Trailer Question

[Guest]

Question - why would a car tire fail on a trailer when the item being towed is the same weight or less than many cars? My trailer tires are 245/55/20's I think so they are a pretty tall tire.

A major difference between a Trailer tire and a Car tire is the sidewall construction from what I remember.

[Tanner]

Something you guys might be interested in knowing is that most the tires that guys are running w/ 18's and 20's actually have a HIGHER load rating than trailer tires.

A general rule of thumb however is that you need to take 10% off of the load rating for a "P" (passenger) rated tire over a "ST" tire.

Trailer tires are typically bias ply. Which does create a stiffer sidewall and can help to prevent trailer sway. It also can help prevent bruising on those curb hops. "P" rated tires are typically radial or Bias belted, which gives a more flexible sidewall, thus a softer ride. However you lose this softer ride when you go to low profile tires. So if you can live w/ that, you'll be fine w/ passenger tires. They are not just gonna blow out on you while going down the road. Just watch your load ratings and take the 10% rule into account.

[CP3]

about tires... how can you tell if they are too old?

when they split like mine did. Ill post pics eventuallly