1-ply tires?

[dadgummit]

I have a 17'6" fiberglass bass boat on a single axle trailer. It has a 150 horse motor on it. The trailer has regular 1-ply car tires on it. Is this going to hold up to the heat and beat-up roads of Oklahoma?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 1-ply tires?

"ST" (Special Trailer) rated tires are recommended for trailers. The carry higher inflation pressures and are designed for trailer duty. Yes, people use car tires and get away with it. It all depends on how much of a risk taker you are and whether your insurance is paid up.

 

[troypolla]

Re: 1-ply tires?

No. I would make sure you get some trailer tires on there. They are rated at a much higher psi that reg. car tires.

 

[Dunaruna]

Re: 1-ply tires?

[colour=blue]and they have added chemicals in the compound to battle ozone degredation.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1-ply tires?

a trailer tire is built completely different than a car tire. it has more side wall strength, usually inflated at 50 -90 psi. running under inflated caused heat buildup, and tire blow out. trailer tires are rated class A<B<C<D<

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1-ply tires?

you will probably need wheels also, as you probably has car wheels also. here's more info

http://www.championtrailers.com/tires_on_rims.html

 

[dadgummit]

Re: 1-ply tires?

well thanks for the feedback, I'll get the right tires tomorrow.

 

[RV-Dean]

Re: 1-ply tires?

In the RV world many RV’ers are abandoning ST tires altogether and going with LT’s. I my self had an ST bubble on me and because of that manufacture’s poor reputation (Carlisle) I decide to go with a different tire. In the end I upgraded to 16” rims and Michelin XPS Ribs, load range “E” at 245/75 R 16.
Here is a link to pic's of the two side by side:
http://home.bellsouth.net/p/s/commu...d=256591&groupid=334255&folderview=thumbs&ck=
These tires are 100% steel-belted even the sidewalls. ST tires have softer side walls so people like to think they are better for trailers because they flex. But it is that construction and flex which limits their speed (usually 65 mph) and causes heat. LT tires are made to a higher standard because “People” will ride on them. I do Engineering work for Goodyear, Michelin and Firestone and it is as simple as that. ST's are made cheaper not necessarily better for their application.

That said, my new-to-me boat trailer has Goodyear Marathons on it which in the RV world have about the best ST reputation in a load range “D”. I will likely leave them on and even likely replace them with Marathons in a year. However between now and then I will replace the rubber valve steams with metal. 65 psi is just too high for most rubber valve steams. Most catastrophic blow outs occur due to running low. However since load rand “D” and up tires are so stiff most people do not notice that it is low. This causes the sidewalls to flex, heat and fatigue then simply blow out. Valve steams are a common week link in high pressure tires. So much so that I run a wireless monitoring system on the tires of my fifth-wheel.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 1-ply tires?

Dean -- I noticed the "Ex-Silent Service" NSG, ASA, USAFSS, NSA perhaps??

 

[RV-Dean]

Re: 1-ply tires?

Silvertip,

USN, SS (Submarine Service) AKA Silent Service. I was a "spook" for a while but not with the NSA.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: 1-ply tires?

check my tire on the waverunner, no sign of being low, 8# in one 15# the other.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: 1-ply tires?

I had two hitches at NSA, a year in Turkey and a year in Germany with the USAFSS in the 1960's. Very interesting duty during very touchy times.

 

[SuperNova]

Re: 1-ply tires?

Just look at the sidewall of the tire for it's load rating, and I mean the actual weight carrying number, not the letter designation, all tires have this as part of the sidewall designation, usually followed by a max pressure designation, then multiply by the number of tires and make sure the sum is more than the weight of what they are carrying. You can use car tires just fine on a trailer if they are the correct load rating. Trailer tires are not certified to be used on passenger carrying vehicles; read lower standards. They will scrub no more than the rear tires on your car.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: 1-ply tires?

Trailer tires have stiffer side walls. You do not want to use passenger car tires on a trialer.

Rear tires on cars have little scrub in a turn.

 

[SuperNova]

Re: 1-ply tires?

Trailer tires have no stiffer sidewall than a comparable load rated passenger car tire. And for a given load rating they use the exact same tire pressure. As I said--the key is in the actual weight capacity as stated on the sidewall of the tire.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: 1-ply tires?

Do a google search on this subject and you will come up with hundreds of articles that say that ST trailer tires are built different that passenger car tires. here is one example:

http://www.easternmarine.com/em_store/trailertires/

 

[reelfishin]

Re: 1-ply tires?

Yes, trailer tires have a tougher sidewall, but if your one of the many that may only run a few blocks or so to the water, I don't see where it makes much difference.
I have run both, but I run only a few miles to the water. The problem here is the cost of the trailer tires and they don't last long at all. I had twp Goodyear trailer tires on my trailer when new, they lasted only two seasons and they were worn badly and near bald, one finally blew out in the yard. I had called the local tire dealers and they wanted $110 each for new off brand tires, not wanting to spend that kind of money, thinking my trailer my have an alignment problem, I opted for a $60 pair of the cheapest Pep Boys tires for the time being, that was 9 years ago, they still look fine and I have no problems.
My boat is a on the heavy side for the single axle trailer as well. While the trailer tires that didn't last may well have been old stock or what ever, the car tires have served me fine. If it were an equipment trailer that was consistantly overloaded, i wouldn't even consider the lesser tires, but so long as they are able to handle the load, and you do check your rig every so often, you should be fine. I've also rund car tires on light dual axle trailers with no problems, but when it comes to weight, you are better off witht the stiffer side wall trailer tire.

 

[SuperNova]

Re: 1-ply tires?

I'll just quote the almighty Bruce himself here "Common sense is not all that common" Nobody is arguing that trailer tires are built different Bruce. What we are saying is that ST rated tires are actually inferior to passenger car tires in terms of quality. So.......while you CAN use passenger car tires on your trailer just fine, You can't use trailer tires on your car. Think about it.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: 1-ply tires?

Trailer tires are not inferior to passenger car tires...just built differently. Each type tire has their purpose for the job intended.

Like I said before...do a google search and read about the differences.

 

[SuperNova]

Re: 1-ply tires?

Sorry, Bruce but we'll just have to agree to disagree.