Bigger Trailer Tires

[Retcoastie]

I have a 02 stock OEM Mac trailer that came with ST215/75R14, 6 ply, Load Range C tires. I have blown three tires in the 15,000+ miles I have towed her in five years. My conclusion is that she and I are over weight. She, like me, will probably not lose any pounds, only gain more.

I would like to up grade to Load Range D or better tires. I cannot find a good replacement tire. The closest dimensional tire is a LT205/80R14. They were on the Volkswagon Vanagons. Unfortunately, they are no longer made. ( I don't know what the VW people do now. )

Has anyone here went to a higher range load 14 inch tire? If I changed sizes, what would I get?

A Given - A nice aluminum, dual axle replacement trailer would be fine. At 10+ times the cost of tires, it is not gonna happen unless a generous soul here on the board wants to offer one at tire costs.

Thanks

Ken

[Seapup]

If you want to stick with the same dimensions on a 14" wheel kumho 857 is about the best I have found. Load range D and rated for 2271 lbs.


http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp ... Radial+857

[Catigale]

My stock 2002 tires let go in 2008 after 5- 6 seasons -one due to delamination and one due to severe dry rot.

I replaced with Loadstars from Trailer Parts Supply - three years so far and tread wear minimal.

About 1500 miles per year though - less than you.

[u12fly]

I just recently got new tires through etrailer about 2 months ago. They had good prices and I got free shipping to mydoor step.

http://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Tires_and_Wheels.aspx

[Retcoastie]

I just recently got new tires through etrailer about 2 months ago. They had good prices and I got free shipping to mydoor step.

You got 14 inch Load Range D tires from etrailer? Could you be more specific about the actual brand and size?

Thanks

[Sumner]

I have a 02 stock OEM Mac trailer that came with ST215/75R14, 6 ply, Load Range C tires. I have blown three tires in the 15,000+ miles I have towed her in five years.....Ken

Ken, what pressure are you running them at? Max?

A second axle on the present trailer might be somewhere in cost between the tires and a new one and should last you for as long as you have the boat,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

[Retcoastie]

Sum,

I think I was about 4 lbs over max inflation. That is where I normally run them.

A second axle is an option. However, as I reread my post, three tires in five years with the mileage I'm doing might not be too bad. The first tire was one of the originals that had been setting for four years. It went not long after I got the boat home. If you take that one out of the equation, two tires in five years and over 15,000 miles is pretty good. The last one was probably my fault. I was making a high speed run on a hot day to get back home from Elizabeth City, N.C. to see a dear friend who had went into hospice for breast cancer. I lost the tire but I got there in time. She died the next morning.

Now that I'm writing this, I remember I jumped a curb with that tire the day before. It could have been a contributing factor. So maybe I'm making a mountain out of a mole hill. Maybe Load Range C tires are okay. I would sure like to get some Ds.


Seapup,

Thanks for the heads-up.

Those Kumho 857 are just not available locally. I'm trying to get a local dealer to try to order them. They say the warehouses around here don't even carry them. We live in Eastern Kentucky, in the county with the lowest employment in the state. I try very hard to "buy locally". My purchase may be the difference whether somebody stays in business or folds. As a result, my internet purchasing has all but ceased. Maybe they will turn up in another day or so.

Thanks

Ken

[Highlander]

I've worn out my trl tires in 3000 miles with high speed driving & heavily laiden boat ! thats why I'm thinking of doing the second axle mod 2008 alum trl

J
PS I beleive I have the 15" tires

[dlandersson]

I remember eastern Kentucky when I was stationed at Ft. Knox. We used to do staff rides at Perryville. In some of the towns, everybody looked somewhat the same. It was like something out of the twilight zone.

Sum,

We live in Eastern Kentucky, in the county with the lowest employment in the state.

[Sumner]

.... I think I was about 4 lbs over max inflation. That is where I normally run them.

A second axle is an option. However, as I reread my post, three tires in five years with the mileage I'm doing might not be too bad. The first tire was one of the originals that had been setting for four years. It went not long after I got the boat home. If you take that one out of the equation, two tires in five years and over 15,000 miles is pretty good....Ken

That is what I would do with the inflation. If the others were 4-5 years that also might be it. I have a car hauler trailer and had to get new tires at 4 years with very low mileage on the ones that had been on. They just don't seem to go much over that regardless of use or not.

If you have brakes now a second axle wouldn't cost that much to put on. The tires might not last much longer than 4-6 years, but the trailer sure will tow better and be safer. A good upgrade if you drive that much. That is a lot of driving.

When the tires blew what was the wear pattern? Going to Canada and back with a single axle we had to buy a set of tires as the axle was bent and they were wearing real fast on the insides. They didn't blow, but I worried about making it home on them. When I added the second axle I got the other one pretty straight again and didn't notice any unusual wear in the 5000 mile round trip to Florida.

Good luck,

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

[seahouse]

It doesn’t appear to be to well known, but tires (auto, motorcycle, trailer) have an expiry date, which is around 5 years after their manufacturing date. No matter how much tread is remaining on them, or how few miles are on them, that’s it after 5 years. Or so.

OK, you might get 6 if they haven’t been worked hard or exposed to harsh conditions.

Before I actually make a purchase (auto, motorcycle, trailer) I ask for the manufacturing code on the tire. If it’s more than a few months old, I’ll look elsewhere. All else being equal, I place a priority on shopping locally. But I HAD to cross a border to buy my last set of motorcycle tires for this very reason.

A tire that’s been sitting around for a year is 20% expired in lifespan, but I’ve found that you’ll be hard-pressed to find any dealer that will give you any discount on a 20% expired tire. I prefer to let the next guy pay full price for those tires.

So one simple piece of advice no one has mentioned yet as a way to maximize the life you’ll get out of your tires is to make sure they’re fairly new when you first buy them.

- Brian.

[dlandersson]

That's a REALLY good point. Back in 1996, I purchased a old but nice Ford Bronco in Tabuk, KSA, for R&R trips to Jordan. The tires looked good BUT they were fairly old - and had been sitting in 120+ degree heat for years. On our maiden voyage, going down the road in the middle of MAMOADA (miles and miles of absolutely damn-all) - straight, smooth, no debris - a tire simply blew. We would up upside down and crawled out a bit dazed but otherwise unhurt.

To add insult to injury, I had to go to court. A Jordanian police officer had stopped us and invited himself onboard, hitching a ride to his family in Amman - and under their law I was legally liable for any injuries he may have sustained.

It doesn’t appear to be to well known, but tires (auto, motorcycle, trailer) have an expiry date, which is around 5 years after their manufacturing date. No matter how much tread is remaining on them, or how few miles are on them, that’s it after 5 years. Or so.

OK, you might get 6 if they haven’t been worked hard or exposed to harsh conditions.

Before I actually make a purchase (auto, motorcycle, trailer) I ask for the manufacturing code on the tire. If it’s more than a few months old, I’ll look elsewhere. All else being equal, I place a priority on shopping locally. But I HAD to cross a border to buy my last set of motorcycle tires for this very reason.

A tire that’s been sitting around for a year is 20% expired in lifespan, but I’ve found that you’ll be hard-pressed to find any dealer that will give you any discount on a 20% expired tire. I prefer to let the next guy pay full price for those tires.

So one simple piece of advice no one has mentioned yet as a way to maximize the life you’ll get out of your tires is to make sure they’re fairly new when you first buy them.

- Brian.

[RobertB]

I am in the process of ordering parts for the second axle modification to a 2010 Aluminuim trailer. Doing mod to reduce tounge weight, increase stability, better survive tire blowout. I also expect tires to last longer since the wheel/tire assemblies (Carlisle) are rated at 2105 lbs each - most of us are operating pretty close to that.

What I have come up with so far:
1. Need the axle serial number to order a new UFP torsion axle. The SN is on a plate welded to the bottom of the axle. Mine was hiding under a strap for the bunk. I ordered an equivalent torsion axle, galvanized, without brakes.
2. UFP had me order from Waymeyer Distributers. Lucky I get to pay for shipping from UFP to Waymeyer ($50) and then to my house in MD ($130).
3. Total cost of axle is expected to be: $295 for axle (cross member and splines only), $50 each for the arms the wheels mount onto, $180 shipping = $575
4. Wheels with tires (Carlisle 15x6, 5 lug x 4.5 inch wheel and ST225/75D15 tire) are available locally (and mail order) for $150 each.
5. Aluminium fenders are about $95 each, need to have custom brackets to attach fabricated. Also plan on attaching a bunk board or pad to the top edge of the fenders facing the boat since the stock fenders are so close (and hit the boat with every bump).
6. UFP recommended using the same index position for the axles - my guess is that this will result in an increased trailer height. I plan to experiment a little.

How does this sound to anyone else who has actually done the mod?

[Catigale]

I think I was about 4 lbs over max inflation. That is where I normally run them.

Ken, I dont think you should exceed the max inflation on your tires. Even by 4 psi. Your pressure will go up about 20% if you run on the highway for one hour. I run mine at the max pressure on the sidewall, set with the tires cold.

If you search you will find a thread way back where trailer tire life is discussed. They do fail on both miles and time. I didn't believe it at first, but I do think the theory that the low use impedes distribution of lubricants in the rubber unlike in automobiles has some merit.

[Retcoastie]

Stephen,

Starting with overinflated tires is a hold over from my travel trailer days. Back then most everybody did.

As you say, tire pressure increases with usage. That would be due to heat from the friction of the sidewall flexing, right? What stops the pressure increase? Why doesn't the tire get so hot it melts on a long run? As the pressure increases, the tire gets stiffer, the flexing decreases, the friction decreases, and the heat build up stops and a balance is reached, provided there is enough air in the tire for this to happen.

An under-inflated tire does not have enough air to allow sufficient pressure increase to stop the flexing. Friction heat continues to build until the tire overheats and fails. I think we can all agree to that. It has happen too many times to be discounted.

By using a slight over pressure, I am not starting with a "cold" tire. Lets say I'm starting "lukewarm". Now as I go down the road and the flexing starts I am already at a higher pressure which reduces the flexing, reduces the friction, and causes the balance to be reached at a lower temperature.

That was the travel trailer community rational back then. Things may have changed but is was accepted by many many travelers. And, it sounds good to me.

After all my attempts to get a load range D 14" tire locally failed. I considered going to 15" tires and wheels. That just did not seem cost effective. So, I ordered an ST215/75R14 Carlisle. It should be to the dealer Wednesday. Why fix what isn't broke?

Ken