What is max speed for your trailer tires?

[Captmikestarrett]

It is printed on the tire but darn if I can read them..

I am guessing 60 for 15 inch bias ply...

75 for radial.

55 for steel belted.

I know in hot weather they will tear them selves apart if you maintain 65.

I wonder...

Capt Mike

[nofearengineer]

Good question, Mike.

Like you, I have a hard time reading my tire numbers, and an even harder time remembering them.

I do know mine are the ubiquitous Goodyear Marathon 215/75R14's. I always thought they were rated for 75 mph, and have driven them like that with no problems. They don't appear to be wearing badly or handling poorly.

But maybe I should slow down anyway. I guess I'd miss the morning bite by a lot if I was in the hospital or wrecked my boat. We'll see.

[Abbeysdad]

Hmm...unlike the tires on my garden tractor & cart (that clearly state "not for highway use" - lol like my garden tractor is gonna hit highway speeds pulling my cart or not!)

But wouldn't you think that a trailer tire, intended to be pulled behind a motor vehicle would have to be rated for highway speeds?

(footnote: nofear must live in Germany and take the autobon to the lake! lol)

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[bingham]

i actually had a blowout yesterday going down a highway with my 14'' tire luckily had a spare, unluckily having to replace it... 65mph, 90 degrees

[nofearengineer]

I actually just found an exact match of my trailer wheels with the right tire on it as well on ebay for a good price. I've been keeping that can of Fix-a-Flat in my truck as my spare trailer tire for too long. Let's hope nobody bids it up too high.

[zooker]

no fear

when a trailer tire lets go there is normally not enough fix a flat in the world to fix it..a heavy side wall tire like a goodyear marothon.. will blow out the tread side first..at 60 mph it'll let you get stopped afore the rim hits the highway..

this is a typical trailer tire blow out. it was done at slow speed-in town-




zooker

[nofearengineer]

I know, Zook. That's why it's called "Fix-a-Flat" instead of "Fix-a-Blowout". I've been dumb driving it for so long with no spare. That's why I'm buying one.

thanks for the nightmare picture though....sheesh.

[bingham]

this was mine

[bassackwards]

the first month i had my boat i had 2 blow outs both on sundays and both no were near a tire shop. now i got a spare and keep a 4 way next to my anker in the boat(i guess i like to learn the hard way) as for speed never looked but i pull at about 65 or lower

[1FASTLASER]

MOST trailer tires are rated for 60 or less ESPECIALLY during the heat of the summer. Its very CRITICAL to maintain correct air pressure and more so in the summer. Air expands as it heats ...also a under pressured tire heats up and destroys side walls and treads.

[zooker]

Originally Posted by bingham

this was mine

bing
thats what a stock car radial tire will do. NOT a trailer radial tire.trailer radials tend to have a 6-8 ply side wall. when the side wall gets eat up but not the tread.that is stock car radial -2-4 ply sidewall-...

when my bias let go i was 200 yards from my drive way. i run the tire bald -35000 mile- i now have kumo silver trailer radials under my boat..

zooker

[BigBassin144]

Of course, our boat isn't very heavy, but I had it up to close to 80 on the way down to KY Lake. But on the hour drive to Kent Lake to fish with bender, we were going 70-75 the whole way, and had no problems. Maybe since it's a small boat?

BB

[bingham]

Originally Posted by zooker

bing
thats what a stock car radial tire will do. NOT a trailer radial tire.trailer radials tend to have a 6-8 ply side wall. when the side wall gets eat up but not the tread.that is stock car radial -2-4 ply sidewall-...

when my bias let go i was 200 yards from my drive way. i run the tire bald -35000 mile- i now have kumo silver trailer radials under my boat..

zooker

may be readin it wrong or i just dont understand what ya mean...

[jmartin]

Hey Guys I hope this link will help.http://www.carlisletire.com/product_..._tires_101.pdf I dont have a link for speed ratings but I hope this will help answer some questions on trailer tires, I will see if I can find out more thru Carlisle since I am a factory direct dealer.

P.S. Remember to try and go with the largest size tire you can fit under your fender, because if your 33" truck tire is going 65 mph. Then your 22" trailer tire is going almost 90 mph. MPH is the same but RPMs is changed considerably. If your boat comes factory with 205/75/R15 you can generally jump up to a 225/75R15 and still clear your fenders.

Jerry

[jmartin]

FAILURE ANALYSIS
Even properly rated tires can fail. The No. 1 cause is underinflation. This is particularly true of an ST tire, which relies on proper inflation to live up to its load rating. Without enough air pressure, an ST sidewall will not function as designed, and will eventually fail, usually in the form of a sidewall blowout. Tires lose approximately 1 psi per month as well as 1 psi for every 10-degree drop in temperature.

Overinflation is also hard on a tire, causing irregular wear and possibly a blowout. Yet, you can't always spot improper inflation with a visual inspection, so check your tires frequently with an accurate air-pressure gauge.

Long-term fatigue can also weaken a trailer tire. There are a number of factors that accelerate fatigue, but heat buildup from towing at high speeds is one of the main culprits, according to Fry.

"If you trailer nonstop from Phoenix, Arizona, to Las Vegas, in 100-degree temperatures at 65 mph, you use up much of the resources of that tire, and you don't realize it," said Fry.

Fry is not talking about wearing out the tread. It is the tire's construction that is breaking down. As heat builds up, the tire's structure starts to disintegrate and weaken. Over the course of several trips, this load-carrying capacity gradually decreases, according to Fry. Incidentally, all ST tires have a maximum speed rating of 65 mph.

One key to extending tire life on a tandem- or tri-axle trailer is to ensure that the trailer is riding level, thus distributing the load equally among all the tires. If the trailer tongue sits too high, the rear tires may bear the brunt of the load: with the trailer tongue too low, the front tires may be unduly stressed.

Tim Fry is a senior development engineer with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.

Jerry

[BigBassin144]

Very informative. Thanks.

BB

[Captmikestarrett]

Mini Tanks 4 de info.

Capt Mike

[Abbeysdad]

Originally Posted by bingham

i actually had a blowout yesterday going down a highway with my 14'' tire luckily had a spare, unluckily having to replace it... 65mph, 90 degrees

I think you should always pull over and stop before changing a tire! <hehe>

My young mentor Al came in last week and said "you got a spare for that trailer"..."Uhm, no, didn't come with one". "Better get one", he said, "the last thing you wanna do is leave that boat by the side of the road."
So I got the tire/wheel assembly and got the hardware to mount it to the trailer (along with a cable/lock so it stays there until/unless I need it and a 4-way lug wrench).

Getting back to the thread, I'm sticking around 55mph (No interstate to 'my' lakes). I'd rather get there every time then get there sometimes 5-10 minutes sooner.

[zooker]

abbeysdad..

make sure you can break loose the lug nuts.with that 4 way tire tool.. i break mine loose and re-tighten about once a year.. nothing sucks worst then not being able to get a lug nut lose..

zooker

[Abbeysdad]

Oh man - so I get the spare and install it on the trailer. I decide I really should grease the trailer buddies and check the tire pressure. Pressures were a bit low, but worse, one of the tires shows some sidewall cracking - early signs of dry rot <shaking head> I ordered another tire/wheel and will install both brand new ones on the trailer and use the better of the two current as the spare.... gosh darn floating black hole!

[1FASTLASER]

ZOOK........LMAO I hate stuck nuts...........

[Abbeysdad]

Do you torque those nuts or just go by feel?

<never mind>

[nofearengineer]

I usually just twist them until they won't turn any more.

[flfireman]

Im lucky, my truck wrench fits the lugs on my trailer, no extra equipment. I tried theat stuff green slime, still had a hole cause a rundown on me. Luckily my buddy had a spare for his trailer with him. Still haven't bought the trailer mounting bracket yet. Gonna buy it and another spare. Murphy always travels close to me. If I blow one and fix it, the other is gonna go.

[pacordon]

have not found a tire mount yet that will jet the tire angle out far enough to miss the baw of the boat. could hange it from the bottom of thr trailer, it would be a bear to get it off at times. I guess I will just prefab one myself. carry the spare in the bed of the truck now.