trailer tires

[TOXIC]

This topic comes up a lot and you have been given lots of advice…..  and  opinion.  I’ll give you my take as well.  First, it matters whether or not your trailer is dual or single axle.  Also matters what’s sitting on that trailer as far as weight.  Since dual axle trailers spread out the weight more, there is no need to put the most expensive trailer tire on them.  As has been said, a nail doesn’t know how much you spent on your tires.  As for the car vs trailer tires, I opt for trailer tires.  Why? Because I tow a lot and I want the added sidewall strength in case I curb a tire.  Car tires have been used by some manufacturers straight from the factory (BassCat) so it’s not a sin to use them.  They are much more common now that boat trailers are using 17 inch rims.  I’ll relay what my independent trailer shop owner told me.  His shop specializes in high dollar horse trailers that pull much more weight, many more miles than we do with our boats.  He said trailer tires get replaced by age not tread.  Any longer than 5 years and you are living on borrowed time.  The key is to match your trailer tire to the number of miles you will drive in that timeframe.  So, if you put an expensive tire on your trailer that has fantastic tread life and you don’t trailer enough to wear that tread out in 5 years, you have wasted your $$.  He asked me my average mileage per year and the fact that I have a dual axle he recommended Power King Towmax.  He doesn’t stock them or have any dealership status with them but he said he has put them on a bunch of trailers and none came back with problems.  I bought them and had them drop shipped to him.  I have gone through 2 sets of 5 in the time I have owned my boat without a single problem.  As for the spare, defiantly change it.  When the tire shop took my spare off the rim (it was never on the ground) it totally disintegrated.  
 

Direct from Goodyear although they give a 10 year lifespan, the fact that we dunk our tires in water is the reason for the shorter lifespan:

 

While checking the condition of your trailer, be sure to take some time to inspect the tires. The condition of your trailer tires is important to safety and is often neglected. Take the time to look beyond a visual check of the tires' tread depth. Trailer tires commonly "age out" before they wear out since many drivers don't put enough miles on them to cause significant tread wear. Therefore, be sure to check them for weather cracking, severe discoloration and other signs of aging before you use your trailer this year. Regardless of the condition of your trailer tires, most tire manufacturer associations recommend replacing tires that are over ten years old. 

[Dwight Hottle]

2 hours ago, S Hovanec said:

My trailer tire experiences have been:. I'll put anything on my trailer as long as it ISN'T a Carlisle.  They were OEM on my trailer, blowout, warranty replacements, blowout.

 

2 of my friends had similar experiences with Carlisle on their new boats too.

 

My first boat trailer came with Carlisle, first trip out of state one blew out and the 2nd one had a ply separation (bubble) in the sidewall. Replaced them all when I got back from the trip.  

[gim]

5 hours ago, S Hovanec said:

My trailer tire experiences have been:. I'll put anything on my trailer as long as it ISN'T a Carlisle.  They were OEM on my trailer, blowout, warranty replacements, blowout.

 

2 of my friends had similar experiences with Carlisle on their new boats too.

 

That is interesting.  My trailer came with them and other than a bad valve stem, I have had 6 full seasons of satisfactory performance with them.

 

Perhaps there are more factors at play here when it comes to tires.  Like the person driving the truck.

[S Hovanec]

6 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

Perhaps there are more factors at play here when it comes to tires.  Like the person driving the truck.

 

Could be, but including Dwight, that's 4 different people, 4 different boats and 4 different trucks.  Only common denominators are Carlisle tires and Lund boats.

[A-Jay]

Purchase what you have confidence in.

Run and maintain them correctly.

Replace them before they need it,

And you'll probably be good.

A-Jay

[gim]

25 minutes ago, S Hovanec said:

Only common denominators are Carlisle tires and Lund boats.

 

Well I should be good then because I have a Ranger.  LOL

[Deephaven]

I am not as proactive as the rest of the guys, but mine are always stored inside.  I also have duals.  If one blows, I am not all that worried.  That being said ANY sign of cracks, extreme wear, bubbles or the like and I'd send them down the road.  I check mine all the time before any sort of trip.  As you know for me, the primary mileage is less than 2000' and if it is further it is less than 10mi.  Age wears my tires, not use sadly.  This in particular holds true for your spare.  If it has had no load on it and hasn't been in the sun, 10 years is fine.  Anything that shortens life though and I'd watch it more closely.

[Deephaven]

To be fair I should add that I do all my own work on the trailer/cars and such.  Because I do I am particularly observant at preventative work.  If you blindly trust your stuff then different behavior is in order.  Also IMO then an opportunity to learn.  I feel a great amount of satisfaction making sure things are done right.

[Bolar]

Tires, I just spent a ton of money on trailer tires this summer.  Horse trailer had the tread peal off just sitting.

 

 

These tires were around 15 years old.  This trailer gets pulled out at least 3-4 times a year.  I was looking to replace them, but was motivated to get it done now.  This trailer came with car/truck tires from the manufacture.  Most dedicated tire stores won't sell car/truck tires for a trailer.  You'll have to go to a independent shop for that. 

 

I have a cargo trailer with Goodyear tires that were 24 years old.  That trailer gets pulled out on weekends and only local.  I took it down state this summer and didn't trust the old tires on the highway so...new tires.

 

There is a lot of mojo out there about tires.  Check some RV/camping sites.  They are flooded with tire stories. 

 

 

[TnRiver46]

On 12/1/2021 at 7:46 AM, Bolar said:

Tires, I just spent a ton of money on trailer tires this summer.  Horse trailer had the tread peal off just sitting.

 

 

These tires were around 15 years old.  This trailer gets pulled out at least 3-4 times a year.  I was looking to replace them, but was motivated to get it done now.  This trailer came with car/truck tires from the manufacture.  Most dedicated tire stores won't sell car/truck tires for a trailer.  You'll have to go to a independent shop for that. 

 

I have a cargo trailer with Goodyear tires that were 24 years old.  That trailer gets pulled out on weekends and only local.  I took it down state this summer and didn't trust the old tires on the highway so...new tires.

 

There is a lot of mojo out there about tires.  Check some RV/camping sites.  They are flooded with tire stories. 

 

 

24 years? I think you win the prize on that set!!

[Bolar]

On 12/2/2021 at 11:40 AM, TnRiver46 said:

24 years? I think you win the prize on that set!!

Just local, 3-5 miles, but yeah, they were good tires.

 

 

 

 

[fishingram24]

Tires that came on my 2021 are radial trailer tires. As mentioned earlier unless there is an issue with alignment most people will probably not tow enough to wear out the tread but dry rot, as I have called it,  or cracks in the rubber will more than likely be an issue before the tread is gone.    

[Krux5506]

I bought my Lund in 2015 and replaced the trailer tires in 2016 prior to a long trip up to Quebec. Haven't changed them since then, but I probably should. They still look fine though, and I only tow the thing to my family's cottage once in the spring then back home in the fall. For what it cost last time I replaced them though it is definitely cheap insurance. 

[BassnChris]

5 yrs might be about right.

You can get the tire date code from the inside of the tire and find the decrypto online to confirm 'birthday' of the tire. That is what I did when I bought my last boat. The owner said they were new. When I checked the date code I found they were 2 yrs old. They may have been sitting on a tire shop rack for a year or more and then they put them on his trailer,

 

I was on a BassResource Road Trip to Toledo Bend some years ago and had a blowout on a stretch of highway that seemed like an elevated roadway with no shoulders. No place to safely stop for what seemed like miles at the time. I put on my spare and then stopped at the next town and had all 4 and the replaced. A big surprise to my budget. But I was blessed that it happened on weekday  early enough for me to find a tire shop open.

[wrat]

Im in the 5 year club, why chance it? 

[gim]

OP here.  I just changed mine out yesterday.  I got talked into road runners because carlyles were out of stock.  Tire salesman said if I don't travel long distance I likely won't notice a difference.  Ready to roll again for 5 years.

[Elkins45]

I’ve owned my ‘new’ boat for five years now and I’ve had two tires fail in that time. One failed explosively at 70mph and took the fender with it. It ripped the frame stub almost completely off. I had to hammer it back into position and weld it before I could put on a new fender.

 

The other one was about two years old and probably only had about 4000 miles on it when it decided to break a cord in downtown Atlanta during rush hour traffic. I was only going 10-15mph trying to merge onto I-75 when I noticed the boat was shaking pretty hard. I got out and checked the tire and it was fully inflated but it was obvious something was wrong. If you’ve never experienced the joy of changing a trailer tire on the side of a major interstate up against a concrete retaining wall while crazed drivers whiz by then you don’t know what you’re missing.

 

I’ve come to the conclusion that all 13” trailer tires are garbage. I found a nice set of 14” wheels on Facebook marketplace and I’m going to replace my 13” C-rated tires with 14” D-rated Goodyears. I figure the extra $20 per tire for a known American brand is probably worth it. I’ll be happy if I never have to change a tire on the side of the road again.

[Woody B]

I've towed race cars almost a million miles so I've got some trailer tire experience.  5 years is enough, even if you only use it once a year.  If you have a single axle trailer any tire will work, that meets the load ratings.  Multiple axles put more stress on the sidewalls and belts due to them being "dragged" when turning.   This is where using trailer tires is important.   

 

The most important thing for trailer tires is air pressure.  Keep them at the correct PSI.  I'd be willing to bet at least 2/3 of trailer tire failures are due to underinflation.  This isn't always due to neglect.  Trailer tires are very prone to pick up nails, and other stuff to puncture.  In many cases the track or the trailer is wider than the tow vehicle.  This exposes the right side tires to junk on the edge of the road that get's blown over there by other, narrower vehicles.  The right rear trailer tires is especially prone to punctures.  I think the right front tire bounces the nail or screw up, so it can stick into the rear tire.  On my 32 foot triple axle trailer I got a bunch of nails in the passenger side center tire.   I would go on trips as long as 1000 miles.  I checked my trailer tire pressure every time I got fuel.  Occasionally I'd find one tire a little low, and find something in it.   

 

 

Like others have said, if you're thinking about replacing your trailer tires, go ahead and replace them.  The cost is low compared to other stuff we buy.  

[gim]

2 hours ago, Elkins45 said:

If you’ve never experienced the joy of changing a trailer tire on the side of a major interstate up against a concrete retaining wall while crazed drivers whiz by then you don’t know what you’re missing.

That is downright scary.  I really hope I never have to do that!

[Bird]

37 minutes ago, Woody B said:

I've towed race cars almost a million miles so I've got some trailer tire experience.  5 years is enough, even if you only use it once a year.  If you have a single axle trailer any tire will work, that meets the load ratings.  Multiple axles put more stress on the sidewalls and belts due to them being "dragged" when turning.   This is where using trailer tires is important.   

 

The most important thing for trailer tires is air pressure.  Keep them at the correct PSI.  I'd be willing to bet at least 2/3 of trailer tire failures are due to underinflation.  This isn't always due to neglect.  Trailer tires are very prone to pick up nails, and other stuff to puncture.  In many cases the track or the trailer is wider than the tow vehicle.  This exposes the right side tires to junk on the edge of the road that get's blown over there by other, narrower vehicles.  The right rear trailer tires is especially prone to punctures.  I think the right front tire bounces the nail or screw up, so it can stick into the rear tire.  On my 32 foot triple axle trailer I got a bunch of nails in the passenger side center tire.   I would go on trips as long as 1000 miles.  I checked my trailer tire pressure every time I got fuel.  Occasionally I'd find one tire a little low, and find something in it.   

 

 

Like others have said, if you're thinking about replacing your trailer tires, go ahead and replace them.  The cost is low compared to other stuff we buy.  

Improperly inflated tires are indeed the #1 culprit in tire failures.

Wife and I have been RVing for over 30 years and often times it's a convoy of 6 - 8 trailers, friends and family traveling long distances.

 

Each trip usually involves a blowout and it's always the same thing....... someone didn't check tire pressure and I have to break out the portable compressor and inflate the remaining tires to proper PSI.

AND it'll happen again this year ?

 

[TOXIC]

My fishing partners 2019 Silverado came with the max trailering package which included 4 trailer tire sensors.  He has a page on his in truck in cab screen that shows the tire pressure and tire temperature of each trailer tire. I’m sure you could buy an aftermarket setup and gage that would do the same thing and I’ve been tempted to look into it.  

[gim]

5 minutes ago, TOXIC said:

He has a page on his in truck in cab screen that shows the tire pressure and tire temperature of each trailer tire.

Are you referring to the tire pressure of the trailer tires or the truck tires?  My truck shows tire pressure of my truck tires too...

[Elkins45]

2 hours ago, TOXIC said:

My fishing partners 2019 Silverado came with the max trailering package which included 4 trailer tire sensors.  He has a page on his in truck in cab screen that shows the tire pressure and tire temperature of each trailer tire. I’m sure you could buy an aftermarket setup and gage that would do the same thing and I’ve been tempted to look into it.  

How does it do that? Do you have to install TMPS sensors in your trailer tires?

[TOXIC]

2 hours ago, gimruis said:

Are you referring to the tire pressure of the trailer tires or the truck tires?  My truck shows tire pressure of my truck tires too...

It shows his trailer tires.  Pressure and temperature.  This is in addition to his truck tires.  Those sensors only show pressure. 

 

17 minutes ago, Elkins45 said:

How does it do that? Do you have to install TMPS sensors in your trailer tires?

Yes.  The trailering package on his Silverado Trail Boss edition came with 4 additional sensors that had to be installed in the trailer tires.  They Bluetooth to his truck.  This was a factory option not aftermarket.  This is what the screen in his truck looks like.

[Woody B]

I've considered a TPM system for my boat trailer as well as our camper.  It's easy enough to check the tire pressure every trip.  A bunch of tire failures I've seen and had over the years involved a tire that had picked up a nail or something and lost pressure during the trip.  A TPM system would alert you before the pressure go low enough for more damage.