Another tire thread.

So i had to go buy 2 new tires today before boating season gets started and i went to Big O tires and talked to the guy about what tires i should buy. I had Good year Marathons ST205/75/14 radials which at the end of the season last year had the tread seperate and blow out on the passenger side. He said that the date on the tires were from 2003. I was thinking that i needed to get a beefier tire but after telling him what i had he said to stick with the same size that i had and that if i jumped up to a 215/75/14 that i might have fender clearance problems. He talked me into it and he sold me Commodores in the same size that i had on there before. Has anybody heard about pros and cons of these tires? I went home after having them mounted and balanced on the rims and the tires do have a bow in them with 50lbs of pressure. Is this normal or should i be worried? I am just looking for a little input to hopefully clear my mind of the second guessing i am doing about not getting a bigger size tire that would hold more weight. I do not know the exact total weight of my setup but i have seen many boats the same size as mine with the same size tires on the trailers which makes me think that is a pretty common size tire for what i am towing. Any input would greatly appreciated. Boat is 1995 sea ray 185 signature with 4.3lx and Ez loader single axle trailer.

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Hey Mr. Mushroom,

I just went thru the same thing only I have a single axle Eagle tailer. Same boat as well... 18' Sea Ray 4.6 Signature series.

I know this issue has been beat to death, but here is my 2 cents...

My issue is the belts in the tires keep breaking. I have had this boat for nearly 10 years and gone thru several tires. Just replaced the Goodyear's with the Commodores. Like you, I looked for reviews and couldn't find many... wanted something made in the states, but that was a lost cause. (The U.S. is circling the toilet bowl, but that is for another discussion).

I wanted to try and put 15" tires and wheels on for the added capacity, but the shop mounted one up and it didn't look like it would fit with the fender clearance and all...

I am kinda ticked at Eagle, because taking into consideration the overall weight combo of the boat and trailer, fuel and gear this outfit is nearly overloading the rated tire capacity for a single axle trailer in my opinion. Not much room for error which creates a safety element.

My buddy has nearly an identical boat and trailer as well, and he has blown 2 tires taking fenders off and damaging his boat. Luckily, I have caught the tires in time before they came apart.

I have and still am considering purchasing a tandem axle trailer for the sheer safety factor of having 4 wheels instead of 2.

Wish I would have done this years ago, but didn't think I would have this boat this long...

My Marathon's held up the longest and I think they were made in 02. So, I got the most use out of those than any other brand. I went with the Commodores because Big O said Goodyear is made in China now, and so are these and it would have taken a few days to get the Goodyear's and he had these in stock and the trailer was sitting there already torn down, so I am gonna try these... going on a trip over Labor Day so we will see... Still may replace the trailer at some point just for piece of mind.

Even looked at trying to raise the trailer with spacers between the springs and axle like a 4x4 truck, to accomodate a
15" wheel and tire, but the springs are under the axle which wouldn't raise the fenders. Kicked around the idea of moving the fenders and/or adding another axle. But, probably just as easy to get a another trailer after all of that.

Oh well, glad to see I am not the only one fighting with tires. I spend more time looking the mirrors watching my tires than watching in front of me!

PC

Re: Another tire thread.

What about looking into a heavier duty tire in the same size. What is the load rating of the tire? If it is a C go to a D or whatever the next level is. Would be a lot easier than changing the diameter. You can get a pretty heavy duty 14" tire.

Re: Another tire thread.

I was just thinking about this. You may also want to check your load balance. You may be to heavy over the trailer and may need to shift weight to the tongue. Check your tongue weight and total weight of the trailer fully loaded. tongue weight should be somewhere around 10-15%. You can also determine the proper load rating tire once you have your fully loaded trailer weight.

Re: Another tire thread.

babbot said:

What about looking into a heavier duty tire in the same size. What is the load rating of the tire? If it is a C go to a D or whatever the next level is. Would be a lot easier than changing the diameter. You can get a pretty heavy duty 14" tire.

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X2 My experience is that small runabout trailers come with tires that are rated just barely high enough for the boat/trailer and fuel. As soon as you start adding other junk to the boat youa re running on the hairy edge.

etrailer sells a good selection of D rated trailer tires. They are one of the few places I can get the ones I need for my 19ft bayliner.

Re: Another tire thread.

If there is room between the fenders and the boat, raise the fenders and add fifteen inch wheels and tires. Brackets for the fenders can be fabricated by any welding shop in your area. Sure would be less costly than a new trailer. Keeping trailer tires inflated to the maximum cold pressure on the sidewall goes a long way toward extending tire life and is absolutely required if the load is at or very near the the loading rating of the tires.