What causes flat spots in tread of trailer tires

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Fordiesel69

Joined
Sep 10, 2005
Messages
1,874
Location
Erie, PA
Have a car hauler trailer and put tires on it in the spring of 22. They may have a total of 800 miles on them and there are flat spots on the treads. Any idea what causes this?

Also is there a reason why trailer tires are so low quality?
 
Fordiesel69 said:
Have a car hauler trailer and put tires on it in the spring of 22. They may have a total of 800 miles on them and there are flat spots on the treads. Any idea what causes this?

Also is there a reason why trailer tires are so low quality?
Click to expand...
What type of tires? How long has it been sitting?
 
Just cheap trailer tires bought locally. Brakes seem to work well. They could in theory lock up when unloaded but being loaded they would not be strong enough. It sits for most of the year. We use it 5-6 times a year max. usually 100 miles sometimes more each trip.
 
Cheap trailer tires will get flat pretty easy from sitting. I have 4 trailers at the house. The only one it happens to is the boat.
 
Nylon sidewall plies used to be notorious for flat spotting while sitting cold. Usually a short trip down the road would smooth them out again. Polyester cord and aramid found in more expensive tires fixed that issue, usually.
If they're not smoothing out after a few miles, I don't think there is an easy fix.
 
Fordiesel69 said:
Have a car hauler trailer and put tires on it in the spring of 22. They may have a total of 800 miles on them and there are flat spots on the treads. Any idea what causes this?

Also is there a reason why trailer tires are so low quality?
Click to expand...
Think there's some confusion in the reply. You're talking about physical wear down on the tread of the tire, correct? Versus flat spotting ... deformation of the wheel from sitting in one spot for a long time.

Agreed on the low quality. Had a blowout and near-blowout on two generic trailer tire replacements, after that went with Goodyear Endurance and have had no issues since.

Not only are trailer tires built to the cheapest price point, but they are routinely loaded to max or over max rating, something not routinely seen in passenger/truck tire service. Add to that long periods of sitting around without exercising the rubber, and operating at or above their speed rating (many trailer tires are rated for 65 or 70 mph max!!). Additionally, factor in the rudimentary suspension on trailers, and the rough curb-hopping life, and it's no wonder why they don't last long.
 
Yes I need to clarify. I am seeing physical wear down of the tread on mostly the passenger side two tires. Like somone locked the brakes (but that did not happen as nobody borrows this trailer, and the fact the brakes are electrically not strong enough).
 
Fordiesel69 said:
Yes I need to clarify. I am seeing physical wear down of the tread on mostly the passenger side two tires. Like somone locked the brakes (but that did not happen as nobody borrows this trailer, and the fact the brakes are electrically not strong enough).
Click to expand...
Is it braked on both axles? Maybe it's locking up when empty and you can't tell. Hard to say though, 800 miles isn't a lot.
 
Cheap trailer tires will get flat pretty easy from sitting. I have 4 trailers at the house. The only one it happens to is the boat.
Fordiesel69 said:
Yes I need to clarify. I am seeing physical wear down of the tread on mostly the passenger side two tires. Like somone locked the brakes (but that did not happen as nobody borrows this trailer, and the fact the brakes are electrically not strong enough).
Click to expand...
What type of trailer? How old?
 
Have you inspected the brakes? The fact you imply that the brakes are weak and it's doing it on both tires on one side makes me suspicious that the brakes on the non-flattened side are not being applied correctly. Powers and grounds, perhaps?
 
CapriRacer said:
A dissenting opinion :

Sometimes flat spots in the wear pattern are caused by excessive toe. It should not be too difficult to measure the toe. Just run a string from the front tire to the rear tire.
Click to expand...
Could this cause the wear pattern to occur on the tires on one side only? Both axles?
 
Flat spots also develop when a vehicle is parked on a paved surface and left in place a long time without being moved.
There are some "flat spot" preventers one can buy that are made for each tire. Molded plastic that one parks each wheel
on that is shaped to prevent flat spots from forming. Of course faulty brakes can and will cause some flat spots as well but I do
not see how a person could drive much of any distance with such a brake problem not putting a quick end to the road trip.
Once formed flat spotted tires are pretty much worthless and should be considered unsafe for any road trips , especially any
hi speed travel.
I had a new set of BF Goodrich T/A radials I put on a Chevelle just before I praked it in the corner and let it sit for several
years. Once I decided to start to drive it again I noticed the flat spots i had forgot could happen. I decided to drive 5-6 miles to a nearby
tire shop to have them replaced. Before I got 3-4 miles down the road I had a blow out. Once I had it changed out I tried to get
the last few miles to the shop. As soon as I took off - boom! Another flat spotted tire blew on me and I now had to get towed 2-3
miles into the tire shop. Tough morning that was.
 
Last edited:
Sitting several years is one thing, this sits only for several months. Then its either a tractor or a car on it. Will try to find the brand and get photos.
 
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