Trailer tires...New thread!

BlewByYou88

BlewByYou88

Member
Jul 24, 2010
963
Arizona
Boat Info
268 Sea Ray Sundancer 1988
Engines
2X 4.3L 4bbl Mercs w/ Alphas
Alright. I have read some of the previous threads on trailer tires, but they are limited. From what I have gathered, Maxxis would be my next best bet.

However, I would like some insight from my heavy haulers around here. I have to travel to pretty significant lenghts to get to water where I'm from. SO, I want something that can handle high speeds and heavy loads. I read a few have put light duty truck tires on instead of trailer ST's. What is the verdict around here? I just shreded 2 carlisle's on my last trip. They are only two years old and maybe 10,000 miles on them, but because I just bought the boat, no warranty as it did not transfer.

Not going down the road of goodyear marathons either, I have a history with them as well.:smt101
 
I have had Maxxis for last 4 years....no issues.....GREAT tires thus far
 
I do tires for a living, 34 years now & counting. Maxxis is the most trouble free & LT tires are a no-no, Different internal construction. You want a tire that starts with "ST", Special Trailer. Run the tires at max psi & get as high a load rating as possible & you won't be dissapointed. Nitrogen is a plus as it helps the tires run cooler & keep pressure more stable, one less thing to always worry about. Make sure the shop uses high pressure valve stems as standard rubber are not rated for the higher running pressure & have seen many pop out causing very bad results. Good Luck
 
Rockyranch said:
I do tires for a living, 34 years now & counting. Maxxis is the most trouble free & LT tires are a no-no, Different internal construction. You want a tire that starts with "ST", Special Trailer. Run the tires at max psi & get as high a load rating as possible & you won't be dissapointed. Nitrogen is a plus as it helps the tires run cooler & keep pressure more stable, one less thing to always worry about. Make sure the shop uses high pressure valve stems as standard rubber are not rated for the higher running pressure & have seen many pop out causing very bad results. Good Luck
Click to expand...

Can you give me a little help on LT tires. If you use a 6 ply side wall LT tire isn't it the same as using a 6 ply ST tire. If not how?
Thanks.
 
This subject comes up so often on boating and RV sites that we all should be tire experts. Basically tires are designed for each type of service...passenger, light truck, trailer etc. Speeds, ride, traction, handling and loads are considered for each application. Trailer tires have much different traction requirements for example. They just follow and roll.

A key difference is in side wall design. A trailering application often subjects the tires to additional sidewall loading and stresses like sway or the sideways scrubbing you get when turning with a multiple axle trailer. Watch a tri-axle making tight turns on a paved surface, both the tread and sidewalls get abused. When sway is referred to it doesn't only mean sway as in improper tongue weight or trailer loading. Picture tall loads or top heavy loads and/or the effects of wind, the sidewalls must handle extra sway.
LT vs ST 6ply sidewalls are not the same. The cords within the plys may have different size or properties that are better suited to each type of service. BTW neither of them really is 6ply but they each have a 6ply rating in the application for which they were designed.

This explanation from Goodyear: 'Ply rating' and 'load range' are synonymous. Both relate to the load carrying capacity of the tire. The term "Ply Rating" is used to identify a given tire with its maximum load when used in a specific type of service. It is an index of tire strength and does not necessarily represent the number of cord plies in the tire.
The following is the definition of 'load range'
The term "load range" in tire identification is used to identify a given tire with its load and inflation limits when used in a specific type of service.
The 'ply rating' and 'load range' are indicators of the actual load capacity of the tire. This rating has no direct relationship to the number of plies.

IMHO the majority of trailer tire problems are caused by improper inflation, running with max loading or overload, and tire age. I also would advise everybody to learn how to read the tire codes so they know how old those brand new tires they buy are. When I purchase tires I tell the shop they must be made in the current year. I first learned to do this after having tire traction problems on my motorcycle. I have purchased my tires from the same shop for 40+ years, maybe they just humor me, but that’s what I do and get good results.
 
My experience suggests to avoid Carlisle's:

Carlisle replaced all 4 of my trailer tires, at less than 2000 miles, and then replaced one of the aluminum star wheels when I discovered a 1" long crack during a tire pressure check. The tires were Ultra CRT Radial Trail models, size ST225/75R15.

The trailer was a brand new, SeaRay-logo Vanguard, with two axles/4 wheels and was purchased as a package from a Sea Ray dealer with my new 2006 240 Sundancer, so it was sized properly for the boat & its weight. Tire pressures were maintained meticulously, so that was not the cause behind the failures.

The first took a nail, but they cover that in the first year and replaced it, obviously no fault of the tire there (they do not want them patched or plugged).

Then the next two tires went lumpy/egg shaped, one at a time, within 400 miles of each other. Carlisle did not argue when I also demanded they replace the last remaining original tire BEFORE it also went egg shaped, and they sent a replacement for it too. It must have been a bad lot of tires.

I had to pay all the mount & balance fees, and it was a major hassle, not to mention stopping on the side of the road to mount the spare multiple times, but they covered all the shipping to my door, and return shipping for the defective items. The last tire and wheel were a few months beyond the warranty but they covered them anyway. So their service after the problems was decent, but would have been excellent if they'd paid all the mounting and balance fees.

The new tires are hanging in there OK so far, and Carlisle did the best they could after the fact, but I won't buy a set from them when its time to replace them for good.

Anyone else have Carlisle experience? good or bad?
 
Well stated, & I also agree on the Carlisle issue. We take off lots of Carlisle tires & replace them even on new rigs due to failure of ply bonding. We stock the Maxxis & Greenball & have very good luck with both, My personal trailer that hauls our other boat a 31' cruiser at 13,500 LB is equipped with Maxxis.
 
Cutting through all the tire tech sales verbage: I would thing that a Light Truck tire would have a stronger side wall as it is made to be a drive tire as well as a steer tire. Many equipment trailers use a 950x16.5 tire. Some low boys have these 16.5’s in a 16 ply rating. The tires on my trailer are 850x16.5 LT’s in a 8 ply rating (4 side wall/4 tread). Most likely came with them new in “88” when things were over done and done right!

BBY88: you are in Arizona where the road heat is abusive on even the best tires. Your boat with twin drives and genny has got to be heavy on the aft trailer axles. What size tires are you shredding and how much air? Also are you running radials or bias ply?
 
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I wanted to add my endorsement for.... Costco Tires! I don't recall the specific brand that they get but....

I called and they ordered me 7(1 spare) last year.
ST 225/75 R 15 L.R. D run @ 65 psi
I believe they were about $100 a piece... far lower than any other ST tire I researched.

It's 300 miles one way to my favorite lake, over the Arizona asphalt. I think they have about 3000k miles right now.
While i was still learning the trailer/electric brake thing I launched the boat and was parking and locked up the trailer brakes. It destroyed two tires by wearing a flat spot into them. Costco replaced for free....

The downside is that they will not work on your trailer... you have to bring in the tires" naked" and they will mount and balance, then you re-install at home.:grin:
 
BonBini said:
you are in Arizona where the road heat is abusive on even the best tires. Your boat with twin drives and genny has got to be heavy on the aft trailer axles. What size tires are you shredding and how much air? Also are you running radials or bias ply?
Click to expand...

Current tires: Carlisle USA Trail ST225/75D15 45PSI :smt013 sooo BIas?

All the tires are bald on the outer tread, ones bulging, two are shreded. I know its not an alignment issue, because its never done this to the tires it had on prior GY Marathons. (what dad always put on it when he owned it) The guy that had it last got the cheapest thing he could from Walmart, which is these Carlisles.

Discount is pushing these Greenball Towmasters on me, but I think I'm still leaning towards the MAXXIS.
 
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1988 SR 268 base weight 5,425#
T4.3 add 1,000
100gal fuel 600
24gal water 199
Generator 300 ???
Trailer 1,500 ???
Total 9,024# now add the weight of all the “stuff” in the boat

You say your running 45psi in your tires so you must have the load range C tires with a max load capacity of 2,150# ea @50psi. Your tires limit your to total weight of 8,600#. Also this Carlisle chart shows max tire pressure for this tire to be 50psi. http://www.carlisletire.com/products/trailer/usa_trail/index.html

You say the tires are bald on the outer tread. I take this to mean wearing on the edges. This is typical of under inflated tires. In your case I think you are running overloaded and under inflated tires.
 
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Woody said:
1988 SR 268 base weight 5,425#
T4.3 add 1,000
100gal fuel 600
24gal water 199
Generator 300 ???
Trailer 1,500 ???
Total 9,024# now add the weight of all the “stuff” in the boat

You say your running 45psi in your tires so you must have the load range C tires with a max load capacity of 2,150# ea @50psi. Your tires limit your to total weight of 8,600#. Also this Carlisle chart shows max tire pressure for this tire to be 50psi. http://www.carlisletire.com/products/trailer/usa_trail/index.html

You say the tires are bald on the outer tread. I take this to mean wearing on the edges. This is typical of under inflated tires. In your case I think you are running overloaded and under inflated tires.
Click to expand...

Add the extreme AZ road heat in, and sounds like my perfect recipe for tire-disater! Thankyou wallyworld for selling the last guy the wrong tires for the application?

and yes, I mean they are wearing on the edges, but only the outer edge not the inner.
 
Based on everything I have been reading, seeing, reasearching; between you guys and the net, its pretty simple to see these tires were overloaded from there application. Gonna see if I can get some E range tires on there or at the very minimuk a better D.
 
Woody said:
1988 SR 268 base weight 5,425#
T4.3 add 1,000
100gal fuel 600
24gal water 199
Generator 300 ???
Trailer 1,500 ???
Total 9,024# now add the weight of all the “stuff” in the boat

You say your running 45psi in your tires so you must have the load range C tires with a max load capacity of 2,150# ea @50psi. Your tires limit your to total weight of 8,600#. Also this Carlisle chart shows max tire pressure for this tire to be 50psi. http://www.carlisletire.com/products/trailer/usa_trail/index.html

You say the tires are bald on the outer tread. I take this to mean wearing on the edges. This is typical of under inflated tires. In your case I think you are running overloaded and under inflated tires.
Click to expand...

BBY88 is posting he is running a tri axle trl. He also posted earlier the use of LT tires. This made things sound like he had 5000 lb axles under his trailer. With 15" tires it now sounds like there only 3500's. He may be overloading 3 x 3500 lb axles but not 6 x 2000 lb tires... Sounds to me he's on the right track that the tires are junk.
 
BonBini said:
BBY88 is posting he is running a tri axle trl. He also posted earlier the use of LT tires. This made things sound like he had 5000 lb axles under his trailer. With 15" tires it now sounds like there only 3500's. He may be overloading 3 x 3500 lb axles but not 6 x 2000 lb tires... Sounds to me he's on the right track that the tires are junk.
Click to expand...
Thanks for catching my error.:huh: I agree his load sure isn't too much for 6 of those tires.
 
KHARRIMAN said:
I wanted to add my endorsement for.... Costco Tires!
The downside is that they will not work on your trailer... you have to bring in the tires" naked" and they will mount and balance, then you re-install at home.:grin:
Click to expand...

Now that's interesting. The last time I went into Costco for tires, I wanted to buy three tires and have them mounted on my truck. They said, "We can't sell you three tires." I asked, "What?" They said, "We can't put three tires on your truck. We have to put on all four." I said, "OK, I'll bring you three wheels, just mount and balance the tires on them. I'll do the rest." They said, "I'm sorry sir, we can't do that either. We have no idea what you might be putting those tires on." I about lost it at that point and said, "Thank you very much, you just lost me as a tire customer!" Someone at Costco, or at least that Costco, has their head inserted somewhere it doesn't belong!

Larry
 
Always go with the greatest capacity possible for safety, Maxxis builds a ST225/75R15 in load range E (10 ply) & we sell it in Florida for less than 100.00

Better safe than sorry, alot riding on the tires, no matter how good your trailer is, or how good your brakes are, if the tires are no good you are in trouble, just a matter of time.
 
Kay Lee said:
Now that's interesting. The last time I went into Costco for tires, I wanted to buy three tires and have them mounted on my truck. They said, "We can't sell you three tires." I asked, "What?" They said, "We can't put three tires on your truck. We have to put on all four." I said, "OK, I'll bring you three wheels, just mount and balance the tires on them. I'll do the rest." They said, "I'm sorry sir, we can't do that either. We have no idea what you might be putting those tires on." I about lost it at that point and said, "Thank you very much, you just lost me as a tire customer!" Someone at Costco, or at least that Costco, has their head inserted somewhere it doesn't belong!

Larry
Click to expand...

Eh, you can't be too hard on them. One they are just pissons' and two, with the way people sue nowadays, its a lawsuit issue.
 
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