Trailer Tires

[SPF1061]

Just bought a used 38' 5th wheel car trailer and need to put new tires on it.
Looking for the best trailer tire I can buy - 235/80/16. Can anyone give me a recommendation? Thanks!
-steve

[WildBill3]

I like my goodyear trailer tires they have held up well we only have a 26 ft so we ran a little diff size,had 4 off brand after 2 blowouts changed them all, no more problems!seems strange to me but it worked

[Larry N Johnson]

Goodyear are well-rated.

Just make sure of 2 things:
1. Tires are "trailer rated" on the sidewall.
2. Balance after mount so the tow does not create unwanted vibrations on the contents.

[Tom Wells]

Hmmm.....

Goodyears.

Well, I've had two of them blow out on my 20 foot enclosed trailer.

Both were made in Canada. The replacements are marked China. They all have the same Goodyear Marathon, size, load range E (I think) trailer service only tire markings.

Does Michelin make a trailer tire?

Tom

[bobcowan]

I was talking to the guy at the trailer store about this not long ago. First thing he said was to use a car or light truck tire, not a trailer tire. They last longer, and are cheaper. They are also usually a higher quality.

Second, have the tires and wheels balanced just like you do for your car.

You won't find a car/LT tire in the exact same size you have now. But if you go slightly shorter to a 70 series you have a lot of choices. 4 light truck 235/70-16 tires will carry close to 8,000#, last 35-40K miles, and cost less than $100 each.

[SPF1061]

Originally Posted by bobcowan

4 light truck 235/70-16 tires will carry close to 8,000#, last 35-40K miles, and cost less than $100 each.

mmmmmm........don't think light truck tires are an option for me. Trailer loaded with car weighs in at just over 14,000 lbs.

[DAVID GAGNARD]

I only have an open 16 footer and I use "good" passenger car tires and after 10 years and probably 20,000+ towing miles, not one problem......I do check my air pressure often and make sure the tires are rated for the total weight............

Now, for Goodyears, have 2 buddies with enclosed trailers, bought new, with trailer rated Goodyears, both had blowouts in less than 5000 miles, both changed tires brands, not sure what they are using now, but I've seen too many Goodyear trailer tires blow for no reason at all............

David

[jdog]

Ask anyone in the Norcal Cobra club how much time my car spends on 'it's' trailer!

The trailer was used, & had car tires on it 3 years ago when I bought it.

I have just replaced all 5 of my 16' open trailer tires with some good automobile tires. You can't beat the price, $350 and Les Schwab's lifetime flat repair!

Balance them just like you would for your car, and they run very smooth!

jdog

[vettestr]

I have a larger car hauler but it has 15 inch tires and I have not found any that work well. it is no where near the load rating and I do not run high speeds and am religious about checking pressure but all to no avail. I use trailer rated tires and have even had all axles checked alignment.
Tire rep told me until I get into a 17 inch wheel so I can run a true truck trailer tire he will just keep replacing them for me. Good Year treated me pretty bad and I got jacked around with warranty needs. I have gone back to Discount Tire and although not thrilled to be there they always treat me right and warranty tires without a fuss. After fuss and issues I will never own another Goodyear trailer tire. Went back to Discount and bought 6 for the trailer and 4 more for spares 10 tires OUCH!!

[RICK LAKE]

SPF1601 Steve Have you looked into Michilin tires. They are not cheap, but are top of the line for tires. There is a couple of other things to have checked on the trailer, wheel bearings repacked and set preload to spec. Grease them off the trailer. I have grease buddys on my trailer and only add 3-4 grease gun squeezes on trip. At this time you can check and adjust brakes so all work the same. New grease seals. All trailers have an alignment angle built into them for stabilization on the road. The toe is easiest to do for trailer builders. In some of the trailer magazines bias belt tires are better than radials, for over the haul. Cheaper for one. Gas mileage is about the same. If you are a 70+ mph hauler go with the better tires. I have seen guys running faster than 70+ with full loads and loose tires and damage trailers. High speed I BELIEVE is the number 1 killer of tires with over loaded trailers or at max rating. My trailer is 9 years old, and I just replace all tires, 2 had core seperations, and the others where dry rotten on side walls. I drive 70 mph max. I rotate tires after my long trip to R&G 2,000 miles. I got my tires from the RV store in Lakewood. So far very happy with new tires. Get your self 2 spare tires for trailer, I did and used both last trip. Not sure about the nitrogen gas in the tires, this is not cheap. You are BIG and HEAVY and have alot of money in the car and trailer, getting there 5 minutes later and driving a little slower may save your life and toys. Rick Lake Ps my trail is open and has been hit 4 times, no damage to car but fenders are bent over wheels. Northeastern drivers

[ruslow]

Good years are not the best tire for trailer that use 16 wheels.The horse trailers around here have them on new and every farmer takes them off and buys different.What I use is a BCT tire and yes it is made in china but carrys a load rating of 'G' and zero problems after 30k of towing a 18-20ktrailer.and they ran me rite at 110 per tire.I rotate after 10k and ck brakes and such.Tires seem to be wearing very well better than anything else.Stan

[vettestr]

Well I think Rick L as others have hit this right on the head. We stated the same things as being the major USER installed cause of failure. The things you can do to help tire life are keep speed down to reduce tire heat, keep pressure at max listed to also keep heat down, keep from curbing or hurting sidewalls, check and fix mis-aligned axles in reference to center and each other also to reduce tire heat, do not overload the tire again for heat reasons and the last but a biggy do not stretch or flat spot tires from parking for long periods of time. I have a 45 foot trailer so can not put on jack stands but the smaller trailers can or move it every so often. I do not have room for a larger diameter wheel but would love to run a true truck tire. A 45 foot goose neck, 3 axle car hauler is what I pull.

I agree this is very cynical view and just me wondering..devils advocate?
In the end do what you can but I believe the industry plays the odds here. Most have limited mileage per year, most accept or expect failures and it does bring you back to store, most sell trailer or loose paperwork before failure, I wonder if the co pay or extra charges to warranty the tire about cover real costs in the end anyway.

[RACER X #99]

I know there was a bad batch of Goodyear trailer tires a few years back. I had two blowouts coming back from Watkins Glen. The people at Tire Rack assured me that the problem was taken care of. I have a "new" set of Goodyears and so far so good.

BTW I have had two blowouts with Michelin tires on passenger cars so Michelin is no guarantee against blowouts.

RD

[Madmiles442]

One of my requirements was that the tires had to have raised white letters (RWL). My research led me to the Michelin LTX M/S truck tire. Only have 2000 miles on them, but no problems.

[Tom Wells]

Racer X,

I know there was a bad batch of Goodyear trailer tires a few years back.

Can you provide more specific info? Was there a recall? How can those tires be identified?

Reason I ask is, I've had two Goodyear Marathon (Canada) failures, and I got my trailer new about four years ago.

Any info would be appreciated.

Tom

[Larry N Johnson]

The secret to trailer tire survival is not "overloading" the tires.

Overloading literally as in weight
Or
Under-pressure

To the tire, either is the same...builds up heat and "bingo" tire shot.

Keep the pressures up to the limit. I like 10% over pressure, but that's just me. Like the tires cool. I feel them when gassing up to make sure non slow leak has developed which leads to under-pressure and heat build up.

[Power Surge]

Trailer tires are not constructed the same as car tires. They are rated for more sidewall load to handle the extra stress. Most trailer tires are bias ply, because steel radials retain a lot of heat during trailer use, however there are radial trailer tires too.

I had a blowout coming back from an NMRA race a few years back. The local gas station helped me out by giving me a radial car tire and mounting it, all for free. I was in the middle of nowhere, so it was the all I could do. About 200 miles later, the tire overheated and blew out. This was just a Lightning truck on an open trailer, not some 15k lb load or anything.

[Murphy]

Most have it right.

No car tires as they have too thin of a sidewall and will not carry the load, especially a radial.

Bias Ply TRAILER tires will handle the load but check the tire weight rating, you have a heavy rig.

Replace trailer tires every 3-4 years no matter how good they look.

If you blow one out replace the tire next to it at the same time as it has been overloaded.


Think about it, how many cars with 15" wheels weigh more than 3000 lbs empty. How many tires for cars do you think they make for 14,00 lb cars?

Been down this road.

[SPF1061]

Thanks for all the great discussion and input. Question: Has anyone here run Maxxis trailer tires? Any opinion on these? Thanks.
-steve