Trailer Tire Size question

[texasbowhunter40]

I have a trailer with 4.80 x 4.00 -8 tires on it I assume this means its an 8 inch rimm and 4 inches wide.

My Question is will it be possible to replace my tires and wheels with 4.80 x 8 size tires?

my tires are hard to find and the 4.80 x 8 I find ll over the place and they look to be pretty near the same size but I need an expert opinion on this one please.

Thanks

 

[reelmess]

Re: Trailer Tire Size question

Same size, most brands just leave out the 4.00 marking these days. I guess it was redundant since there's only two sizes of 8" tires offered for road use these days, 4.80x8 and 5.30x8, both will fit the same rim.

 

[texasbowhunter40]

Re: Trailer Tire Size question

Same size, most brands just leave out the 4.00 marking these days. I guess it was redundant since there's only two sizes of 8" tires offered for road use these days, 4.80x8 and 5.30x8, both will fit the same rim.

I guess then the 5.30x8 is just a bit wider tire then?

 

[Grumman59]

Re: Trailer Tire Size question

Depending on your fender clearance. you could also change to 12" wheels which can have more load rating and should last a lot longer.

I got rid of all my 8" trailer wheels because of bad experience with them, even using load range C in the 5" width sizes. They just don't last.

 

[reelmess]

Re: Trailer Tire Size question

Here's a chart that give you some ideas as to the overall diameter of some different tire sizes.

Yes, the 5.30 is a bit wider than a 4.80 sized tire.
If you can fit a 5.30 x 8" tire and rim, you may well be able to move up to a 12" wheel since they tend to be only about an inch larger in diameter, or about 1/2" taller on the trailer.
The overall diameters vary by brand and tire model.

I stick with the smaller 8" tires on many of my trailers since they keep the boat lower on the trailer and easier to launch. I don't drive that far and haven't had a tire fail in years. Modern 8" tires are much better than they used to be and most boats these days using 8" trailer tires aren't very heavy. Back in the day it was common to see larger boats on these small wheels. I've had several boats over 1,500lbs that came on trailers with 8" tires. That combination was never a good highway rig for long distance towing.