I AM FIXING TO REPLACE THE TIRES ON MY BASS BOAT AND I WAS WONDERING IF ANYONE USES JUST REGULAR TIRES ON THEIR BOATS, NOT SPECIALTY TRAILER TIRES. IS THERE THAT BIG OF A DIFFERENCE, MY BOAT IS ONLY A 18FT JAVELIN SO IT DOESNT WEIGH A LOT SO THATS WHY I WAS THINKING OF GOING WITH REGUALR TIRES INSTEAD OF TRAILER TIRES TO SAVE A FEW BUCKS. LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS THINK.

Being stuck on the side of the road carries a larger price tag for me than the cost of good trailer tires.

If that is not a big deal to you, then you can go with cheap ply biased tires. No steel belted.

I don't know if this is true, I once had tire specialist tell me steel belts should not be used on boat trailers that set under water. Belts can rust if tire damage occurs. I never asked anyone if thats a true statement.

I use Discount tires for the boat, I use what they recommend, and they have always verified the tire with trailer rating plate, that works for me. Plus theres enough Discounts across Tx.

Matt

Trailer tires are a thicker ply ,will hold up under the pressure,for the times you have to jackknife in turning or backing.I would recommend the stronger sidewall.

not to highjack the post, but coming home from texoma I got a flat tire, and bent one of the wheels. So now I am in the market for new wheels and tires, where would you guys send me to shop for them?

Guess I need to stop driving in the rain then - huh.

It is all in the load rating. BassCat has used Firestone Firehawks and Cooper Cobra's in the last few years and have had better luck than with the Marathons. But again I cannot stress the load rating enough, that is where you get in trouble with the sidewall strength. The boat will be bouncy and roll more in corners.

The tires for trailers are designed differently then automobile tires, trailer tires are designed to withstand force from the bouncing motion from the weight of the trailer and boat. They are reinforced to make them last longer from this kinda of treatment.


Automobile tires are designed to withstand more force on the side walls, giving it more flexibility to handle corners and things like that.

I would suggest putting trailer tires back on it. It will save you money in the long run. I would hate to hear a story about you going to tourney but couldnt make it because of a blow-out.

Spend a little extra money and get some good trialer tires. It will be worth it...

I had nothing but "bad luck" with the Marathons, had blow-outs on two Marathons, replaced them again with Marathons, on my way to Falcon, had a blow-out on on of the "new" Marathon's--
I now have B.F.Goodrich tire on all four wheels--

I run a transportation department for a large school district and we have dozens of trailers. I promise that the information you seeing about the load rating is the most important item concerning trailer tires. Always go with at least the minimum recommended load rating for your trailer and with my boat I go one rating up just for the peace of mind. There are a lot of rough roads out there going to boat ramps.

Goodyear Marathons.

Go to Southwest wheel Toll Free: 1-800-866-3336 - Local: 214-631-0200
Southwest Wheel 8740 John W Carpenter Frwy. Dallas, TX 75247.

Bought my trailer spare there. Galvanized rim and new trailer tire mounted while I waited about 75.00. These guys seemed to be very knowledgeable.

I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND CARLISLE TRAILER TIRES, I SPENT THREE YEARS CONSTNTLY REPLACING TIRES, THEY ALWAYS REPLACED THEM AT A LOW PRORATED PRICE BUT THE TIME LOST WAS NOT WORTH IT, I NOW RUN MARATHONS WITH NOT A PROBLEM YET, NOT TO SAY I WONT HAVE ONE TOMORROW BUT SO FAR MUCH BETTER THAN BEFORE.

Go with a light truck tire. I have been using them for 20 plus years now!!!

Hook Em
Will discount work on the tires on the trailer or do you have to take them off?
Guns Up!!!!

Buy a trailer rated tire...don't chance your safety (or mine) to a car tire...there are usually not that much more.

Also, Discount sells a Maxum or Maxxis tire, I had good luck with them.

After getting a trailer tire the SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT thing is keeping 50psi in there, anything else they will wear unevenly...

Also, if you read on the goodyear marathon site, trailer tires are not designed to last until the tread wears away, like car tires. Every 3-5 years (depending on where it is stored, sunlight breaks them down) they need to be replaced, even if the tread is brand new looking. I know, I know, they are trying to sell tires, but take it into consideration.

Funny this subject came up on the BassCat owner's board yesterday and here is their response:

http://basscatowners.yuku.com/topic/2610

It is all in the load rating just keep that in mind and if you do no ones safety is a concern.

I would take the advise of those responders who say buy trailer tires, of the proper load rating.

I had bad luck with Marathons (now made in China) and very bad luck with Carlisles. (Blowouts-Separations-blowouts) And I keep them inflated.

Last set I bought was Towmasters, about a year ago. Still o.k.
(made in Canada).

I will not trust tires made in China!

For Forkduc- Discount will work on them on the trailer - they also have or can order the Marathons - just replaced two that they ordered and got in about 2 days. Seems like it was about $200 +/- for tires mounted and balanced.

buy a trailer tire.also get the road hazard replacement.

Those are what I have and have not had any issues. Recommended by the guy at Discount tire a few years back.

So who has the best price for trailer tires?Wal-mart has Carsile for 89.00.

What size do you need?

You get what you pay for.

I buy the best I can afford. One less thing to worry about.

st205-75-14.I have Goodyear Marathons now.

I have had great luck with the Tow Master II tires, which are six ply and run at 50 psi. I get them at Select tire for $43 plus about $20 shipping. Here is website.

http://www.selecttire.com/

definally go w/ a trailer tire I prefer redials load rating to match or surpass the ones that came on the trailer.good luck

Trailer tire stand up better. Therefore when going around curves or sudden swerves the trailer will track better. The last thing you want is to have a trailer start swaping ends. Take this from my past experience with car type tires.

GoodYear Suxs......

I heard and have experience too many of them blowing out or blowing out the tread.

For years, I always used radials on the boat trailer. Recently, I switched to trailer tires after an unbelievable fiasco on the side of the road involving a spinning lug bolt. The one thing I've noticed in the change is that the trailer tires seem a little "stiff" when first leaving on a trip, maybe the first five miles or so. They cause a small amount of vibration in my truck. I went back and had them re-balanced and that helped. They are six ply. After they sort of "warm up" they run fine. Overall, trailers should have trailer tires.

I worked for a boat trailer company for many years (also a long time ago). The tires used then were special trailer bias ply,with some being radials.On the tire failures that could be determined most were from exceeding the tire capacity, and a few were from low tire pressure. Usually true tire failures then and now can't be determined because of the destruction of the tire. I can't remember much use of auto tires on trailers because there was little cost difference.
On a percentage basis,I think that there is less tire failures today than in past years. With todays communications you hear about the relatively few failures compared to the thousands of no problems.

It is my opinion that tires specifically made for a use should be used and you get what you pay for.

BTM

buy a trailer tire for sure ! I have tryed alot of brands and they all are pretty good as long as you make sure air pressure is correct before every trip! The only tire i had problems with was the Goodyear Marathons.

I have bought tires for my boat and my camper from Select Tire . com and got the best price even after shipping. They have a big selection to chose from.

+1

Here is what you need to know. Every tire has a maximum load rating at X psi. A ST215/15 Marathon has a rating of 1870 pounds at 50 psi. This calculates to 37.4 pounds at 1 psi. This means at 40 psi it is rated for 1496 pounds. Trailer tires (ST) have a higher load rating than passenger tires (P) of the same size.

Everyone should know what their boat and trailer weighs with fuel and equipment. Most truck stops or any place that sells stone can weigh it for about $10. Most single axle trailers have a load rating of 2800-3500 lbs and tandeum trailers 6000-7000 lbs. The tire rating should match the trailer rating. My boat and trailer loaded weighs 4200 lbs and is on a 6000 lb rated tandeum trailer. Four Marathons at 40 psi have a total rating of 6000 lbs. Therefore I can run 40 psi getting a smoother ride than running 50 psi and safely carry the 4200 lb load.

Most single axle trailers have 205/14 tires. This is from memory but a ST205 has a max rating around 1700 lbs and a P205 has a max rating of 1300 lbs. Combining the two the ST tires is 3400 lbs and the P rated is 2600 lbs. If the total weight of the boat and trailer does not exceed 2600 lbs then you can run the P rated tires. There are alot of fiberglass boats on single axle trailers that exceed the tire and trailer ratings when loaded with fuel and equipment.

Look at the trailer rating on the trailer MFG plate, look at the max load and PSI on the tires, and get your boat and trailer weighed. Knowing exactly what you have is a good thing.

Radial tires is the only way to go because they will make the trailer handle better and not sway like bias tires. Spending an extra $50 to $100 for good tires is worth every penny when you have been on the side of the road with a blowout.

I use Carlisle on my trailer with great luck. I pull my boat EVERY weekend and have not had any problems with them. I usually put Load Range D on my trailer, that is a bit over kill for my Lowe, but they have held up good over the last two years.

My trailer, my buddies trailer, another buddies trailer, and yet another buddies trailer all came with Carlisles on them---ALL of them suffered from the same thing--the inside--and only the inside tread wore away until replaced or a blowout occured. I replaced mine with what they sold me at NTB--no more problems.

Goodyear Marathons. Any Michelin tire that might be compareable. If they make a trailer tire. If your boat is not stored inside, invest in some tire covers like they make for RV's. The sun is one of the worst enemies of tires, not in use.

Where can I get boat and trailer weighed......I have an 84 17-10'Ranger...150 merc .......trailer tires are 14' rated for 1750 max.......I think im ok but would like to know for sure ..any thoughts

Hit a truck stop. They will probably look at you funny but weigh it for a few bucks.

So where does one get cheap bias trailer tires in the Houston area? I usually pay about $50 at a co-op but that's not convenient anymore. I don't know or care about the brands of tires on any of my trailers anymore, as long as they're bias. They have much less of a habit of blowing up. Double the life for half the price.

i used to run Carlisle's and would only get one to two trips to South Padre out of them, i switched to Marathons and i am getting ready to take my 5th trip south on them. i always keep the recommended tire pressure when going on long trips and so far the Marathons have been much better...

I currently have Carlisle's on my trailer and they are wearing on the outside like they don't have enough air in them, but I run them at the max 50psi. I was thinking of putting a pair of radials on the ground and keeping my best Carlisle for a spare, but I have been told not to put a bias ply tire on the same axial as a radial. What is the affect? Should I worry about it since it will only be used as a spare?

Has anyone tried the trailer tires from Academy? I believe they are made by Tow Master. Thinking about getting these myself.

Will trailer tires be marked somehow?? Got 2 new tires for my trailer from a friend at Firestone but not sure if they are trailer or car.

st prefix indicates trailer tire call southwest wheel in dallas

So it would be ST195/75.....instead of P195/75.....

Would I be better off getting Goodyears or Carlisles?? Mixed reviews here on these two brands.

absoultly p is passenger car i run goodyear marathon

Anyone know how good Greenball tires are?? Discount carries them. Also found them at selecttire.com. It is cheaper to buy them and have them shipped to my house than to buy them locally. I think they are around $80 each at DT. Select tire has them for $43 each plus shipping. About $200 for 3 shipped. At DT they would be considerably more.

try southwest wheel they sell reasonably priced trailer tires

Just one other thought to this after reading about how important running the 50psi is...
If you have been running 40 psi for some time and decide that now its time to bump them up to 50 for a long trip be prepared for a roadside assistance...
Just FYI
I Now will keep that at 50..from new.

Anyone?

I have two old auto tires on my boat trailer from the previous owner which have both thrown tread. I need to replace them with trailer tires but the auto tire does not match up in size to any trailer tires. The tires on there now are 185/70/13. What size trailer tire is the equivalent to that? Looks like I will be buying from selecttire.com as none of the local places could help me with the 13" trailer tires. Any help is appreciated.

I have had to replace 7 Goodyear Marathon tires in the past year. I have 3 boat trailers and a travel trailer. Every one blew out sitting in the driveway and not moving. Even the spare tire on the trawvel trailer blew out. If these go bad I will never buy another Goodyear product and would suggest every one do the same. Could use suggestions on a good tire brand.

I have a Champion on a tandem axel trailer. It had Carlisle Tires and 2 blew out and 1 seperated. I now have 2 Maratons and 2 supercargo's. I will see which goes first! Now I have to repair both fenders and repaint. Thats a drag.............

I've been running regular car tires to haul my Ranger around for years. No problems, no flats. I'm running steel belted radials. Trailer tires or car tires both are succeptible to flats. Only difference I saw is that my radials tend to allow my trailer to bounce a little down the road as apposed to a stiffer ride. My Ranger doesn't seem to mind as long as I get her to the water.

Trailer tires are designed for intermittant use with long periods sitting in one place. They are designed to not develop flat spots from sitting.

Car tires if left sitting under load for long periods will get a flatspot in them, and will cause addition wear, as well as additional bouncing type stresses.

Go with trailer tires, the extra 15/20 per tire is well worth it.

IMO, Carlisles are a waste of time and money. My last set of tires I ordered from a tire company on Burnet Rd. in Austin. I ordered Marathons, but Goodyear sent the place HMG 2020's. So far, they have been good tires. They say "Property of U-Haul" on the sidewalls though, so I kept my receipt.

someone told me that goodyear trailer tires are made by carisle. don't know if this is true though?

Goodyear Marathons.

I just got two Tow Master II Radials from Plano Tire at 15th and 75 in Plano, remove and dispose of old tires, balance and mount new tires for $162. I was recommended there from someone on TFF and told to ask for the Manager Mike as he is a fisherman and on the board frequently so that is what I did. Mike was a nice guy and from the research I have done I think I made the right choice with the Tow Master II Radials. Time will tell.
Muskieman

Being you have 14's i would stay with a trailer tire in the recommended load range or one above it. On a load hauling trailer with a larger size 15 or 16 i might put on a LT truck tire but for your application the trailer tires would be a more safety conscious not to mention the liability is not on you if something were to happen if you are running with a manufacturer recommended rated tire. Rwegardless of what tire you are using; tire pressure on a trailer tire or any tire really is critical to the wear and to the ammount of heat it generates and dissapates which is usually the cause of separations and blowouts. Always check your pressures and balance them you can have a 10 psi difference from summer to winter here in texas. If the tire shop has a nitrogen fill station ask about it many do i would recommend having them fiilled with it as it doenst vary when things heat up. Its cheap insurance to the temp thing if you dont ever check your pressures and adjust them.

The last sentence in your post says it all. Anything with the load rating that is not "made in China".

The only good trailer tire is BFGoodrich. Goodyears are horrable.

i use Denman's and have never had a problem!

tires are tires buy what looks good

yep, and just any old doctor will do also!!!

will never buy another Goodyear,for all the above reasons.
had Carlisles on the Cobra trailer for two years and looked new when i sold it.
have Towmaxx on the Triton now,from NTW,two years worth of miles,Amistad and back 3 times,Port Aransas and back 3 times.
50 psi and 80mph,no problems what so ever!!!!

Learned something about tires recently. The manufacturers are required to date the tires as to when they are made. This date if embossed on the inside of the tire, I believe.

Make sure the tires haven't been sitting around on some shelf somewhere and then put on sale to get rid of them.

Same applies to car and truck tires.

I have a question... I have a 98 Skeeter 202c with a tandem trailer. The tires are shot. The previous owner had passenger 215/70/14s on it. I can't find a trailer tire of that size... What size should I be looking for??

Thanks...

EDIT... 205/75/14 seems more popular... Will this work??

yep! standard 14"trailer size.

Thanks

BBrown is right on target....search the net for articles about outdatd "NEW" tires...very scary.

P_102

Get tires specifically rated for trailers (Goodyear Marathon or Carlyle trailer tires). They don't last forever either, but are much better than car tires. This comes from bad experiences on the side of the highway!

Steve

Sheesh... Trailer tires can be confusing! NTB carried the Denman S/T in a Bias in stock which I understand to be non steel belted radial but looking at Denman's website they make an S/T trailer tire too... Not sure which I need for the boat trailer. My drive to Choke Canyon is about an hour at mostly 70mph... Any pointers?

I just got back from Falcon this past weekend and blew out a Goodyear Marathon between Zapata and Hebronville in the middle of no where. I'm done with the Marathon tire because it had less than 2000 miles and two years of age and the boat was stored inside a garage when not being pulled down the road.

I personally think it was more the actual load than the tire since it was on a single axle trailer with a Champion 181 and a 150 etec fully loaded with gear and gas. They probably should have put this boat on a tandem axle.

Number one thing before going down the road is when you get gas in your boat check your tire pressure and be sure it is 50 pounds and not below that number. As earlier mentioned trailer tires are completely different than automobile tires.

I'm putting Carlisle on at Discount Tire and least they will stand behind the blowouts.

Purchase a tire guage today and put it in your truck if you do not have one. Always check your spare when you are checking your tires.
awares

LoL I bought 2 Denman tires last friday hoping to nurse the other 2 tires plus the spare for a few months so I can buy 2 more but that saturday we had a flippin blow out on another old tire... I was already running late to the lake that AM... Sheesh... Anyway, the Denman ST Radial seems good so far....

About tires from Academy... I have had 4 of them in the past year. The last one blew out this weekend between Kingsville and Hebbronville on my way home. Now I need to figure out what I am getting next.

ANOTHER GOOD THING WITH DISCOUNT TIRE IS THEIR WARRANTYS IF YOU OUNCTURE A TIRE..NEW ON FREE. JUST MAKE SURE WHEN YOU BUY THEM YOU GET THE COVERAGE. ALSO THERE ARE SO MANY OF THEM AROUND THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE ONE CLOSE BUY PRETTY MUCH EVERY WHERE

Okay guys. I have never owned a boat before, and I am getting a used boat and trailer in a few days. The trailer definitely needs either good used tires, or new ones. If I have to buy new ones, what do you suggest? The boat is a 14 ft aluminum with a home made trailer. This should be less than 500 pounds combined...probably 4-450 tops. I have not found any good used ones yet. I did get someone to look up a ST tire for me, it is a Power King Tow Max tire 14". I am wondering if any of you have heard of this brand, as I have not. I do not know where they are made either. I was quoted a price of 160 dollars for both tires. If these are made in China, I don't want them though. I just wondered if anyone here has heard of these, and if they are worth a flip. I was also told to check out Big 5 Tires, but not sure if I want to buy from them or not.

Sounds like someone is putting freon in your tires.

RR

Well I have heard of putting Nitrogen in your tires. I got tires with my new trailer, but don't know what kind they are yet. I will probably find out tomorrow.

No matter what tire you choose if you do not follow the manufactures recommendation for load and speeds you're asking for trouble. As an example, the Goodyear Marathon is rated not to exceed 65 mph. How many tire failures occur as a result of exceeding the speed rating? I'll bet quite a few. I take many trips down to Amistad and there always are 1 or 2 truck and boat combinations pass me at way over 65.

Thanks for that tip. You are right. I will have to see what it says about that on the tire.

Try Pioneer Tires in Arlington,located at 303 and Fielder.I paid 353.00 for 4 marathons mounted and balanced.Hope this helps

Tires came with the trailer, and I did not realize it until the trailer was put together.

Guyz,

Long time lurker here. Marathon tires REQUIRE 50 psi for speeds up to 65 mph and 60 psi above 65 mph. The higher pressure(s) keep flexing at a minimum. Flexing causes heat buildup and heat buildup is what destroys the tires. BBC had a Goodyear service bulletin about the speed/ pressure deal.

I run Cooper Cobras but I have a tandem trailer with a 1600# load on it. Adding the trailer weight I'm carrying 2700# on four tires or 675# per tire. Because of the low tire load I use car radials rated at 1800# per tire or 3X over capacity.

flyboy

I am running the Carlisle radials from Discount tire. IF they are not good, got to love Discount warranty program.

Well it should be a while before I need any, but I will surely give that Carlisle tire the once over. We have a Discount tire here. What is the warranty program there anyways, never heard of that. I guess you get your tires rotated for free, and what else?

Been running Carlisle for two years and just got done running them for 8 hours down to Falcon and 8 hours back. The next problem I have with them will be the first.

http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoTrailerTireFacts.dos

here are some facts

edit

I see alot of people saying just keep your tires at 50psi. I believe you should run what the recommended tire pressure is on the tire. Mine say max 36psi....

You are correct but most trailer tires have 50psi max cold.

I ran radials on my boat for 3 years before i had a blowout heading to fork one morning. Took it to a tire shop in Canton TX to buy new ones and asked him his opinion as to which tire to run. He told me that I would be better off putting Carlisle bias ply on it. He said that when radials get wet and set over a period of time will blow out because the metal in the tires rust. That was about 4 months ago. Well low and behold, I was heading to the lake Sat and had one seperated. I took it back and tried to get it replaced with no luck. He said Carlisle would not replace it. My boat stays inside a metal shop @ all times when I'm not using it. I would strongly advise against any product whos campany will not stand behind their product.

I would always choose a radial over a bias ply. Why do we all run radials on our cars/trucks?

Stick with trailer tires for the load rating and for safety reasons. However, I personally do not use the steel belted tires. I have had the belts unravel internally and come through the tire. I have never had a blowout or flat with the non-steel belted trailer tires. And I have driven from Houston to Del Rio in the month of August two weekends in a row without problems.

I tow a boat and a big heavy travel trailer and one thing I've learned over the years is that running under inflated tires, exceeding the tire's speed rating and running tires that are showing signs of age are the biggest causes of tire failures. As a general rule I replace my trailer tires at 5 to 7 years regardless of how much tread wear they show. If they show any cracks on the side wall from dry rot then they're gone. I see people all the time running under inflated tires because they haven't checked pressures. Also, if your gonna run over 70 mph then you should probably add 5 lbs over max pressure to reduce rolling resistance and heat.

Finally, and this important to those with tandem axles, those ST tires are designed to handle "scuffing" when turning and backing. Some "P" (passenger) rated tires can't handle the side to side torsional twisting exerted on the tire, causing the tread to separate.

I personally run GY Marathons (Canadian or US made) one load range higher than what is really called for.

i just picked up my second set of carlisles for $80 each at discount. they will wear much if not properly inflated but have not had any probs with them as long as i maintain proper psi. marathons were priced at 109 but ive seen too many blow on friends trailers...

Well all four of my tires are gone. They have chunks of trad tearing off of them large bald spots on them. These tires are only about a year old from when I bought the boat new. This is very frustating that I have not been able to get more use out of them since they came new with the trailer, Not sure if I should try to make the dealer replace them or what?

I would definitely take it back to the dealer. Unless you have just run the tread off of them then the manufacturer should at least prorate. The problem with a trailer is there is no way to confirm the miles.

I would always choose a radial over a bias ply. Why do we all run radials on our cars/trucks?

I totally disagree. I have experimented with radials versus none radials and most all brands. My trailer is a single axle. It is probably towards the upper limit for a single. I am running bias ply Carlisle's and am on my 3rd or 4th set. I have never had one blow. I cannot say that about radials. Every time I have run radials I have had a tire blow. Trailers do not have car or truck suspensions and are much harder on the sidewalls.

I've run radials on 3 different trailers (just put a second set on my flatbed) because 'auto' tires tend to be cheaper than 'trailer' tires and I've never had any trouble. I wouldn't do it on anything real heavy, but I've done a small boat. I think the problem is most people try to keep them longer than they should. Trailer tires tend to rot out before the tread wears out. Match the load, watch the air pressure and if you start seeing cracks or unusual wear or they look weathered, replace the tires.

Trailer tires are stronger on the sidewalls because of the swaying action of the weight being so high up and other factors. Automobile tires will fail quickly.

Where can I get Carlisle tires in Dallas?

im new to this site but i do know that if you dont want trouble get a good trailer tire

are carlisle radials?

I have carlisles on one of my boats. I put Nitrogen in them have not had them lose pressure in 3 years and several thousand miles and they are wearing evenly. They are radial DS2100's.

Replaced my Carsile tires within a year Carsile paid for my replacements Goodyear marathon's radials also check the pressure and don't rub curbs

I just put a set of Carlisle on. Lost a Marathon on the way back from Cedar Creek last weekend.
The Goodyears lasted well but I figured I'd give Carlisle a shot.

I had a carlisle bias fail in a little less than a year. No curbs,not overloaded, not underinflated. Just a poor quality tire IMO. Walmart said they dont do road hazzard on trailer tires for that reason. i havent replaced the other one yet but i noticed the other day after coming home on a hot day after towing about an hour it was too hot to touch. it's coming off before i leave the house again. I've been building and repairing trailers for more than half my life now and trust me this isnt a tire i would recommend. I had no choice of brand when i got ripped for $90 each at wal mart in aransas pass after 2 older radial tires gave up the ghost at different times while there on vacation. You wont see a carlisle product on a trailer coming from my shop.

I had tires on my Procraft trailer for 6 years. On the way back from Texhoma,one came apart on me. I limped in to a tireshop on the left side just as you enter Whitesboro. He didn't have any trailer tires. He locked my boat in his secure compound and ordered me some Maxxis trailer tires from Dallas. That was nearly two years ago. They seem pretty good, better than I had. I don't run much but they are solid tires. You can get them in Houston area easily enough. Those folks in Whitesboro are honest and caring. I reccommend them for any tire needs and those tires were about 360.00 to 400.00 for 4.

Check out Southwest Wheel in Dallas. I can get new wheels including tires for less than I can get new trailer tires put on my old wheels at Discount Tire.

One of our Ranger boat owner has lost 3 Marathon Goodyears in less than a year. The tire called for 50psi......he talked to Ranger, they said run 60psi. That they had several complaints about goodyears flying apart within 1000 miles.....

This is great... a great help... I am on my 4th boat trailer.... have had all these problems before... blown tires, wearing on the outside... I wish I had seen this thread on tires years ago... Just really great info... thanks for putting all your experiences out here.... helps me out tremendously.

so what are you going to go for?

Carlisle from discount tire and keep 'em at 50 PSI. End of problems. Goodyear Marathons did me wrong.

Good idea, Discount sells a lot of tires so they may be fresh. I think I'll go that route myself.

Here is what I have done. I do not order the regular trailer tires any more. A couple of years ago I had a local tire dealer advise me to use Mobile Home tires - They are the same size with no radials and are 10 or 12 ply can't quite remember off the top of my head.

Anyway I have had those tires on my trailer for 4 years and still going strong. The only thing I do is keep proper air pressure. Trailer Home Tires are stronger on the sides and designed to sit for long periods of time and not develop the typical bubble. Most places will have to special order them, but they are more expensive than your regular car tire but less expensive than the upscale trailer tire.

Just .02

Never thought about this even though I worked in the business 18 years. MH tires have some incredible load limits and all that Mr BmblBee says is true. If I had thought about it I could have bought them at cost and even gotten good used ones. Not that I would ever recommend it but you could even find these on your local black market. Tires were one of our number one theft issues. We even had a guy pull in to the back yard of a Ca. plant in broad daylight and just srtart loading them in to a pickup.

wouldnt get carlisle my bud got em and now there all lumpy and wore bad marathons are nice

stick with st trailer tires there called trailer for a reason

fFrom Tracker Tires::

Up until a few months ago, I had a trailer tire eating monster. A 30ft fifth wheel that weighed in around 11,000#'s. I burned through a set of Carisle's in about a year's time. I did finally stop my tire troubles by doing two things.

First I went to a larger tire size/diameter and load rating. Actually went to a LT235/85R16 load range E (OEM Ford F-250/F-350 tire). For those who are having issues, try a higher load rated tire.

But the most important thing I did was install stainless steel valve stems. Once I went to those my troubles stopped. I would bet anything that leaking air pressure on the road and stem failures were more than likely the cause. Since I was always riding on the brink of being overloaded that once any air pressure changed, i was overloaded and blew the tire.

I run Goodyear Marathons on my bassboat and car radials on my jon boat.

Trailer axle alignment could be a factor in your case. You can get a trailer sales, repair, or builder to check your trailer axle alignment for you.

Trailer tires marked "ST" as in ST205/75R14 are known as Special Trailer tires. The cold inflation pressure for this
size Marathon load range C tire for max load is 50 psi.

It's important to note that ST tires have a maximum speed rating of 65 mph at their max load cold inflation pressure.

Goodyear says their Marathons can be run at 66-75 mph max only if the cold inflation pressure is increased by 10 psi as long as the wheel is rated for the increased pressure.

I bet a lot of trailer tire blow outs occur because of towing too fast with maybe low tire pressure. Even at 50 psi the speed should be limited to 65 mph max.

Those long stretches of Interstate highway with a 75 mph speed limit have probably claimed a lot of trailer tires that were towed faster than their 65 mph speed rating.

I' had 4 Goodyear Marthons on my trailer for 10 years with now problems at all.

George

I know that trailer tires are made differently than normal truck tires because of the bouncing load you have on the trailer. That being said, I have a 17ft flat bed tandom axle trailer that i use on the farm and for lost of other things. My gradfather (the original owner of the trailer) was rearended at a stop light in his 1984 F150 at a stop light 10 years ago. The truck was totaled but my gradfather worked out a deal with them and got the tires and wheels off of the truck at the tow yard because the tires were very new, undamaged and had plenty of tread left. He put these four tires and wheels on the 17ft flat bed trailer. Those tires have been on the trailer for 10 years now and have done great. He and myself have carried loads on the trailer way heavier than a big bass boat and the tires have done great.
You wouldnt want regular 1/2 ton truck tires on a 40ft goose neck trailer carrying a bocat and other heavy equipment of that weight but on a boat trailer they would be fine.

Tires should not be used for more than 7 years. Using tires over 7 years old is dangerous.

One of the main keys to tires going bad is them setting in one spot and out in the sun all the time. Since I have kept my boat garaged for the past 10 years, I haven't had a problem with tires. I have Goodyear Marathons. If you have to have them outside, buy you some of the RV tire covers to protect them.

I do believe in "you get what you pay for", but due to economic times I just bought two from www.tireeasy.com. They are Gladiators ST205-75-R14. Paid $50 each and $30 S&H. They are still holding air!

Just bought a used boat and need to replace the tires. It has one new GY Marathon so I was thinking of adding 3 new GY Marathons to round out the set. After reading all of these posts I may consider Carlisle. Which Carlisle's should I get from Discount Tire? I see USA Trail for $80 on special and Radial Trail for $92 (ST 205/75R14). I also see Radial Trail for $94 (ST 215/75R14). What is the diff for ST 205 vs. ST 215? Thanks for your help.

OK guys. I bought some bias-ply tires for my boat trailer. They are made by Goodyear and are rated for much more than my boat, trailer and gear weight.
Has anyone had problems running bias ply tires on their boat trailers?
I know when I was a kid that is all we would run on heavy equipment trailers and several of the cattle trailers.

Please stay away from Carlisle. IMO these tires are not worth the cost. I tow my boat a lot and I just had to replace mine after 2 years. No flats, just weird wear. The dang tires were kept at 50psi but wore out the edges on all 4 tires. They all wore the same without being rotated on the trailer.

OPUS on this forum had the same issue with his Carlisle tires. I think there's some sort of design flaw there.

My Carlisle's were the radials.

I agree that high speeds are bad for these trailer tires. I've lost two Carlisles lately at high speed. One was at 70+ the other at close to 80 while passing a car on the way back from Falcon.(not save I know). Neither tire blew, but both had the tread seperate. The 80mph one had the tread fly off and the 70 mph was about to. I'll be taking it a little slower from now on.

The previous Merathons seemed to hold up a little better at speed.

I have had bad luck with Marathons. I have one Carlisle now, and I am having another Carlisle put on the other side tomorrow.

I agree that pulling a boat trailer at 75 mph or more is not a good idea...for a number of reasons.

Well, I've had a knot pop up on another tire. That makes 3 from this set since the Falcon trip. I really think I abused those tires on that trip with the speed and the bad pavement in some areas on HWY 16. Those tires had been good for two years prior.

My conclusion... speed and heat kills these tires. Old news to some I know, but I had never given it much thought.

Always use a boat trailer specific tire. I don't care what tire brand. Have each tire and wheel balanced and keep the pressure at 50 psi. I get new tires every 5 or so years.

Do not get your trailer tires at Walmart. I bought four and had to replace three the first year! I got screwed on the deal there! Bought four Cooper trailer tires and have had them on for three years and they are great! Only 70.00 a piece!!!

Southwest Wheel and Tire,Dallas. Web site is Trailerparts.com. Check out the wheel and tire combo prices.

If you live near a trailer manufacturing place (any kind of trailer), they will have the best price and best tire for what ever rating you need. I can purchase tires and rims for my 19' + 150 hp rig for about $75 + tax. The tires have been excellent and never had a blow out or a cap come off.

a cheap tire will get expensive quick and at the worstime
i had my wife pull my boat about 3hrs and boom !!!needless to say i had to make up acouple of great weekends making it up to her . when i should of been on the water . but that what i get for going cheap . good thing is my boat was ok !!!!!!

I agree with the Specialty Trailer Tire supporters out there. I've had good luck with Kenda tires. I've also had good luck finding great prices on recstuff.com. Hope this helps.

What is a good top brand tire out there that is not a GY Marathon or a Carlisle, and not a trailer house tire. There has got to be something, I have read this whole thing and really can't come up with anything consistant.

I prefer Kumho or Hankook trailer tires. They have served me well for numerous years on heavy livestock and flatbed goosenecks without failure. I'm sure they make a trailer tire to suit your particular need. I would check into these two brands first when looking for a trailer tire.

Here's all you need to know. Get a trailer specific tire,get the tire and wheel balanced,run 'em for 5 years,then repeat.

And keep 50 lbs to 60 lbs of air in them... low air pressure will wear them out fast no matter what brand.

I agree that load rating is the most important. The best bang for the buck I have found on tires and wheels are through Cabelas. Their trailer tires are 8 ply and have an excellent load rating value. You can use any tire with the correct load rating just make sure that it is the correct size and not too wide for your fender.

The bad thing with marapops are the ones not made in USA.

Anyone ever heard of Deestone brand tires? I have a boat trailer with 4.80x12 tires and have had bad luck with carlisle tires getting bubbles on them or dry rotting on the side walls within a year. I was calling around getting prices on 4.80x12 tires and a dealer told me of Deestone brand tires, he said that they are alot better tire than carlisle and are a 6 ply load range c instead of 4 ply load range b like carlisle. Can anyone tell me they're opinions on this brand?

You can get 2 brand new wheels, with brand new tires mounted and aired,in your size at SW tire for $70.

Another vote for Goodyear Marathons!

The inflation for Goodyear tires is higher than shown on most boat trailers. Also they are only rated to 65MPH
http://www.goodyear.com/rv/pdf/rv_inflation.pdf

What you talking bout Willis???Send me some more info plz.

Do not buy Carlisle tires. Junk Junk Junk. I have them on my boat and a trailer at work. All the tires have the same crazy wear pattern, with just a couple thousand miles. Had to replace the ones on the trailer at work with less than three thousand miles on them. If I pulled my boat longer distance it would be the same way.

Southwest Tire in Dallas. Trailerparts.com.