Trailer Tires!!

[Fishn Technishn]

Well, I was at Kasshabog last week and decided to check over my trailer while the boat was docked. I usually check all the bolts/bunks etc. Walked around the trailer and noticed a softball sized bulge on the sidewall of the one tire!!

Went to get my tools etc to put the spare on and ...BOOM! The bulge popped and I nearly crapped my pants!!

 

Changed it out but the weird thing is, it is still holding 80PSi which is what is reccomended for these DURO 5.30X12 C load rating bias ply. They are only 2 years old and look like new!!

 

Anyone got any suggestions for a better tire, Space is limited to 12" but may be able to squeeze a 13" in there.

 

Thanks

 

FT

[Fisherman]

Trailer tires are a real pain in the .. You'll find that 99% of them are made in you know where, quality control is mediocre at best, apparantley Goodyear is bring back some of their trailer tire production back to the USA. Princess Auto does have 145/12 inch radial tires in C load range, see if they fit.

[smally21]

FT i used primarily Goodyear Marathons in our trailer maunfacturing business. Carlisle was a standard name in the business but that was mostly pricing. the marathons held up best for us, built hundreds of BIG boat trailers had very few warranty issues. Dont want to doubt you never seen the tire you have but 80psi sounds awful high??? trailer tires due to their hard compunds and sidewall strenght are prone to failure after extended sitting, they like to be driven. not sure if that played a factor in your failure but was a common factor i would hear. if you are concerned about your load rating we would occasionally use larger width tires (think double seadoo) where we would get larger capacities and still say low. this migt require a different fender setup. anyhoo my reccomendation is the goodyear marathon and always have a spare!!

[Gerry]

You got very good info from Smilley. I've been using Marathons for several years and they've served me well. I've had others and they weren't as good as the Marathons. That is not to say that Marathons don't have their problems. I've heard of quality control issues at the China plant. And 80 PSI sounds really high to me too, the standard is 50 PSI so you might have over inflated them. Trailer tires need replacing after 5 or 6 years regardless of tread wear. As Smilley stated, trailer tires are specially made with hard compounds and they deteriorate over time. Usually, the tire wall will explode without warning which is why you always need a spare. Your's at 2 years seem to have failed prematurely and this could be a manufacturing defect.

[Tybo]

Most trailer tire damage comes from improper storage.

Any prolong time of storage, you should raise the tires off the ground!

[Fisherman]

If he has/had load range "C" 12" tires, then 80 psi is the correct amount, look on the sidewall for inflation, that's what mine also say, load range "B" are 50 psi.

[Fishn Technishn]

Thanks all.

They are indeed load range C and the inflation pressure on the tire wall is indeed 80PSI. I am an absolute fanatic when it comes to tire inflation and such.

Been looking around for Goodyear Marathons but haven't been able to find any 12" ones!! Anybody got a better idea as to where I can find the 12" ones??

Have located a local dealer who will sell me 145/80/12ST "carlisle" radials for $69(tire only) or $109 with a galv. rim,....whaddaya think??

On my older rig I had 12" radials from Walmart that I got for less than $25 each and they were even ST rated. Checked them out and they are no longer available!!DANG!!!

 

FT

[johnnyb]

I got my clas C Carlisle 12"ers on rims for $75 from CTC....just a couple weeks ago...

[dada2727]

I would check the tire and make sure it is susposed to have 80 psi. My tires say 80 psi but under a max load. I found the middle of the tread wore very quickly and the outer edges of the tread still had lots left, a sure sign of overinflation. After driving down the highway for a while, pull over and feel the tires. If they're really hot to touch, then they are defenitely overinflated. It cost me a couple of tires before I learned.

[qmccharlie]

Surf around and learn the manufacturer date code for the tire you buy. Even if a tire is new the shelf life is the same five or six years whether its on a trailer or not. If you Google tire sidewalls then you will find the code for the ages of tires. You would be surprised at the number of old tires sitting around and still sold as new.

Take care, trailer tires are basically junk but the Goodyears seem better than most.

[Fisherman]

Thanks all.

They are indeed load range C and the inflation pressure on the tire wall is indeed 80PSI. I am an absolute fanatic when it comes to tire inflation and such.

Been looking around for Goodyear Marathons but haven't been able to find any 12" ones!! Anybody got a better idea as to where I can find the 12" ones??

Have located a local dealer who will sell me 145/80/12ST "carlisle" radials for $69(tire only) or $109 with a galv. rim,....whaddaya think??

On my older rig I had 12" radials from Walmart that I got for less than $25 each and they were even ST rated. Checked them out and they are no longer available!!DANG!!!

 

FT

That's a good price, with or without rim and, galvanized at that. I would buy them but my fenders are not wide enough.