle"-brand tires. Two of those, delivered with tax, are around $112.

HF doesn't have 4.80x12 on 5-lug wheels, only 4-lug.

My gut feeling is that one is as good (bad!) as the next, and that I should just buy on price.

What say ye?

[bobhenry]

Here is a DURO you can have.......



Yes it's that crooked. We call it ply seperation!

Called the plant in Alabama about warranty claim procedure and in short they told me "tough luck"

All tires I have purchased since then have been Carlisle's and I am quite happy with them no problems to date.

[Nobody]

My 1800# HF trailer (1740# current description??) mfg'd 2005/6 uses 530x12, 5 on 4.5. If your trailer will allow the extra 1.4" overall diameter & maybe a half inch greater width (21.9" overall diameter 530x12 vs 20.5" overall 480x12) I'd recommend them. I built my TD in 2006 & used the original tires'n wheels for about 4 years (approx 15K miles). When the tires needed replacing I bought the WalMart tires already mounted on new white spoke wheels & they've done well.

I try to adjust the tire air pressure to give the best support/ride consistent with overall performance. In my experience that has resulted in more wear to the center rib (or maybe the middle inch or so) of the tire tread. I still had fair tread on each side of the tires when I changed them out but the middle was near 'bald'. Could probably have extended the 'life' of the tires by reducing tire pressure a little but I used what I felt comfortable with & gave me petty fair use/fuel mileage.

The 'new' WalMart Hi-Run (Chinese??) tires appear to be showing the same wear pattern after 5K+ miles. I don't use maximum inflation. My tires are rated for max 1045# @ 80psi so 2 tires will carry 2090# at that pressure. Tire dealer told me that tubeless, bias ply tires need 20-22# pressure to stay on the rim under any/all conditions so I calculated a ratio between 25 & 80 psi & figured that a good pressure for my approx 1200-1300# TD would be 55-60# tire pressure so that's what I usually run. I may try reducing that a few pounds to see if it reduces center rib wear but, my TD rides/tows very well at current tire pressure with little or no 'bounce' or 'skid' on rough roads/terrain.

[legojenn]

Here is a DURO you can have.......

I'm sure you can buff that out.

[Redneck Teepee]

One thing I always do that most don't, is balance my trailer tires. Most will say it is not necessary, I say it gives longer tire life.

[eggsalad]

Oddly, the tires that are on the trailer now are Duro brand. I believe one of them is as old as the trailer itself, and the other is from the 90s (Based on the DOT code). the older one is worn out on the center rib, but the tread on the newer one is all there. Too bad they don't hold air.

I think I'll take my chances with the cheapie "H188" brand.

[MtnDon]

Too bad they don't hold air.

Good thing they don't hold air. They'd more than likely explode going on down the road at speed. Too old to be safe.

[Jdw2717]

Keep in mind it may also be a problem with the rims. On mine I replaced the rims and tires. They were actually 8" and I wanted 12" but I would have done so anyway. I also replaced the hubs with the complete hub set from northern tool. They were $30 for the set or $12 for the bearings. I spent a little more to have all new because I thought the expense up front was worth it as opposed to a blow out and a tow on the middle of some back road in the rain (that's how it normally happens right? ) If you sign up at northern they will send you coupons $10 off of $50 and $20 off of $100. Wait for the tire and rim combo to be on sale ( I think mine were $39.99) and buy the hub sets with them and use the coupon. That way the whole hub set is close to the price of bearing alone. I also bought an extra complete hub set to bring along just in case I have a problem on the road. Spend the money that you would likely spend on a tow now and ride confident as you go.

[TPMcGinty]

The small 12 inch tires that came with my trailer made me nervous so I bought some 13 inch wheels and tires and I'm very happy with them.

[eggsalad]

The small 12 inch tires that came with my trailer made me nervous so I bought some 13 inch wheels and tires and I'm very happy with them.

I suspect my trailer may have been originally designed with 8" or 10" tires in mind. I'd love to go to bigger tires, but the 4.80-12s run as close to the fenders as is possible, given the suspension deflection - and whoever welded on the fenders did it so seriously that I'm unwilling to move them.