Trailer wheels and tires?

banjopicker66 · Post by **banjopicker66** » February 9, 2011, 9:49 pm

Is there any difference between trailer wheels and tires, and regular truck wheels and tires? I have a 2 axle trailer, car hauler, rated at 7,000 pounds. I have 4 spare wheels and tires from a '78 I parted out years ago, and am hoping they can go on the trailer. Trailer is a 2008 model, and the bolt pattern is the same, 5x5.5.

Post by **Greg D** » February 9, 2011, 9:56 pm

John,
Aside from trailer tires usually being cheap tires the size is all that should matter. Trailer wheels are the same ones sold for cars/trucks - If they fit run em IMHO.

Truckrat · Post by **Truckrat** » February 9, 2011, 10:15 pm

John, it would be a good idea to check the load range on your tires you plan to run on the trailer. Remember that not only do they have to carry the weight of the vehicle you are hauling, but also the weight of the trailer. Any tire shop worth it's salt can tell you what load range a trailer tire needs to be. Probably something somewhere on line that tells it as well, but I have never looked it up. Just my two cents worth. Greg and I agree on wheels. A buddy of mine used to haul a lot of cars on his tandem axle car hauler trailer, and would use a higher rated load range tire than a regular passenger car or light truck tire. TR

bluebolt · Post by **bluebolt** » February 9, 2011, 10:28 pm

Trailer tires are different, I use 205/75D/15's which is a bias ply trailer tire that will carry 1820 lbs at 50 psi. A "normal" 205/75/15 will carry 1600 lbs at 44 PSI. I have never had a problem with a true trailer tire and if I pay green cash I can get a set of four MOUNTED ON NEW WHEELS for $220! The Goodyear Marathon radial trailer tires are some I would like to try.

cooter · Post by **cooter** » February 9, 2011, 10:29 pm

trailer tires generaly have a better sidewall for the load

oldtrucks · Post by **oldtrucks** » February 9, 2011, 10:50 pm

Please do not use standard car or truck tires on a trailer, they are not designed for the load forces that a trailer tire is subjected too. They are not cheap either but they aren't much more expensive than car or truck tires of comparable size and load range. I pull trailers quite a bit and it makes a big difference how well the trailer tows. Those of you that own travel trailers know what I am talking about. The company I buy all my tires from offers trailer tires in both radial or bias ply. I prefer radials but either way a trailer tire is engineered with stiffer sidewalls than regular tires.

At the risk of contradicting myself, I WILL use passenger car or lite truck tires on a trailer that never carries heavy loads and is only used within about a 100 mile radius and is used only once in a while.

My trailer that I use for all my heavy duty towing is equipped with "trailer" tires and I never have tire problems of the kind I see regularly with the guys that use other than trailer tires.

The above statements and opinions are mine alone and are derived from my own experence from many years of towing all manner of trailers.

banjopicker66 · Post by **banjopicker66** » February 10, 2011, 7:32 am

Gentlemen, thank you so very much - I learned a lot about this subject. I will check out the tires more closely and give you all an update.
Thanks again!

R Pope · Post by **R Pope** » February 10, 2011, 7:42 am

If your '78 had light truck tires, as opposed to passenger car tires, they will carry the load just fine.

Hawkrod · Post by **Hawkrod** » February 10, 2011, 10:05 am

R Pope wrote:If your '78 had light truck tires, as opposed to passenger car tires, they will carry the load just fine.

Truck tires may carry the weight just fine but they do not carry the load just fine. Too many inexperienced people make these type of statements not realizing that a trailer tire is not just any old tire. They are designed for a very different type of use than car or truck tires. You can obviously use regular tires for lighter loads especially on single axle trailers but if you have more than one axle it becomes critical to usea correctly designed tire to protect others from you. A shredded tire at highway speeds can kill. Hawkrod

Here are some quotes from tire industry sites:

"'Special Trailer' (ST) tires have been constructed for better high speed durability and bruise resistance under heavy loads. Trailer tire construction varies substantially from automotive tires, therefore it is essential to choose the correct tire for your towing application. In general, trailer tires have the same load range (or ply) from bead to bead and are bias ply construction. This allows for a stiffer side wall which provides safer towing by helping to reduce trailer sway problems. The use of 'Passenger Car' (P) tires a on a trailer is not recommended because their construction, usually radial or bias belted, allows for more flexible side walls. This could lead to increased trailer sway and loss of control."

"Trailer tires have thicker construction for bruise resistance and more plys in the sidewalls for sway resistance and load carrying ability. They can be used as a vehicle tire but the ride will be terrible and kinda twitchy on the highway, they are really meant to be a follower tire with high sway resistance"

•"ST" tires feature materials and construction to meet the higher load requirements and demands of trailering.
•The polyester cords are bigger than they would be for a comparable "P" or "LT" tire.
•The steel cords have a larger diameter and greater tensile strength to meet the additional load requirements.
•"ST" tire rubber compounds contain more chemicals to resist weather and ozone cracking.

"Trailer tires are considered a special category in the current global design standards of Tire and Rim. The major difference is that trailer tires are required to carry 10% more load than an equivalent P-metric size tire. LT type tires are actually on a lower formula and would require a significant size or load change to meet the trailer load requirements."

"You can use light truck tires on a fairly lightweight trailer, but you'll want to subtract at least 10 percent of the tire's rated load capacity to account for sidewall flex. Passenger car tires flex even more, so you may need to subtract as much as 40 percent load capacity for safe running."

"As an example of tire differences, trailer tires (designated by the prefix ST, for Special Trailer or Special Tire) are required to carry 10-percent more load than a comparably sized P-metric (passenger car) tire. As such, trailer-tire construction may include different steel belts, plies and beads, as well as the use of thicker cords and larger diameter wire. Trailer tires also utilize a narrower tread width for reduced rolling resistance, and a shallower tread depth, which aids in tracking by reducing “tread squirm.” Trailer tires also contain rubber compounds that help them hold up to the elements better while in storage."

64 f100 · Post by **64 f100** » February 10, 2011, 10:25 am

The bolt pattern is generally 5 on 4.5 on the trailers around here. Ford trucks use 5 on 5.5 bolt pattern. As to trailer tires as oposed to car or truck tires depends on what you are going to haul and how far in my opinion. If going accross country I would go with a good grade of trailer tires and stay away from a lot of the ones that come on some of the trailers. Carlisle etc. . Get a good grade, and yes the trailer tires do make a difference in the long run. If not using the trailer very often and not going a long distance I would not worry to much as long as the tires are in good condition. One problem with trailer tires is that trailers tend to set a lot and tires will weather check and go bad. be sure to check air pressure every time you use the trailer, regardless of what you run, if you don't use the trailer very often. Most likely, would not be a bad idea to keep tire covers on the trailer when it is just setting around. The sun will do a lot of damage over time and cause a lot of the weather checking weakening the tires.

Rich

banjopicker66 · Post by **banjopicker66** » February 10, 2011, 10:25 am

Well, can I put the existing trailer tires on regular truck wheels? The real problem I am facing is this. The trailer has no electric brakes, and I should put them on to transport my Slick - we may be getting ready to move, and I want to be prepared. The existing wheels are 5x4.75 - an odd size for brakes. I can get 5x5.5 brakes a lot cheaper - so can I safely use my F-150 wheels with the trailer tires?
The trailer tires are sized 205 75 D15 (D=bias ply I assume?)
Truck tires are 235 75 R 15 (R=radial for sure).
Interestingly enough, the radials are rated at 2000 pounds, and the trailer tires are rated at 1800 pounds.

6166 Junkyard Dog · Post by **6166 Junkyard Dog** » February 10, 2011, 3:31 pm

John look at the rating of the tires cause if you ever get pulled like we did in Texas once , was ticketed for overweight of the rating of the tires and the put out of service till we got 4 new tires , this was a new trailer with 10 ply tires and had to go to 14 ply tires,, chances you might never get pulled just depends on how bad that state needs the money

banjopicker66 · Post by **banjopicker66** » February 10, 2011, 5:44 pm

Oh my, Tom, thanks. I checked and the trailer is rated at 7,000. Each tire is identical, rated at 1800 (plus a bit), which works out to 7,400, so that problem should be OK.
Thanks again!

6166 Junkyard Dog · Post by **6166 Junkyard Dog** » February 10, 2011, 8:10 pm

Yes thats how they will figure so say if you weighed it the axle weight will show if you over loaded, so here's a example say on my rollback
steering axle 8500 lbs
rear axle on truck 16500 lbs
2 axles on trailer 12500 lbs
total weight 37500 lbs

Now since both GVWR'S = 40,000 lbs between truck and trailer I am legal as long as my plates are licensed for 40,000 lbs BUT Now pay cloes attn if my tires are rated at 3000 lbs then x 4 = 12,000 then I will be overloaded on the rating of tires regardless of what axles is on the trailer, but say if the tires are say 3185 then I would be legal at 12,740, so in other words to be legal with 7000 lb axles it would = to 14,000 for both trailer axles as long as I have tires divided by 4 to= the rating of the tires anything less will be then in violation,, Like I said I have only been stopped once for weight check on tire ratings and axle weight, but have been checked for gross weight many times,, Tom

Hawkrod · Post by **Hawkrod** » February 10, 2011, 8:35 pm

banjopicker66 wrote:Oh my, Tom, thanks. I checked and the trailer is rated at 7,000. Each tire is identical, rated at 1800 (plus a bit), which works out to 7,400, so that problem should be OK.
Thanks again!

Remember though, if those tires are not trailer tires there is a weight adjustment factor and although the tires may say Y number of pounds, it could actually .7 times Y which can get you in trouble real quick. Hawkrod

62galxe · Post by **62galxe** » February 10, 2011, 9:24 pm

I run passanger car tires on my trailer and there fine at reasonable loads and speeds. 18 foot tandem axle trailer. One trip I did blow a tire but im probally not supposed to pull it at 85 mph with a car on it.

cooter · Post by **cooter** » February 10, 2011, 9:35 pm

everything is based on the passanger tire you use, some will work and some will not but with the price of trailer tires, why not use them and know you are useing the right tire?

Slick 60 · Post by **Slick 60** » February 10, 2011, 11:16 pm

I would run trailer tires on a trailer. Truck tires on a truck. And car tires on a car.