Car tires on trailer

[GreeCguy]

Since the "putting trailer tires on the car" thread proved so popular, what about doing just the opposite? I am rebuilding an old trailer and had planned on using sixteen inch wheels, partly because I happen to have four excellent used tires that are sixteen inchers.

I also happen to have a set of low profile 15 inch tires I was planning on using on the other trailer I am repairing, (they came off my daughters Kia Rio). Would a low profile tire work on a small utility trailer?

I would mount and balance these myself and they would be on a small utility trailer. They are radial tires. Thoughts, opinions, ideas?

 

[thr_wedge]

My official stance: Do not use car tires on a trailer.

If you're even approaching the trailer load you will have tire failure.

Especially if this is a dual axle trailer that can haul 5000+ lbs. Not worth it. Right tools for the job.

 

[Ken2]

Trailer tires sound like the right thing to put on a trailer, but way too often they are unreliable junk. In your previous posting note the comments about trailer tire failures on a trailer. Even if the ST (Special Trailer) tire has the right weight rating and correctly inflated, too often they come apart. The place you really hear about junky trailer tires are from the competitive fishermen and water skiers who tow their boat trailers a lot. And they have a lot of failures with ST tires (all spec'ed right) until they change to car or light truck tires.

Use the car tires, inflate them to their full sidewall pressure, use new valve stems, and lower the weight limit you put on them--at least a 10% reduction of the max weight shown on the sidewall, and maybe more.

In 16", the best tire you could put on would be a Michelin highway rib light truck tire, the steel cord XPS Rib LT235/85R16-E.

Balance your trailer tires. The tires will live longer, the bearings will live longer, and the suspension components will live longer. Often trailer wheels are so cheaply made that the center pilot hole is not machined in the true center but punched out near the true center of that wheel. These must be mounted on a lug-centric adapter on the balancing machine--it does no good to balance off-center wheels.

 

[IndyIan]

Just be conservative with the load ratings, I have run ~2800lb on 3200lbs of car tire rating and it is all I really wanted on them. I kept my speed down to 55mph and they warmed a bit more than the same tire on my Tracker. I wouldn't have felt comfortable doing 70mph in 100F with that setup.
But if you've got a 400lb trailer with 600lbs in it, with 2000lbs of car tire rating, then I don't think you have anything to worry about. You are stressing the tires less than when they were on the Rio. Just keep them at max pressure on the sidewall.

 

[Whizbanger]

Many people have had good luck running LT tires on their trailer. They are higher rated than passenger tires and last longer. Trailer tires tend to be Chinese and prone to blowouts.

 

[Rand]

simple fix put the trailer tires on the trailer and put the car tires on your car

 

[The_Jeff]

I think its a great idea but the low profile ones might make you look like an inner city drug dealer.

Maybe put spinners on...

But really taller is better for low friction and soft ride. Of course I understand "Free"... Even if you got a tire from the dump with 3/32" tread it would take forever to wear it down to nothing.

You can rough in the balance by just spinning them when they're on the hubs, provided you don't have much bearing drag. If the valve stem stops in the same place every time, add weight up top.

 

[GreeCguy]

Originally Posted By: Rand
simple fix put the trailer tires on the trailer and put the car tires on your car

No can do - trailer tires I have are 14 inch. The trailer I want to put the 16 inchers on was made from a Model "A" frame and originally had the Model "A" wheels. I debating finding some "retro" wheels for nostalgia sake if they're not too expensive.

The other trailer already has 15 inch wheels and it would be a simple swap out of tires.

I can't use the 15 or 16 inch tires on my car as the Taurus takes a 14 incher.

I should have posted as well that both trailers will see light loads. Nothing serious, a little riding mower hauling and maybe an occasional washing machine and the every now and then trip to Lowes or Home Depot for lumber, plywood, sheetrock, and of course the once in a while "help friend move sofa" endeavor.

 

[GreeCguy]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
I think its a great idea but the low profile ones might make you look like an inner city drug dealer.

Maybe put spinners on...


http://youtu.be/7RLpKTew5oM

 

[rslifkin]

As long as you stay a decent bit under the load rating of the tires, I wouldn't be worried about putting the car tires on the trailer.

 

[UNC017]

I think a huge fraction of trailer tire failures are due to the old (and WRONG, imo) advice that 'you don't need to balance your trailer tires, just put them on!'

Since trailer suspensions do not have any damping (shock absorbers), you need good balance even more or else the tire "hops" at speed and overheats a particular point on the tread. Even if the imbalance isn't so bad that you can see the hopping, an imbalance will constantly put abnormal pressure on a patch of tread... mile after mile after mile.

True- there are lots of junk "ST" tires out there, but there are good ones too. And IMO "LT" rated truck tires are an option as well.

 

[CapriRacer]

Tires for trailers?

If you are using P type tires on your trailer, you need to derate the load carrying capacity by a factor of 1.1 - and even after you do that, don't skimp. Bigger is better. I tend to think tires (Regardless of usage) shouldn't be specified to run at more than 85% of their rated load (and in this case, that would be 85% AFTER, the derating of 1.1! If you want me to do the math, that would be 77%.)

Also, you need to weigh the trailer at its worst case situation - everything you can possibly think of that would be in the trailer - including full water tanks if we're talking an RV!

Weigh the trailer tire by tire if you can. If you can't, add 10% to the worst axle reading, and 15% if you only weigh the pair of axles.

Also, BEFORE every tow, check the tire pressures (both trailer and tow vehicle). Also put on a pair of gloves and rub your hands around the circumference checking for bulges. It takes a few minutes, but will save you hours of frustration.