Trailer tires!

Hey guys, I thought I saw a post on this but can't find it. I had one of my trailer tires expand like a cone and wear completely uneven on my last trip. I was told the stock trailer tires usually only last a couple seasons. So I'm looking to replace all five. For new tires should I go with brand name street tires or do I have to stick with trailer specific tires. Thanks. I'm also going to go a 15diameter on new wheels.

stay with trailer specific IMO. Especially if your staying with smaller rims.

I've never had real good luck with trailer tires until I ran the Carlisle Ultra Sport Radial. I've got nothing but love for these, they look like a car radial, can take 65 psi (15"), and wear better than any trailer tire I've had to date. I've got the 15" version too and they've done great under a heavy load like a 23 LSV.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CRR-5193091

There are loads of guys on here, myself included, that run street tires and to date I haven't heard one problem. The claims are that the trailer tires can hadle the heat better but I've never noticed a heat issue on longer trips. I use to stop and check periodically without ever noticing a difference but now I don't bother.

Thanks Hate. To fit my tires on a larger wheel in the fenders I need a 205/70-15 or 205/60-16. To get these sizes I will need to go with a street tire. I don't trust my stock Carlisle radials. What tire brand are you running.

I'm not any sort of expert so take this with a grain of salt. What I always heard about trailer tires was that they were designed to better handle what happens to a trailer - i.e. sitting in one spot for a long time, possibly in the sun, and getting hit with a lot of UV. Regular street tires will be more likely to get a flat spot when they sit for too long. That's the reasoning I have heard, bu I have no proof to back that up.

If your read about the differences it is said the trailer tire is designed with stiffer sidewalls to follow the tow vehicle versus inducing sway. I was considering commercial truck tires with the correct load range.

When you find the solution to crappy trailer tires let us all know. I went onto several travel trailer and towing sites. Their consensus is Maxxis tires.

I just replaced mine with the top end Carlisles. My friend called me from the I40 and asked me if I have ever changed a tire in the desert at 110 degrees with trucks blowing by - like he just did. I changed them all out even with good tread left on them. Tire guy said that they crack over time inside the treads and I should change them every couple of years. Chalk that up to "really".

I do know that on the way back from Laughlin last weekend there were 4 trailers on the side changing tires. the heat got to them. If you stick with trailer tires, make sure you change them every couple of years so you limit the chances of being on the side of the road.

BTW - if you are AAA member its not that much to add RV coverage and they will come out to change your tire. Much better to sit in the truck with A/C then laying on pavement. Just saying.

Trailer tires have stiffer sidewalls. Watch a tandem trailer back up and turn and you will see the extra strain on the sidewalls because the rim stays straight while the tire tries to turn. A stiffer sidewall will do better sitting for extended times also as mentioned. That said I have run both on my boat trailers with good results. When I restored my 5yr old trailer last winter I set out to find the nastiest trailer tire I could find. That tire is the Kumho trailer radial 857. It is a load range "D" (very few trailer tires are) and also has a 99mph speed rating ( none come even close that I saw) so that is what I went with. So far so good. And they look like street radials too.