Need some trailer tire assistance

[dhanni848]

Had our 230 for over a year now and while on the highway this week had our first blow out . On the search to replace all tires, but my dilemma is they are 17". I want to be sure they have a good load rating. I have searched and a lot out there with larger wheels are running standard tires!!! I want to minimize my chances of being on the side of the road again as much as possible.

Current size is 225/55r17 Fuzion. Who else has 17" or larger wheels and what tires are you running? Thanks!

[bturner]

Yeah those are low profile tires. I'm not sure anyone actually makes that tire size in a true trailer tire. My understanding is that they typically use LT (Light Truck) rated tires. You may want to check with your trailer manufacture, eTrailer or a company like Shadow trailer that makes those kinds of trailers for a recommendation.

My buddy has a low profile rig and has been less than happy with his tire selection, low speed maneuverability and durability of the tires he has. His biggest problem has been separated belts that we believe occur from backing the boat into storage. He makes a hard turn when backing up which really stresses the tires on a tandem trailer.

They do look cool though.

[dhanni848]

That makes sense and could be part of my issue too. I make hard cuts into storage and heck just into my drive.

[XBIGPUN66]

If you get tires with a higher speed rating they should be more robust.

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[dhanni848]

I was wondering if that would make any difference or not.

[JDski]

Cool looks and function frequently do not go together and this would be one of those times. It is hard to believe that trailer companies can sell trailers with tires that are not designed as trailer tires and to handle the load the trailer is designed to haul but that gets back to the cool looks. If you post a photo of your trailer tires/fender area mainly for wheel well clearance I could give you advice on the next move. If there is clearance for a 30-31 inch diameter tire there are some options. There are no 17 inch trailer tires. There are a few options in 17 inch wheels that will have the proper load limits. Such as a Cooper Discoverer HT3 in size 245-70-17 a 30.6 inch diameter tire with a 3000lb load per tire and made in the USA. This would be a great option if there is wheel well clearance, I would bet there is.

The other option is to get rid of the 17 inch wheels. The Tire Rack will deliver tire and wheels mounted balanced and ready to install. This would allow you to get into an actual trailer tire. Goodyear Endurance is a trailer specific tire that looks good and is designed for the rigors of twisting on tandem axles. They make a 235-80-16 that is a 30.8 inch diameter tire with a 3420 lb load per tire and is made in the USA. You can play around on the Tire racks site or call them and inform them of what you need and they can probably get you a wheel you like with tires that are designed for trailering.

But post a photo of the wheel well area as the 225-55-17 you are running are a 27 inch diameter tire and moving to a 30-31 inch diameter may not fit. But I would bet that the trailer was designed to have the larger diameter tire.

[dhanni848]

I am still debating going to 14" wheels or sticking with what I have. I will have to go measure the fender to see how much room I have, but I don't recall there being very much. An extra 3" would be a lot to stuff in there.

[jhiestand]

This topic has been brought up before as 18" and even 20" wheels are relatively prevalent on newer trailers. I purchased my boat pre-owned on a trailer that came with 20" wheels, so I've looked into this topic myself. In contacting EZLoader (my trailer) they informed me they spec LT/SUV tires based on load rating for their trailers and apparently Boatmate does similar. If that approach doesn't sit well with you then I'd say new wheels/tires would be your only option. My local tire shop has suggested this path for me, but I'm comfortable putting non-trailer specific tires on mine.

https://www.planetnautique.com/vb5/f...ecommendations

[JDski]

I am still debating going to 14" wheels or sticking with what I have. I will have to go measure the fender to see how much room I have, but I don't recall there being very much. An extra 3" would be a lot to stuff in there.

It does not need 3 inches of clearance in any one direction it needs half that 1.5 inches in each direction from center. It would be 3 inch in diameter taller so 1.5 above center and 1.5 below center. I have done a bit of real tight tire massaging leaving only 1/4 clearances and a photo or measurements or both and I could tell you if your in the ball park or not..Or if you need to look for another option.

[bturner]

Send a note to this guy from the MasterCraft forum....

Email - tiresplease@gmail.com

He's been selling trailer tires and wheels over there for probably 15 - 20 years. Good guy with good prices.

[dhanni848]

He is my source for buying new wheels and tires, been a great help! First boat was an MC so have never left that forum.

I am going to look at the boat today so will try to measure and get pics.

[distinguishedmotorsports]

the 17-20" wheel set ups on trailer are great for photos but suck for towing. The truck/SUV tires are just not well suited for the duty of trailers. plus 1 to buying some cheap steel wheels and the right load range trailer tires. probably going to save you money in the long run if you do any considerable amount of towing

[shag]

I stick with trailer specific tires, and if anything, go up a spec in load rating.

[dhanni848]

I am still on the fence both ways as the current tires have trailered great for the last year. I can confirm they were on their last leg with a date of 2017. There is a 2 finger gap from top of tire to bottom of fender, cannot go any wider.


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[shag]

You will get folks that have had luck running tires well past 5 years and that's ok... For me, 5 years is about the life of a tire... I will keep one as a spare, but the investment is worth safety to me (and others) on the road. Just my .02