Don't use car tires on your trailer!! :0

[jimmbo]

Glad we have a bunch of Beta testers for these Endurance tires. I will stick with Maxxis until they are out for a few years.

Sometimes you are really funny, then there is now!:lol:

 

[Rapio]

Tires don't recognize the vehicle they support. If the tire quality is there, it is load rating and pressure.

 

[Watermann]

Tell you wives that you put P rated 'sub standard tires' on her SUV with the big V8 motor and your kids sitting over them but your boat has to have better tires to hold up some aluminum and OB motor. Report back what she says :lol:

 

[bassman284]

I ran ST radial "car" tires on my tandem trailer for 5 years before swapping them out for "trailer" tires 2 years ago.

The "car" tires went 25-30k miles over a 4 year period under a #5500 boat, l have a hard time believing you'd have a problem with an #1800 load unless defective or under inflated.

ST designates trailer tires. Special Trailer. Those were NOT "car" tires.

 

[bassman284]

I see all the usual suspects who favor car tires over trailer tires have shown up here. I've been on here 15 years and seen dozens if not hundreds of these threads. The same "ususal suspects" show up in every one yelling "CAR TIRES ARE JUST FINE!"

If you want to be dumb chances are you can get by with it for a while, maybe even a long time. Doesn't mean it's not dumb.

 

[ondarvr]

While all of my trailers have actual trailer tires, and I've never had a failure on even coast to coast trips, I hear far more complaints about trailer tires than I do car tires, even when they're on trailers.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Entertaining read to say the least.....but I'm still undecided, lol.

 

[kenny nunez]

One thing to keep in mind on trailer service tires when used on a tandem trailer, with proper inflation you want the tire to slide instead of curling under when backing real tight, this also takes stress of the axles. I have seen tires that came off the bead in such situations.
I had a stern drive shop for 30 + years and saw my share of trailer problems. The last thing I would do before a customer picked up their boat was to check tire the pressure.

 

[bigdee]

While all of my trailers have actual trailer tires, and I've never had a failure on even coast to coast trips, I hear far more complaints about trailer tires than I do car tires, even when they're on trailers.

Good point. Seldom do you hear of passenger car/truck tires blowing out but its not unusual to see blowouts on boat trailers. Utility trailers seem to fair well so what is it with boat trailers?

 

[jimmbo]

Turning radius might part of the problem, trailer hitting curbs on turns damaging sidewalls, and too low inflation, Some people think its just like the car/truck 30/32 pounds and you're good to go. Maybe speed, in the 70s and 80s when vehicles were limited on power, towing took more time. Today with overpowered trucks, Mr. Tiny D. will now tow at speeds higher than the tires are rated for...

 

[ondarvr]

Good point. Seldom do you hear of passenger car/truck tires blowing out but its not unusual to see blowouts on boat trailers. Utility trailers seem to fair well so what is it with boat trailers?

RV forums have the same discussions about trailer tires.

 

[bigdee]

Turning radius might part of the problem, trailer hitting curbs on turns damaging sidewalls, and too low inflation, Some people think its just like the car/truck 30/32 pounds and you're good to go. Maybe speed, in the 70s and 80s when vehicles were limited on power, towing took more time. Today with overpowered trucks, Mr. Tiny D. will now tow at speeds higher than the tires are rated for...

I think your right on. Under inflation and +70 mph is a bad mix for any tire. Since boats are a seasonal toy there is room for neglect. Like what you said, higher HP and comfortable tow vehicles make alot of us forget there is a trailer behind you.

 

[ondarvr]

While there may be some truth to that, from the dozens (many more actually) of trailer tire threads I've read from various forums, not just boating, the problem is wide spread even among very experienced drivers.

 

[Stumpalump]

It's all based on what's available in the market. 12-14" trailer should get car tires because there are no decent ST tires in that size. Unless you want the rims on the pre mounted ones then replacements should be a car tire. 15" gets ST trailer tires because even the new Carlise 15 is good and you can get it in an E load range. 16 has good choices of E truck or trailer tires. The old wives tail about ST tires being better comes from the fact that the most expensive chemical in the tire is the UV protection. Today it's all about the same and both tires rot. Manufactures tell you an ST is better but that's because it's cheaper to make and profit is higher. Cost for a 15" ST is less than $40 and is why wallmart sells them so cheap. Same tire at Discount tire is $100. Read this 3 times and chose wisely.

 

[jimmbo]

Well there are good ST tires and there are not so good ST tires, just like there are good P tires and not so good P tires. Myself, I won't put LT tires on my cars, My work truck had P tires on it from the factory(rolled that SOB 20 yrs ago, I don't think the tires were culpable). I won't put P tires on my trailers, and I stay away from tires that are made in the that country that starts with 'Ch', the quality is not there

 

[ondarvr]

I think just about every ST tire comes from CH land now, at least from what I've seen in all the threads about ST tires.

I know that once I say that someone will point out a brand made somewhere else though.

 

[Blind Date]

I know that once I say that someone will point out a brand made somewhere else though.

Maxxis ST tires are made in Thailand only. They also have plants in China, but none of those plants make ST trailer tires. That's what I put on the trailer under the SeaRay a few years ago. I would have preferred an LT tire but that would have meant a bigger tire and I didn't want to deal w/fit issues.

 

[ahicks]

Not sticking up for them as I have an open mind on the topic. I'm just asking that people realize that many of the tires made in China are being made with brand new equipment, the latest and greatest available.

 

[Watermann]

I believe the issue with China is they cut corners and use inferior materials in the process.

I have a question about trailer tires, do you guys have yours spin balanced?

 

[ondarvr]

Not sticking up for them as I have an open mind on the topic. I'm just asking that people realize that many of the tires made in China are being made with brand new equipment, the latest and greatest available.

I just got back from China, I was at a trade show with a great deal of high tech manufacturing equipment on display, what they are capable of doing, and what gets sent out of the country for sale can be two very different things. When a company over here says they want to buy low cost tires, they get just that.