Trailer Tires...

[BIGGEORGIADAWG]

I'm looking to buy some new tires for my boat trailer and was wondering if anyone has any info about Rainier tires? Are they any good? What are the best radial tires for 13" rims? Thanks in advance.

[stfreed]

Goodyear Marathon radials - Always.   Never Carlisles. blew out so many Carlisles and ended up with so much damage to my camper and boat trailer I will never run them !

[PourMyOwn]

Goodyear Marathon radials - Always.   Never Carlisles. blew out so many Carlisles and ended up with so much damage to my camper and boat trailer I will never run them !

Yes, the only time I have other tires on is when I park it for the winter. (two sets of wheels) I don't want the Goodyears to flat spot of weather crack, and I bring them in the basement.

 

Stfreed, I'm from Southeastern Ohio originally-I have family from Roseville to Pomeroy.

[Fishing Rhino]

Yes, the only time I have other tires on is when I park it for the winter. (two sets of wheels) I don't want the Goodyears to flat spot of weather crack, and I bring them in the basement.

 

Stfreed, I'm from Southeastern Ohio originally-I have family from Roseville to Pomeroy.

 

Do what the folks with mobile homes do.  Jack up your trailer (you have to do it to remove the wheels) and put blocks or stands beneath the axle to prevent flat spotting.  Then drape a tarp over the wheels.  The ultraviolet rays from the sun is what does the most damage to the rubber compound.

[slonezp]

Rainiers are stock tires on many travel trailers. I cannot comment on quality

[BaitMonkey1984]

Goodyear Marathon radials - Always.   Never Carlisles. blew out so many Carlisles and ended up with so much damage to my camper and boat trailer I will never run them !

These are the best trailer tires around. I literally had the sidewalk give out before the tread wore. Over 10+ years on my last set. These things flat out last and haven't had any issues with them whatsoever. Great tire for the money. 

[Hi Salenity]

The Marathon is made in China and has Tons of bad reviews.

I'd highly suggest looking into some of the reviews on them before buying a set. I was going to replace mine that blew out with another set until I saw some of the reviews.

I ended up going with Maxxis because they were one of only 2 brands that were made with a better load range in the size I needed.

[BKeith]

For years Marathon was all I've run but I've had problems with Marathons in the past few years.  I had two, two year old ones come apart on a trip from Texas this past spring. They separate and throw are large chunk, sometimes going flat when the do, sometimes not. Those two replaced two before them that came apart the same way.   I've had enough trouble with them, when I take long, trips I carry two spares, and needed both that time.   I did not replace those last two with Marathons.  Decided to try some el cheapo's from Amazon.com  that I bought two for the price of one Marathon.  That way if one goes, I can just say "buy cheap s**t, get cheap s**t" instead of buying top of the line and getting cheap. 

 

My neighbor put eight Marathons on a large trailer he hauls his backhoe and excavator on and three of those have come apart in less than a year, and they are never towed at more than 45 mph.  Mine get towed at 75 and 80 mph.

[3crows]

Get some Towmaster radials. Yes, they are made in China, and they are by far the best trailer tires I have ever owned. Marathons, they keep switching back and forth between NA and China, in any case, they all throw their carcass with low miles. Bias ply tires of any type, I would not bother.

 

J

[Dwight Hottle]

Don't buy any tires made in china unless you want to comitt sucide. Goodyear marathons built in the United States & built in New Zealand are good. Those are the only marathons I trust. The country of origin is located on every tire sidewall.

Inflate your trailer tires to maximum air pressure always set it cold before the tire is run. Tires register higher pressure as they heat up from running. Maximum air pressure will insure the tires run at their lowest possible temperature. Heat kills when talking about tires.

Disclaimer I was in the retail tire business for 15 years & I know tires. I also know what causes tire failures. Poor quality & heat build up are the main reasons for tire failure. That is the reason auto manufactures now require tire air pressure monitoring systems.

[PourMyOwn]

Do what the folks with mobile homes do. Jack up your trailer (you have to do it to remove the wheels) and put blocks or stands beneath the axle to prevent flat spotting. Then drape a tarp over the wheels. The ultraviolet rays from the sun is what does the most damage to the rubber compound.

I would do that if I didn't have the second set of wheels. I swap them out in the driveway when I do my bearings then drag it down into the woods with my tractor. Good advice for others.

[BKeith]

Mines a 20' bass boat, trailer is tandem axles with 205/75-14, I check them quite regular and always before a trip and run 45psi cold. The axles on the trailer have been aligned so I think I'm doing about all I can do on my part to take care of them, other than slow down, and that ain't gonna happen when I have a long way to go. I just don't think the Marathons are the tire they once were and I personally will never buy another.

As mentioned, it's more than just me having problems with the separating. I don't normally run cheap tires and on my vehicles, that would never happen. Between my wife's Highlander and my 2500HD, I just spent $2,000 on tires because I am picky about them. At the same time though, I don't like spending almost $150 each for Marathons and have them coming apart. Reminds me of the old Firestone 721's, those broke me up from ever buying Firestone again.

[Fishing Rhino]

I'm curious.  Is 45 the max pressure on the sidewall?  Most, if not all trailer tires are rated for 65 mph max.  If you are going to drive at highway speeds the tires should be inflated to the max.  Dwight mentioned heat being one of the major enemies of tires.  That heat is generated by the flex of the tires.  The lower the air pressure, the more a tire will flex.  The faster you travel, the more a tire will flex.

 

When I'm on a long haul, and the speed limit is 70 in some places, I inflate my tires to five psi above the max to reduce heat buildup.  But that presents another problem.  Over inflated tires are subject to cord breakage if you hit a pot hole or something similar, especially at high speeds..  They just will not flex enough to disperse the energy at the point of contact and the tire can be damaged.

 

There is an inherent problem with dual axles, and that is the scrubbing of the contact patches whenever you steer the vehicle.  A single axle will not scrub.  If you've moved both by hand, you know that a single axle trailer is easy to "steer" where by hand it is nearly impossible to swing the trailer around.

 

I ran the single axle trailer on my Z-7 for three years.  The tires looked like new when I traded it for the Z-8 I now own.  In three years the tires on the tandem axle trailer were about shot.  Same brand of tires on both rigs.  The tires on the single axle trailer had to carry more weight than those on the dual axle, yet they wore a lot better.

[Al Wolbach]

There will never be another Goodyear Marathon tire on any trailer that I own. Or any Firestone tire for that matter.

[Hi Salenity]

If I remember correctly, the top rated speed for the Marathon is 60!

[Hi Salenity]

It looks like it's 75, I was thinking it was 60???

NOTE: During the second half of 2015, a Service Description was branded on each Marathon Radial's sidewall, identifying the tire's Load Index and L-Speed Rating (75 mph - 120 kmh).

[A-Jay]

Knowing the difference between Bias-Ply and Radial tires is important and something that should be considered when chosing your boat trailer tire needs.

 

 So what is the difference between the two designs and how can this impact you?

 

The difference is the way the tires are constructed as well as the materials used.

 

Bias ply tires have the plies (layers of rubberized nylon or polyester mesh) laid in at a 30 – 45 degree angle to the centerline of the tire and in alternating directions. There are usually fiberglass belts added for strength.

 

In the Radial design, Polyester cords are laid in and overlapped at 90 degrees to the centerline of the tire and then steel mesh belts are added.

The Radial design prevents the point of contact (where the rubber meets the road) from deforming, unlike the Bias Ply, which does deform under load.

 

There are a number of benefits to the Radial design for the trailer operator.
1) Softer, smoother, quieter ride
2) Improved fuel economy
3) Flat, wider footprint for better tire wear
4) Runs cooler than a bias ply, minimizing risk of a blowout on the highway
5) Longer tire life
6) Better tracking – Improved sway control

 

The main benefit for the Bias-Ply design is that the sidewall is more rugged and bruise resistant, plus Bias-Ply tires are usually less expensive. This could be an important consideration in a trailer application because many trailers are used infrequently, minimizing some of the Radial’s benefits.

 

This is one of those decisions where finding out that you made the wrong one for your particular towing needs can be costly.

 

 A-Jay

[BKeith]

Does anyone even make bias ply tires anymore?

[A-Jay]

Does anyone even make bias ply tires anymore?

 

Yup ~

 

A-Jay

 

http://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Tires_and_Wheels-sf-Tire_Only-pt-Bias_Ply_Tire.aspx