I have a 76 Thompson 18' open bow on a 91 Load Rite (If I remember correctly) roller bunk trailer. It currently has 175/80R13 Goodyear Marathon load range C tires. They have plenty of tread, but have some pretty bad dryrot cracks in the sidewall. Stinks because they still have so much usable tread. I have a brand new never mounted set of 5.30-12 load range C tires sitting in my shed, and I have access to a free set of 12" 5 lug wheels. Or, SprawlMart has new 175/80R13 load range C tires for $61/piece. My question is, do you guys think I'm gonna run into ground clearance issues by running the 5.30-12's? I hate to spend $122 for two new tires plus mounting costs if I can get by fine with the 12's. And no, running the existing tires isn't an option for me. I've done enough trailer towing in the past to know what happens when a tire blows due to dryrot. Does anyone have a similar setup on their trailer? Or is putting the 12's on and measuring my best bet? If it helps, I'll be pulling my boat with an 89 Ford F150 4wd stock height. Thanks everyone!
