Back to the main site

Trailer tires

fiddlebick

fiddlebick

Well-Known Member
Messages
82
Reaction score
61
Location
Utica, Ky
I just want to encourage any of you new to boat trailering to do some research and learn about the importance of purchasing and maintaining the correct tires for your trailer. I have learned a lot this week prior to ordering my replacement tires.  There is lots of information online about the correct inflation and lifespan of trailer tires, which is very different from passenger tires. I was underinflating, and using tires that were a bit underrated for the weight of my boat and trailer, although they were on the trailer when I purchased the boat a few years ago. The biggest eye opener for me was learning that trailer tires will deteriorate and weaken, usually before the tread wears out, and are subject to side wall failure.
 
Good reminder. Thanks.
 
In many ways, they suffer from the same problems that RV tires do.


Long term storage/ ozone and non use damage. Overloading is common too.


And catastrophic failure can be very hazardous to ones health!
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I'm also on a couple of RV forums, and tire failures is a source of many postings.  Virtually every single ST tire going on boats and RV's are Chinese tires of very poor quality.


If you're unfortunate to have 14" tires on your pontoon boat, your best quality tire decision would be either Kumho 857's or Maxxis M8008's. 


I still have the OEM crap tires.  But I seldom tow more than 20 miles per year since my boat's kept in a boathouse.  If I towed every day, I'd have one of the above two tires on my trailer.


My RV OEM tires were replaced on day one with Bridgestone Duravis R250 ribbed tires--16" E rated.  I've never heard of any tire failure with that tire.  Unfortunately, when a fifth  wheel trailer has a tire failure, damages of $3K to $4K is normal.  They don't have fenders to protect them from flapping tire treads.
 
Unfortunately, Maxxis do not offer a tire in the size I need...205x65x10 or I would have bought their product.
 
Those 10" ST tires do get the boat close to the ground--for shallow boat ramp launchings.  They're pretty heavy duty and wide tires, however. 


My old pontoon is sitting on a trailer with the 10" tires.  My new pontoon trailer has 14" tires.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top