Trailer tires not just car tires?

[MarkC]

Someone said as much in a reply to a post on this board. Aren't car steel-belted radials good for trailers too? If not, why not? And what are good trailer tires?

 

[JB]

Re: Trailer tires not just car tires?

Howdy, Mark. Any tire is rated for up to a certain load at a certain pressure. Tires made for passenger car use are expected to handle 1/4 of the weight of the vehicle with anywhere from 25 to 45 psi pressure. On a typical SUV, that might be 1200 to 1400lb. The tires put on the vehicle will have a huge safety margin.<br /><br />Where one gets in trouble is with tire sizes normally used on sub-compact cars that are only rated for, say, 950lb (load range B). Many boat trailers use 13" wheels and are rated to carry 2000 to 2500 pounds on 6PLY-RATED tires good for 1300 to 1450lb each (load range C). <br /><br />You can see that I was in trouble with a 2000lb. load on a single axle trailer with passenger car tires rated for load range B. On a 3000 mile trip 2 of them overheated, threw the tread and blew. <br /><br />If I sound like someone who knows what he is talking about it is only because of that recent, expensive and very inconvenient course in trailer tire technology.<br /><br />Red sky. . . . <br />JB

 

[MarkC]

Re: Trailer tires not just car tires?

Thanks, JB. I'll look into the load rating of my tires. My trailer is only rated at 1700lbs anyhow, but I bet I'm close to that with a full tank and so on.

 

[Navigator]

Re: Trailer tires not just car tires?

MarkC,<br />Also, Trailers tires (not car tires) have increased strength in the sidewalls of the tire. (Car tires have all their strength built into the part that contacts the road.) The sidewall strength enables the trailer tires to take more abuse, ie scuffing curbs, hitting underwater debree at the boat ranp, etc. <br />Also, trailer tires are designed to run at higher pressures than car tires. Most say to inflate to 60psi. A lot of problems with blown out trailer tires is due to underinflation. <br />JB is dead-on on the load range stuff. Nothing worse than sitting by the side of the road with a bent, chewed up rim and the former remnants of a tire clinging to it

<br /><br />And of course, dont forget to check the lug each time you go out.<br />Nav

 

[JB]

Re: Trailer tires not just car tires?

Actually, Nav, I think the first hour out of open heart surgery is a little worse, but only a little.