do i really need "Trailer" tires...

[shaun]

I'm getting rims and tires for my trailer, nothing special just the chepo 50 dollar ea rims and cheap tires. The guy quotes me for what he says are trailering tires.. These tires are 79 buck ea. Now i'm looking at mohave tires which are 50ea and have decient reviews. He's trying to say i should run these other tires because they will tow better and stay trail better and yadda yadda... I could understand this maybe if i was putting these on a 7000lb trailer but this is a 18' boat. I'm just curious as to what you guys put on your trailers and your experiences. My trailer is a tandom axle so i will have 4 tires, if i was running a single axle i might be more inclined to run a trailer tire or somthing better...

[mdunn01]

On a jet boat thats 18 feet, use normal tires, you dont need no stinkin Trailer tires. Thats a bunch of BS on a boat that light and small.
" Badges, we dont need no stinkin badges"
Mike

[sleekcrafter]

Car radials were a disaster on my big boat trailer, trailer radials fixed that, but I run car radials on my little boat tandem trailer, I don't even notice it, back there.

[boats&bars]

the mojaves will be fine americas tire has em, buy the certs.

[shaun]

certs?

[LuckyDaze]

I waffled back and forth on Trailer tires VS car tires. After all of my driving back and fourth and one incident with my father and his car tires blowing out on the 40 I spent the extra dough for piece of mind. I counted 6 blow outs on my way home Sunday evening from the river. I DO NOT want to be one of them. I could probably get away with car tires but I'd rather play it safe than sorry. I also have fiberglass fenders which are VERY hard to come by and are color matched to my boat. If I had a blow out that ruined a fender I would be quite upset!
~Brian

[Kachina26]

certs?For your breath.
That or a road hazard dealio

[Saab]

When I bought tires for my trailer the guy told me the difference between trailer tires and passenger car tires is weight rating. Yea 6 plies and will hold 2000lbs a tire is great, but not needed on a 18' boat. Whats your boat and trailer weigh? If car tires will get the job done dont worry. If your that worried about and do as the books say, you should change your trailer tires every three years. In which case you will want the less expensive car tires. :idea:

[DansBlown73Nordic]

I have used car tires for 25 years. Never had a flat yet....

[502 JET]

I run car tires on my trailers, the cheapest I can find. I have them on everything my jet's trailer, on my 5500lb 22' deep v cuddy cabin boat trailer, and a 3 axle 30' enclosed car trailer. I have pulled them all 75 mph for years with no problems with swaying or tire failures.
I just put 4 new tires on my jets trailer from Pep Boys that were $38. each.
Trailer tires have a stiffer side wall so they don't flex like car tires. This helps keep the trailer from swaying. But it will also translate more road bounce/bumps to the trailer and or boat.
The car tires have flex to them and it helps absorb the bumps. Car tires hold up hold up large heavy cars and will have no problem supporting a boat and trailer that's half the weight or most cars.
If someone is telling you that you must have trailer specific tires they should also be telling you must have trailer specific wheels too.
The only reason I can think of that you must have trailer specific tires and wheels would be if you were to file an insurance claim from damage sustained in a tire or wheel failure. When they inspect the damage and find you don't have trailer specific tire and wheel, they may blame you and your claim could get denied.
I'm a cheap F... I'll stick with the car tires and the tire salesmen can kiss my a$$.

[Cas]

if you have a single axle trailer, get trailer tires. If it's a tandem, read this and decide for yourself-
http://www.taskmasterproducts.com/acatalog/whybuytrailertires.pdf

[boats&bars]

certs?
Certs are the $10 per tire warranty if you have a blow out or a flat bring The tire with the cert they replace it no questions asked.

[boats&bars]

if you have a single axle trailer, get trailer tires. If it's a tandem, read this and decide for yourself-
http://www.taskmasterproducts.com/acatalog/whybuytrailertires.pdf
good info.

[jetboatperformance]

After I posted that article some time back I switched my Eliminator 20 to a nice set actual trailer tires I "scammed" from a trade in ,I swear it tows differently! My little boat still has low pro 60 series however and will stay that way Tom
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r319/jetboatperformance/Eliminator%20V-drive/DSC05795.jpg
http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r319/jetboatperformance/Eliminator%20V-drive/DSC05798.jpg

[rerfert]

When I bought tires for my trailer the guy told me the difference between trailer tires and passenger car tires is weight rating. Yea 6 plies and will hold 2000lbs a tire is great, but not needed on a 18' boat. Whats your boat and trailer weigh? If car tires will get the job done dont worry. If your that worried about and do as the books say, you should change your trailer tires every three years. In which case you will want the less expensive car tires. :idea:My tire guy (the one that is not looking to sell me tires I dont need)
He Said on a trailer the side load to a tire is more severe becuase of the tire scrubing in a turn and while backing up and cause side wall wear/damage.
He said car tires on a tandem boat trailer are fine for the weight but trailer tires are purpose built.....run at your own risk....I have always run car tires on tandems and trailer tires on singles.

[River Girl]

Ok I'm going to throw my two cents in.
I just also bought new tires for my boat trailer at American Tires (Yes i bought 4 new tires and i had to buy a spare just in case). I ended up using the trailer tires by GoodYear / Marathon's. (At american tires they where only 89.99 apiece and yes i did do the warrienty). When we bought the boat, the trailer already had reg. tires on them and i also gotten the bounce when i was driving. I wanted to feel alittle safe having trailer tires, because i do drive by myself and the difference between the tires is that the trailer tires have a heavier side wall. Yes also when i do go home on sunday's I also see about 4-6 trucks (with boats) having flats on the side of the road. I don't want to be one of those guys (girl)on the side of the road. Thanks for listen to my two cents.
River Girl

[TahitiTiger]

Just my .02 but I have had trailer tires blow out just as easly as car tires. My father had brand new trailer tires on a Dico enclosed car trailer. Blew out ripped half the side of the trailer off, plus came real close to damaging our race car inside. All due to a defective tire. My 65 Glasspar had car tires from the 70's on it. Cracked side wall, older than a tire should be, they are still on the trailer to this day, and gets towed 500 miles per trip 5 times a year. I will be putting new tires on my trailer, only because I curbed it at the gate house, and lost a HUGE chunk of sidewall. They are Good Year Eagles, and yes I am cheap and will be getting used tires from the local guy.
Just make sure what ever tire you do decide on, it is a quality tire. Don't be afraid to tell them you want to see em first, and check the insides.
(btw here is a big Taboo, I have yet to run a spare on any of our trailers :D)

[beerjet]

I recently took delivery of a brand new trailer from Competative trailer . (what an ordeal that was) Friday at noon I pick it up, a couple of hours later I'm driving out to the river . Sunday on my way home I see tire smoke , and alot of it . I pull over and sure as shit literally half the side wall came apart . So much for the "heavy duty trailer tires " I was supposed to get . My 18'er has car tires and I have also had the same situation happen . They weren't brand new though . First chance my wallet gives me , I'm goin to Americas tire co. to replace all the tires on my new trailer :cry:
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c290/beerjet/Trailerpics001-2.jpg
http://i29.photobucket.com/albums/c290/beerjet/Trailerpics006.jpg
I've gone through 2 brand new tires on my truck and thank god for there warranty. The only thing I had to pay for was for the new warranty on the new tire , $16 .
-beerjet-

[78Southwind]

Nice looking trailer did you refab the old one or is it brand spanking new?

[hotrod56cars]

Nice looking trailer did you refab the old one or is it brand spanking new?
It's new. Competitive Trailers.
I got two cents on trailer tires, well kind of. This post is more for an FYI than telling you what kind of tires to buy.
I have a tandem trailer, old "real" trailer tires on it, no cracks in the tires. I had my tires at 45 psi per sidewall rec.'s. I left at 6:00 PM and went to Laughlin Nevada from San Diego. No problems. I left Laughlin the next morning and was driving to the AVI Hotel, it was about 120 degree's outside that day. About 23 miles before I got to the AVI one of my tires lost it's entire tread. About 20 miles later it blew, by the time I got to the AVI that tire didn't exist - just a couple of rubber bands on the rim. I borrowed a spare. Two days later I left the AVI with 4 good trailer tires, it was about 115 degree's that day. About 20? miles later I lost the tread on another tire. I deflated that tire a lot and strapped up it's axle to lessen it's load it would receive. About 50 miles later another tires started losing it's tread. I deflated that tire a little bit. On one of my many stops trying to find replacement tires that day an "old timer" came by to offer me some advice, I'm positive that he could see me mentaly struggling with the situation at my hands.
He told me to deflate all of my tires as the reason I was losing my tread was because the air in the tires was getting very hot from the very hot pavement causing the air inside the tires to over-inflate themselves = losing tread.
Just because you check everything twice doesn't mean you're not going to have troubles. Don't believe everything you read, even tire sidewalls, learn from others and their mistakes! Next trip I take my new sidewalls are going to tell me to inflate to 60 psi, no thanks - on those tires I think I'll inflate to 45.

[beerjet]

Nice looking trailer did you refab the old one or is it brand spanking new?
Yup ... It sure is brand spanking new . And so was the first tire that blew out on the way home from the AVI . I mean it did have a million miles on it since I picked it up on friday and drove to the AVI and on that sunday one tire decided it wasnt worth living any longer. :rolleyes:
Oh yeah , today I decided to drive down to Lake Hodges and when I got to the ramp to back it in , another fukin tire was flat :mad: :mad: :mad: Swapped it and it was all good . Again . :mad: Both of my spares are shit now . I'm just glad kustom trailer told me I was getting "heavy duty trailer tires" . Oh wait , I went to Americas tire co. like Competative told me to and they said that those were car tires :rolleyes: :mad: :mad: :mad:
Its gonna be a shitty monday at competative . I guarrantee it !:mad:
-beerjet-

[SmokinLowriderSS]

When I bought tires for my trailer the guy told me the difference between trailer tires and passenger car tires is weight rating. Yea 6 plies and will hold 2000lbs a tire is great, but not needed on a 18' boat. Whats your boat and trailer weigh? If car tires will get the job done dont worry. If your that worried about and do as the books say, you should change your trailer tires every three years. In which case you will want the less expensive car tires. :idea:
Wow, and my car tires under Lowrider are only rated at 1900+ pounds each. :D
Well hotrod, I hope that plan works for you, but it has one major problem.
Reducing tire pressure INCREASES tire sidewall flex, which increases the temperature of the rubber tire body. Tires are basically melted into one single solid object, and when they near the temperature at which they were melted together, they melt back apart, usually throwing the tread off.
Buy one of the fairly inexpensive IR thermometers that will read up to about 300* and stop every so often. See what the tires are heating up to. The vulcanizing temp is low, only arround 270*F.
I tow regularly here on the highway in temps as high as 105 in normal July's and Augusts (being cool so far this year), and NOT slowing down to 55mph either. My car radials have never given trouble, even at 5+ hours of continuous highway speeds in the mid-day sun. I do not buy the cheapest ones available tho. Buy a temperature grade of at least "B", "A" would be best. That is the indicator of how well the tire fights heat build-up.
I AM only towing arround 2500 pounds max, on a single axle trailer, and have been for almost 30 years.

[78Southwind]

Its gonna be a shitty monday at competative . I guarrantee it !:mad:
-beerjet-
Sucks about the tires but that trailer does look bad ass. I like the theme you got going there.:D btw..Our Hallett needs some buffing, why don't you bring your Hallett down to Topock and we'll have a buffing party at Jeremies.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/72Hallett_V_Drive3.jpg

[hotrod56cars]

...
Well hotrod, I hope that plan works for you, but it has one major problem.
Reducing tire pressure INCREASES tire sidewall flex, which increases the temperature of the rubber tire body. Tires are basically melted into one single solid object, and when they near the temperature at which they were melted together, they melt back apart, usually throwing the tread off.
Buy one of the fairly inexpensive IR thermometers that will read up to about 300* and stop every so often. See what the tires are heating up to. The vulcanizing temp is low, only arround 270*F.
...
All right, so you're saying the only way to properly inflate the tire when traveling through extreme heat is with a thermometer, or? :confused:

[GunninGopher]

I have tire pressure monitors in my new truck and it showed a 5psi increase on the 285-65-18 BFG's while driving to the river last week. I don't know what the difference would be with the smaller trailer tires but if it is greater that is significant.
I plan on running my trailer a few PSI lower now in the summer. I check the pressure before every trip and have always run right on the sidewall spec.
I had enough blowouts as a youth to learn me really good about having the tires done right. Since I have done the pressure checking every trip and carrying a spare, I have had no problems. I call a spare my good luck charm.
I also replace all the tires when 1 is showing stress. Yes it costs about $300 every time, but changing tires in the middle of the desert day is much crappier than spending the $, and I'm not one of you big money guys.

[billet racing 1]

I run the BF Goodrich Radial TA's on my trailer. low and wide 60 series. Has made the trip to Havasu and Bakersfield at least a dozen times per year in the heat. Never a problem.
something to consider, if you have perpetual problems with tire wear, heat or blow outs, CHECK THE ALIGNMENT. And i cant tell you how many times I've seen trailers cut the corner and drag the tires across the curb or rouph edge of pavement. Hell on Sidewalls.
Jerry

[SmokinLowriderSS]

All right, so you're saying the only way to properly inflate the tire when traveling through extreme heat is with a thermometer, or? :confused:
Tires are only at their maximum carrying capacity when AT their maximum COLD tire pressure.
What is the load on each of the tires? I don't know.
Are the tires shedding tread from pressure, or temperature? I don't know.
I have my doubts as to pressure shred.
I don't know the definition of "extreme" heat. how much different is 105/107 on asphalt or concrete from 120 on the same surface? I do not know.
What I am saying is this, "Think about this, then, get a thermometer so you are not just "flying blind" and doing what someone who MAY OR MAY NOT have any idea what he is talking about."
On a tripple axle trailer, I might think more than once about LT tires as the scrubbing action can be very hard on the sidewalls, IF the weight justifies the mess of tires.
Just last Friday, my wife called me, with a flat, on my F-150 truck, Pass. Front, which was properly inflated, been on the truck the 1 year we owned it (used vehicle), been driven, 75 to 80 MPH for the seccond summer for 45 miles each way to and from work nearly daily, and what it did was throw off every inch of tread, and both steel belts (radial). The liner was still intact, and inflated. (tore up other stuff under the hood)
Why? I have no idea.
She said it had recently taken up a "driving on washboards" feeling slow, which cleared up at higher speeds. She hadn't mentioned it to me, yet.
It was folding/loosening belts. Why? Who knows.
It had not been rotated/switched sides, it HAD come from back to front 8 or 9 months ago, no heavy load, just like the other front tire, which is perfect. No "extreme" heat (about 90*), same 75MPH freeway it had driven 400 times before, no foul weather, no road debris.