Trailer tires…

[A930Rocket]

Looking into getting new 205/75/14 or 215/75/24 tires for the new to me Trailex trailer. There’s a lot of tires I’ve never heard of. Goodyear’s used to be the best, but a Google search of trailer tire reviews doesn’t mention them.

I’ll be traveling 2-3 hours each way, 5-6 times a year to RRR or CMP. Maybe a 6 hour drive one time a year to VIR. Edit. The trailer weighs about 900 lbs and the car weighs about 2900 lbs. I imagine the tires would age out, before I wore them down.

What about Carlisle… anyone use them?

What brands are you using and what's your experience?

Edit. Do you get the trailer tires balanced?

[Scott Douglas]

Looks like my brother has Goodyear Marathon's on his Featherlite trailer. Not sure if he put them on or they were on it when he bought it.

He's done a lot of hauling in the three years since that picture was taken too.
Never had a problem with them that I'm aware of.

[A930Rocket]

I don’t think they make the Goodyear Marathon anymore, it’s now the Goodyear Endurance. The Goodyear tires are about twice as much as every other tire out there, but definitely a good tire. Obviously, tires are important, but the majority of them seem to be made in China…

I’ll probably buy local, as I worry about the date of manufacturing, buying online.

[unclebilly]

Some of the Chinese ones are ok, some last 5000 miles or less. Total junk.

I bought some cheap Haida trailer tires recently and they seem ok so far with only 1000 miles on them.

[Tobra]

How much is the no chinesium tax?


I pay for tires. I want great tires, not good tires

[911boost]

I have Goodyear Endurance in a 16” size on my toy hauler travel trailer with double axles. I’d say they have around 8,000 miles on them, with a big chunk of it a 4,200 mile trip from CO to FL last April. Also went to Moab with it that month, the rest camping trips within 6 hours or so. I use a tire pressure monitor system I got off Amazon that I love, that way I always know the pressure when pulling. Losing a tire at speed would not be fun.

They have worn really well and I will not buy anything else for that trailer.


For my small single axle 12 foot trailer it has cheaper chinesium tires and they seem ok for it, the heaviest load it ever gets is my XP1000 RZR f I am moving it around as it usually is in the camper. It is in my driveway and I can check the brand tomorrow.

[greglepore]

Carlisle are popular in the horse trailer world. They have US plants but I think their trailer tires are still made in China to their spec. 8 ply, same as Goodyear Endurance.
Goodyear Endurance are well liked but pricey and same spec as Carlisle.
Personally, I'd look at Hankook Ventra, about 2/3 the Goodyear price, and 10 ply.
I've never balanced a trailer tire.
Biggest thing with trailers really are wheel bearings, I try to pull annually and repack, or at least semi-annually.
And keep it under 70.

[911 Rod]

I belong to a bass boat forum and the go to tire is Goodyear Endurance. These boys put a lot of miles on their tires. I bought 5 this year and ya they are pricy, but I wanted the best and not have my fishing weekend disrupted.
In the U.S. you can also use automobile tires (can't here in Canada) I believe.

[greglepore]

You can use LT tires, but you shouldn't....

[herr_oberst]

The moondiscs, the yellow fenders; I just couldn't stop myself from giving your brothers trailer the hotrod treatment.

[Arizona_928]

I like the 12 ply Transeagle (I assume Chinese) trailer tires. I use them on a 25 ft gooseneck. They held when overloaded and off-road, so I think they're stout.

[Scott Douglas]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

The moondiscs, the yellow fenders; I just couldn't stop myself from giving your brothers trailer the hotrod treatment.

Thanks @herr_oberst!
He had them powder coated to match his Colorado.

Came out pretty close color wise IMO.

[Rusty Heap]

Guess it depends on the load the tires are supporting too.

Here's two failures in my recent history. Blow out was at 65 mph towing a 2500 pound SxS. Single axle luckily fell off IN my driveway.......

[herr_oberst]

Damn, Scott! that's a nice lookin' rig!

[ted]

Goodyear Endurance 16” on my Featherlight enclosed car trailer.
Racers in our group all run them.
I had too many full tread failures with cheaper brands.
Michelins on the dually.

[unclebilly]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

I belong to a bass boat forum and the go to tire is Goodyear Endurance. These boys put a lot of miles on their tires. I bought 5 this year and ya they are pricy, but I wanted the best and not have my fishing weekend disrupted.
In the U.S. you can also use automobile tires (can't here in Canada) I believe.

We have car tires on our boat trailer. I had LT tires on my car trailer until i bought these Haida trailer tires… it’s been through the scales and no issues.

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

We have car tires on our boat trailer. I had LT tires on my car trailer until i bought these Haida trailer tires… it’s been through the scales and no issues.

Looking online, I noticed a lot of guys using LT tires, on their boat trailers. I always thought that was a big no-no, because the sidewalls were not stiff enough?

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

Guess it depends on the load the tires are supporting too.

Here's two failures in my recent history. Blow out was at 65 mph towing a 2500 pound SxS. Single axle luckily fell off IN my driveway.......

Dang. That had to be a surprise.

Last year, I lost a tire somewhere between Charleston and Roebling Road in Savannah on a U-Haul trailer. I did not notice it until after I unloaded the car and was walking around. 🤪

I called U-Haul and they were there within an hour to replace the tire. IIRC, u-Haul does not use Goodyear anymore, but MAXXIS. Or at least the tires on the trailer were MAXXIS.

[Zeke]

I looked up Cooper as they are USA made but they are for bigger trailers and not cheap.

Kenda was mentioned. Don't know.

[Tim Hancock]

Some random thoughts on trailer tires I have developed in my years of multiple trailer ownership:

Some trailer tires can come in different load ratings for the same tire size. On most of my trailers, I always opt for the higher letter rating when I can (I will pick an E over a C rated tire).

My tandem axle race car trailer which I used EVERY Saturday night for 4 summers never experienced a tire failure and weighed about 6000 lbs. I drove as fast as 80mph some days if late for the races. My tires were just some relatively cheap off brand.

Heat from tire flexing due to underinflation is the biggest killer of most trailer tires. I ALWAYS run my boat and my race car trailers tires at the max inflation stamped on the sidewall. (Depending on the tire rating and size, the proper inflation can often be anywhere from 50-80 psi) The max inflation number is the only number that the manufacturer recommends for max load rating. I often have heard of people only inflating their trailer tires to 32 psi like their old cars.... Then they wonder why they blow trailer tires so often.

Another killer of OLDER trailer tires is UV degradation from leaving trailers sit outside in the sun for long periods of time. My trailers always sit inside when not in use so I don't have to worry about that issue.