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New tire time! Any suggestions? Best/Worst


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I have 195 65 15's Phaser on now but time to replace. I bought the boat 2 yrs ago with them on it and they did well but they are wearing down. What do you all run? It seems to me that the size I have is odd, I did a general search for trailer tires in that size and didn't have much luck. I have an SB trailer that is low profile-I think? Any ideas on good replacements would be great!! Thanks in advance and Merry Christmas!

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This may not help you, but I bought 4 greenball towmaster radials (ST205/75/14) from Discount tire just over a year ago....Radials - I know! guess they make radials for trailers nowadays. Discount tire had a deal going that weekend (labor day weekend) and got them for $77/ea. So far they've been working well and I think they're rated pretty well too.

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I have a single axle Extreme Trailer. The tires replaced on 2/5/2011 are: Carlisle Sport ST225/75/D15 (8 ply bias) 2540lbs each, $82.50ea. I was told to go with bias tires for a trailer that sits a lot, that tires with steel belts tend to get moisture in them and rust the belts. FWIW.

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I have the Carlisle Radial Trail load range C tires on my tandem axle trailer. They ride and have worn great for the last 3 years. $300 mounted & balanced for four tires.

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I just put a set of Tow Masters on, My friends own a tire store and they suggested them, My stock tires did not make it past 2 seasons, and that was 2, I live in Oregon seasons which are very short..

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  • 2 weeks later...

Agman...you are in luck due to the fact that you have 15" rims. That opens up more opportunity for tire selection. Because of this you can go with a "D" (load capacity rating) or even an "E" rated tire which will give you lots more weight capacity with your trailer (up to what the springs and axle can support of course). A few years back all of the American trie manufacturers stopped making anything higher than a "C" rated tire for 14" rims. This may be okay if you have a tandem axle trailer....but if it's a single.....you definitely want D's (or better) on 15's. Greenball, Carlisle, Goodyear and Towmaster all make good trailer tires. Weight capacity is what you want to shop for.

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Guess I'll be the oddball here and say go with a plain old run-of-the-mill car tire. I have had rather new trailer tires blow out and not get covered under warrant because of load weight. Trailer tires also aren't rated for higher speeds (at least not the ones I have purchased). The longest lasting tires I have ever had on any trailer has been the cheapest car tires I could buy.

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Guess I'll be the oddball here and say go with a plain old run-of-the-mill car tire. I have had rather new trailer tires blow out and not get covered under warrant because of load weight. Trailer tires also aren't rated for higher speeds (at least not the ones I have purchased). The longest lasting tires I have ever had on any trailer has been the cheapest car tires I could buy.

I'll bet the blowouts you've had have been with load range "C" tires. This has been quite common in the past several years. I'll say this again.....if you are running 14" rims and are having this trouble you need to step up to 15's and get load range "D" or better tires. They don't cost that much more. You'll have an initial investment in the new rims......that is if you can't find any in a salvage yard. After that..... tire replacement only runs a few dollars more than the 14's. Typical trailer rims use the common 5 bolt hole pattern of most midsize Ford cars. So rims should still be easy to find in salvage if you don't want to spring for new ones. By the way.....tire companies are not going to want to warranty your cheapest car tires either if you overlaod them. My peace of mind is worth the extra dollars spent on good tires and rims.

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jkendallmsce

There are differences in the driving requirements between the tires on your trailer and those on the car or light truck you used to tow it. Therefore there are distinct differences between the way trailer tires and tow vehicle tires are engineered.

Your tow vehicle is a leader, which means traction is a key focus in the design of its tires. Traction allows your tow vehicle to accelerate down the road, turn around the corner and brake to a stop. Another important consideration is tow vehicle tires are designed for ride comfort, which is achieved in part by allowing their sidewalls to flex.

Your trailer is a follower, which often makes tire sidewall flexing a negative. Sidewall flexing on trailers, especially those with a high center of gravity (enclosed/travel trailers) or that carry heavy loads, is a primary cause of trailer sway. Typical passenger radial tires with flexible sidewalls can accentuate trailer sway problems. The stiffer sidewalls and higher operating pressures common with Special Trailer (ST) designated tires help reduce trailer sway.

Also consider that Special Trailer (ST), as well as Light Truck (LT) tires are fully rated for trailer applications. This means ST- and LT-sized tires can carry the full weight rating branded on the sidewalls when used on a trailer.

However when P-metric or Euro-metric tires are used on a trailer, the load capacity branded on the sidewalls must be reduced by 9%. This means P-metric or Euro-metric tires with a maximum branded load rating of 1,874 lbs. for use on a car is only rated to carry 1,705 lbs. when used on a trailer.

Comparing the load capacities of a pair of tires of the same dimensions fitted to a single axle trailer, ST225/75R15 Load Range C-sized tires inflated to their maximum of 50 psi provide 4,300 lbs. of load capacity, where P225/75R15 Standard Load-sized tires inflated to their maximum of 35 psi would be limited to 3,410 lbs. of load capacity, a total reduction of 890 pounds.

Trailers will be more stable and pull better on tires designed specifically for trailer use. Since Special Trailer (ST) tires are constructed with heavier duty materials, they are tougher than typical passenger vehicle tires. This is a plus because trailer suspension systems are generally stiffer and less sophisticated than automotive suspension systems.

Special Trailer (ST) Tire Speed Ratings

Industry standards dictate tires with the ST designation are speed rated to 65 MPH (104 km/h) under normal inflation and load conditions.

However industry standards also stipulate, if tires with the ST designation are used at speeds between 66 and 75 mph (106 and 121 km/h), it is necessary to increase their cold inflation pressure by 10 psi (69 kPa) above the recommended pressure for the rated maximum load.

Do not exceed the wheel’s maximum rated pressure. If the maximum pressure for the wheel prohibits the increase of air pressure, then maximum speed must be restricted to 65 mph (104 km/h).

The cold inflation pressure must not exceed 10 psi (69 kPa) beyond the inflation specified for the maximum load of the tire.

Increasing the inflation pressure by 10 psi (69 kPa) does not provide any additional load carrying capacity.

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