bad spot on trailer tire?

[The motor guy]

So I felt a little bit of vibration in the truck towing the boat today and didn't realize it until the way back home that it was actually the trailer tire. I can see the tread is wavey when the tire spins and appears to be a slight bulge in the sidewall on one spot. Also there is some cracking in between the treads, but not too bad. Also, the outside edge of the tire is worn more compared to the other side of the tire. What's going on here? Are they just getting old? I don't know if it's a flat spot on the tire or what, but the boat gets used at least once a month and I keep the tire pressure good.

 

[bluestream]

Whats the date code on the tire?

 

[SatinSilver]

Most trailer tires are cheap Chinese rubber. So you may want to change them asap. Preferably to something decent but good luck finding them. Since the cheap ones are so common place. From another forum I'm on:

Originally Posted By: ;1814306
Trailer tires, (ST designation, 65 max speed) most people don't know, but they should be replaced every TWO years regardless of visible condition, especially if they are used on the highway.

There are currently NO trailer tires manufactured in the US (all China now), even if a known US brand name. This alone makes ALL trailer tires suspect.

I'd never buy used trailer tires. Their sidewalls go through ridiculous stresses when turning, and it is somewhat common to see many trailer tire blowouts, of course, low air pressure, when loaded doesn't help.

 

[itguy08]

Could be old but it sounds like that tire is on its way out. Best to get it replaced before it blows out. As for brands, I've got no clue other than keep them aired up and go easy on the speed. If you do like to drive fast, they make some ST tires rated to 75 and even 90 MPH...

 

[Nick1994]

Time for tires. Sounds like a belt separating, I have a bad tire on my trailer too that's bulged out. Gonna get another tire this week

 

[The motor guy]

Ok. I guess i'll put the spare on for that side. Then use the bad one as the spare.

 

[The motor guy]

Didn't look at the date code, but I'd say 7 or 8 years. Had new tires when I bought the trailer.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
Ok. I guess i'll put the spare on for that side. Then use the bad one as the spare.
Its seperating.It's no good as a spare.

 

[Nate1979]

Sounds like you need to junk all of the trailer tires including the spare and get new ones.

 

[Rand]

Tread is starting to separate.. if you get lucky it will just really bulge out.. or it could blow out..

Needs immediate replacement.

 

[The motor guy]

They are goodyear marathons I believe. I guess it's normal for trailer tires to rot out before they actually wear out. Unless you put enough miles on.

 

[spasm3]

I'm running Maxxis 8008 on my travel trailer, second set. Good tires, Mine age out before i have wear or problems.

 

[The motor guy]

I think I may have a bit of an alignment issue on my trailer.

 

[CapriRacer]

Lots of thing to comment on in thei thread:

1) ST tires are speed limited to 65 mph. Most people don't know that.

2) Most trailer manufacturers do not do a good job of sizing tires and supply tires that are marginal. I recommend going up 2 steps, if you can.

3) Most trailer manufacturers buy low quality trailer tires. Most of these are from China. Even Goodyear doesn't seem to want to produce a high quality trailer tire.

4) Trailer tires do not last very long - timewise. They don't wear very fast (except when the alignment is off). They "age out". Reports are that 5 years is the usual timelimit.

5) Trailer tires are not usually stocked at the local tire shop. They have to be ordered. What is odd is that Harbor Freight and Lowes have these tires on wheels IN STOCK! I would NOT buy those, but they might do if you are in a hurry - on a temporary basis.

 

[rslifkin]

I'd definitely agree with Capriracer on the up-size or step up a load range if possible. That'll give more margin for error (and if you run more pressure than required for your load, running 70 mph shouldn't be a safety issue as the heat buildup will still be less than running 65 with the tires at their max load).

 

[totegoat]

Carlisle's new Radial Trail RH is the Official Tire of the American Bass Anglers Tour.

Worth checking out.

 

[The motor guy]

I think it gets the cracking on the edge from sitting. I know I towed it doing 65-70 for a good 45 minutes or so each way which is something I never do and that's when I noticed the heavy cracking on the edge, although it could have been there bfore. Then I towed it a couple more times just to the local ramp until I noticed the vibration this time. I wonder if tire covers would be worthy. Those tires weren't cheap. I paid 180 dollars for the spare

 

[spasm3]

I park my tt with the tires on pieces of trex, so moisture is not trapped, or comes up under them from the ground.

 

[CapriRacer]

Moisture is not an issue with tires. The rubber doesn't degrade due to water or water borne critters.

 

[MNgopher]

At that age, its time for new tires. They don't owe you anything. Yes, trailer tires rot out with age versus most car tires that go with miles.

The oldest tire on my boat trailer is the spare, and it gets replaced before its nine years old (or appears to need replacement). Note that I live in a colder climate and store the trailer indoors when not in use. I always put my newest tire on and use it, rather than put it on as the spare. No sense in letting a new tire rot out first before using it.

As far as brands, I've been using Kenda tires with good success. However, the previous tires I had bought were made in Taiwan. The last one was made in China. We will see...

The Carlisle Tires I've used had been OK life wise. Did not like the wear pattern on them and they took a ton of weight to balance though.