Trailer Tire Confusion

[Wide Open]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

You're missing the point. My ST tires were scaring the daylights out of me, for good reason...failure after failure. I've found that properly loaded passenger radials on the trailer perform way better than ST tires. It's not about saving money, it's about having a quality tire on the trailer that you can count on. Of course, YMMV.

Are the passenger tires you are currently using the same size as the ST tires you were having problems with? I ask because I have only had one trailer tire failure in many years of towing (of course it was on my boat trailer on the way to the lake). It was a Goodyear Marathon ST where the tread separated and the tire blew out.
It almost sounds as if your trailer tires were undersized for you boat/trailer.

 

[hazwild]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

At what pressure do you guys run your trailer tires,mine are at thirty psi now.I was told to run lower psi to cut down on trailer bounce.:

 

[Wide Open]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

At what pressure do you guys run your trailer tires,mine are at thirty psi now.I was told to run lower psi to cut down on trailer bounce.:

Unless your boat/trailer is very light you are running your tire pressures too low. The sidewall will say something like 1750 pounds at 50psi max. That means if you are running at 30psi you should be only loading the tire to about half that weight. There is an actual scale used to determine the weight rating at certain psi but I don't rember where I saw it.
I am running 50 psi cold (max inflation) in all my trailer tires because I usually am fairly close to the maximum weight rating (1750*4=7000#) for my flat bed trailer and probably 5000# plus for my boat with fuel and gear.

 

[Wide Open]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

At what pressure do you guys run your trailer tires,mine are at thirty psi now.I was told to run lower psi to cut down on trailer bounce.:

Oh yeah forgot to mention...
30psi will reduce the amount of bounce but will increase the amount of sway.

 

[hazwild]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

Oh yeah forgot to mention...
30psi will reduce the amount of bounce but will increase the amount of sway.

That wouls explain the sway then.Thanks i will pump them up now

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

Under inflated tires create much more heat.
If you keep having tire failures at the correct air pressure either your trailer is overloaded or your axles are out of alignment.Stepping up to the next load range is a good idea too.
I just can't believe car tires would give better service.I have pulled trailers of every type and weight across the country for 30+ years and with good trailer tires have had only a few tire failures.