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Author Topic:   Trailer Tire Problems?

GuyNole posted 06-08-2003 04:42 PM ET (US)
I bought new a 2000 Montauk with a 75 HP Merc. in May of 2001 from Parker Boats in Orlando. It came withe a Magic Loader aluminum trailer with Carlisle ST176-80D13 tires (load class C). After less than 3000 miles over 2 years, the tire tread is flying off and I just noticed a big bulge protruding from the side.
My question is this, on the side of these tires it says "Max load 1360 lbs at 50 psi". Does this mean I was sold tires that could not support my boat/motor which should weigh about 1900 lbs? I find it hard to believe my dealer (Parker Boats) could make such a mistake, but wanted to see what you guys thought.
Also, I obviously need to replace the tires and want to make sure I get the correct tires and a good brand. Tire Kingdom here in Orlando said I should replace them with a brand I have not heard of "Nankang".
Each summer, my wife, 2 boys and I trailer the boat to Lake Nottley in the North Georgia mountians and I don't want any trailer tire problems.
As allways, any and all help will be greatly appreciated. All the best....guy

Lars Simonsen posted 06-08-2003 06:02 PM ET (US)
The 1360 lbs is per tire, so you should be able to trailer about 2720 pounds.
I also had what I thought were undersized tires on my montauk trailer (but the old montauk is lighter than the MT 170). I think my tires were rated at around 980 lbs a piece, and I was never terribly comfortable with that.
The bulge in the side of your tire could be caused by hitting a pothole or something like that in the road. The same thing happened to me.
You should keep your tires inflated to 50 lbs.

Jarhead posted 06-08-2003 07:22 PM ET (US)
It may be worth your while to check with the dealer you bought the boat from [in person] and voice your dissatisfaction with the tires.
They may replace them or at least give you partial credit on new ones.
Dealers like to keep new boat buyers happy.
specktrout posted 06-08-2003 08:14 PM ET (US)
Just last week I had similar problems on my Montauk's trailer. The trailer is a Sportman with 14 inch rims. On the way back from the boat ramp, I noticed a slight wobble to the trailer- Next thing I know the right trailer tire blows. I was able to pull over to the shoulder and spent the next half an hour tring to use the little tin jack that came with my truck to change to the spare in the sand on the side of the road. When I looked over at the other tire, it had a very large bulge in it. Anyway, the point to this is these tires were only about 18 months old and I had just checked the pressure about two weeks before. I use the boat multiple times during the month and could see no signs of rot in the sidewalls. The tire dealer also confirmed there was no sign of rot. He felt the damage was most likely a result of the tires striking a pot hole or some other obstruction. (There is a long stretch of construction on the way to the boat ramp). He also confirmed what Lars said- Keep the tires inflated at the maximum psi- (50 in this case). I have heard others blame excessive speed on tire failure- expecially with smaller rim sizes, but the dealer said that at least in the 14 in. rim range these tires actually came with no warning or recommendations about a maximum speed.
Things I learned:
1. Keep my large cross-shaped tire iron in the truck when trailering the boat.
2. Keep trailer tires inflated at maximum.
3. I have added a quick visual inspection of the tires in the driveway before taking off on each trip.
4. REAL glad I bought that spare and a mounting bracket for the trailer last year. I would consider it cheap insurance to buy a second if I were to be trailering any long distances.
5. I would buy a better jack, and bring it with me if I were to be trailering any substantial distances.
6. Bring a small board or something else flat to place the base of the jack on.
Well, sorry for the long post, but just to finish the story above, the rear tire on the truck was flat by the time I got home- Must have run over something on the shoulder as I limped home with the trailer going slow.
Dick posted 06-08-2003 08:48 PM ET (US)
GuyNole
I used to sell Nankang trailer tires and never had a problem with them.
Dick
GuyNole posted 06-09-2003 12:36 PM ET (US)
I might have let the tire pressure get too low on a couple of occasions. Could that have caused these problems?
lhg posted 06-09-2003 03:03 PM ET (US)
It's timely that this subject on Carlisle tires should come up. I have had nothing but trouble with them on my 25 Outrage trailer.
For trailer tires, you want Goodyear Marathon radials, period!!!! Don't let anybody talk you out this. And even better, there is a fellow on this website (handle of "180") who is a Goodyear distributor in Grand Rapids MI, and will ship to any Whaler owner at wholesale prices, 2 day delivery. I have bought several Goodyear radial tires from Kevin, and he is super to deal with, great service.
I have used Goodyear radials since 1989 under both boats, but several years ago needed new galvanized rims for the trailer, so bought them complete with Carlisle radials as a package, thinking I'd give them a try. I'm talking the P205-75R14 size here. Of the four, the third one just delaminated with a huge bubble on the sidewall, as did the other two previously. None had more than 30% tread wear when they failed. Also had same problems with two Titan Radials that I had been talked into. Titan and Carlisle are made by the same company, which now does seem not too surprising.
Stopping at a tire dealer for emergency replacement, actually a BF Goodrich Dealer, he told me he has seen nothing but trouble from Carlisle radials, and that they all failed like mine did. He also confirmed, that for radials, you want Goodyear, period.
So now I have four Goodyears once again under my trailer, and feel much safer.
diamondjj posted 06-09-2003 04:47 PM ET (US)
lhg,
I am in the process of replacing my tires on my trailer and have been looking into radials verses non radials. The tires I currently have are Goodyear B78-13 ST (non radial). I have a single axle shoreline trailer, trailering an 18 foot Outrage. I do alot of highway driving (over 200 miles one way). One of my concerns regarding radials is the potential for excessive swaying, due to the nature of the side walls on radials. Have you found this to be the case with the Marathons. They have also said that the uni-steel tires are the best for durability and for long trips, but I do not believe the Marathons are uni-steel. Any suggestions ?
lhg posted 06-09-2003 06:18 PM ET (US)
JJ - Glad I now have a chance to help YOU out!
I also have been using Goodyear radial Marathons on my single axle 18 Outrage trailer, with no sway effects whatsoever. Sway or fishtailing is mostly related to tongue weight, not tires. I find the radial tires wear twice as long, run cooler, but only cost about $10 more, and with better wet weather traction and wider tread configuration. The trailer grade radials have stiffer sidewalls than the passenger car radials, and carry the 50 psi rating. They are rock steady at a all speeds on both of my trailers. My trailer has P205-75 R14 size tires, and I would think that you, too, should be running that size. The 13" tires sound a bit small for a single axle configuration under an 18. I would definitely move up to 14" tires and wheels, as I think they accomodate the same bolt pattern and fender size.
Be sure to have them balanced.

A year ago, Kevin ("180") sold the 14" size to me for about $63 each, incl shipping to FL. I don't know if prices have changed. You can contact him at KTH60@aol.com for a quote. Tell him I sent you, from the Whaler forum.
On Cetacea page 1 you can see the Goodyear radial Marathons on my Outrage 25 trailer.
After 100,000 miles of towing boats, I have decided that it pays to have good rubber under your trailer, and I think Goodyear is the leader in trailer tires. All these oddball brands are cheaper stuff, old technology. That's why the trailer manufacturers put them on. Price is everything with boat trailers, but the good manufacturers now offer Marathons as an upgrade. When my last Carlisle failed, and I compared the interior construction of the Goodyear to it, there was quite a difference in quality. They were not made the same at all.
diamondjj posted 06-09-2003 07:47 PM ET (US)
Thanks, lhg !
I am glad that your helm project was a success.
I never thought of upgrading to a 14" rim, which I would prefer doing, due to all the highway driving I do with the boat. I will check out my fender clearances and contact KTH60 on this. Appreciate your help on this !
jj
GuyNole posted 06-10-2003 09:56 AM ET (US)
Is there a problem with switching to radials on a trialer that came with Carlile tires? I just want the best tires I can get on my trailer.....
Jerry Townsend posted 06-10-2003 12:27 PM ET (US)
Hey guys - regarding trailer sway - as many know, a light hitch load can cause the trailer to sway. But misalignment of the axle(s) can also cause the trailer to sway. Just make sure the distance from the hitch to the same point on each wheel/hub/axle near each wheel is the same. ---- Jerry/Idaho
diamondjj posted 06-10-2003 02:28 PM ET (US)
Jerry,
I may have confused the issue by the way I worded my original concern, referring it to trailer sway only. It is my understanding that the side walls of radials have more give to them than regular bias ply tires. There was an article that I read recently that stated the following : "the flexible sidewalls of this type of tire [radial] may aggravate trailer sway problems when this type of tire is installed on a trailer." I was also concerned about the fact that the boat, with all that weight sits higher off the ground, and radial tires with a flexible sidewall, would be a problem if, when trailering on the highway, you suddenly had to swerve to avoid something.
With all that weight on the trailer, I was concerned that the maneuver would cause an excessive swaying condition. That could be one of the reason why they say not to use passenger (radial) tires on trailers. As lhg had pointed out earlier, radial tires (Marathons) designed for trailer applications have a stiffer sidewall. That would minimize swaying caused by swerving maneuvers in the towing vehicle.

Duckin Whalers posted 06-10-2003 02:53 PM ET (US)
2 years aog I switched from Goodyear to Carlisle. I went through 2 sets of the same Goodyears because of excessive blistering in hot weather. Both tires were replaced free of charge. After the third time I just told the tire shop I wanted a better, heavy duty tire. I paid the difference of $40 + mount and balance and put on Carlisle load range C tires with a 90PSI max and have had no problems since.(the Goodyears were $25 a piece) Since I have a 13', that isn't a good comparison to the weight class a Mountauk is catagorized as, although, since I have practiced a little overkill in the load range catagory I have not had any problems. I feel that most stock trailer tires are probably cheaper tires to keep the purchase price on the trailer to a minimum. I see the same tires and wheels most new trailers come equiped with at Wal-Mart and similar stores. For the price I paid for the Carlisle tires I could have bought new rims and tires at the local superstore. Did I make a good choice? I am happy with it because I have had no problems and I feel confident that the heavy duty tires will last longer that the cheaper lower load range tires that equip most trailers. The Carlisle's I have are load range C. 745lbs @ 90PSI. size 4.80-8. They are just little guys.
lhg posted 06-10-2003 06:50 PM ET (US)
GuyNole
There is no problem switching from Bias Belted tires to Radial tires. Goodyear Marathon radial trailer tires, available for 13-16" wheels, are the top of the line in trailer "rubber".
jimh posted 06-12-2003 12:17 AM ET (US)
I have seven (5 + 2) Goodyear Marathon trailer radial tires on my two trailers. They are balanced, too. Last trip was 3,000 miles throught the Blue Ridge mountains with the tandem axle trailer, and we had zero problems.
I good friend (who shall remain nameless) had four passenger grade radial tire on his trailer. He was several hours late to the last gathering--blew two tires on the road. I also heard through the grapevine that on a recent trip he lost another tire. He bought 4 new Marathon radials to get back on the road.
Royce posted 06-13-2003 11:16 AM ET (US)
I also put Goodyear Marathon radials under my 25 outrage. (You can order them at The Tire Rack .com)
Another good tire I put on my 1996 20 ft. outrage is an 8 ply Michelin lt. truck tire. It is 14 inch and has a capacity of 2200 lb. I think this is the highest capacity for a single 14 " wheel. I have towed it on short hops and as far as 1500 miles round trip. No problems. The 8 ply gives me comfort on roads with potholes. I always carry at least one spare.
Royce
Backlash posted 06-13-2003 03:19 PM ET (US)
Guy,
Definitely go with the Goodyear Marathon radials and carry a spare. I replaced my bias-ply trailer tires with passenger car radials several years ago (at the recommendation of someone on this site), and as jimh has pointed out, have had nothing but trouble with them. Unfortunately, when you have a blow-out on the road, in the middle of nowhere, and don't have a spare (Duh!), you'll be stuck with any radial tire you can find to get back on the road. Consequently, on our last trip to Florida my trailer had 3 different passenger car radials and a Carlisle trailer radial! At 9:00 PM one evening one of the passenger car radials blew and we ended up in Cartersville, GA for the night. At that point I was determined I would not buy another passenger car radial. I ended up buying 3 Goodyear Marathons and finished the trip to Florida without any tire problems. While there I bought yet another Goodyear Marathon and a new rim for a spare.
The problem with passenger car radials is that they are 4-ply and rated for 35 PSI maximum. The Marathons are 6-ply and rated for 50 PSI maximum which makes a big difference. At 50 PSI the Marathons do not look underinflated as did the car radials at 35 PSI.
I now have 4 Marathons on the trailer and a Carlisle trailer radial for a spare. This has been an expensive lesson, but I now feel confident my trailer tire problems are over.
Good luck, Guy, get the Marathons. A blow out on a single axle trailer can be much more dramatic than on a twin axle.
Steve
ufish posted 06-13-2003 06:45 PM ET (US)
I've used Nankangs for years and have never had a problem. Carlisle tires are no good in my experience. The Nankangs will most likely rot off the rim before they blow, unless you hit a road hazard. I had the same bubbled sidewall problem with the Carlisles. Have never tried the Marathon.
GuyNole posted 06-15-2003 06:26 AM ET (US)
Went to Tire Kingdom over the weekend and got 2 new tires. Manager was very good. I felt sure my problem was caused by under inflating the tires. I had not understood the importance of keeping the trailer tires at 50psi, but he told me most of the problems he sees with tread coming off and bulges in sidwall are a result of lack of inflation. I know I have run the trailer with softer tires, kind of thought it might soften the ride. BIG mistake. Live and learn. Thanks again to all. Now on to my next project:)
keithpgk posted 07-30-2008 02:51 PM ET (US)
On October 10, 2007 I purchased four new Carlille 225/75R15
Load E tires for my 5th Wheel Trailer. My trailer calls
for Load D tire and I felt with a Load E I wouldn't have
any problems.
On May 5th, 2008 we left Florida for the west Coast. AT 3,100 miles, my right rear tire exploded and tore off the
fiberglass wheel molding and damged the under carriage.
My speed ws 60 MPH and the temp was 84 degrees. This was
at Beaver, UT. The at 3,800 miles my right front tire
exploded and did some more damge, that was tire number 2.
This was at Fort Walton, CO. My Speed at that time was 55MPH due to heavy traffic and temp ws 74 degrees.
At about 4400 miles, tire number 3 blew on my left front,
thank God no damge this time, and this was at Carledon, TX.
I thought we might make it home without any more problems,
then at about 5800 miles, tire number 4 blew on the left rear and no damge to trailer this time, my speed was at 55MPH, Orlando, FL 528, Exit 8. That was the end of all
the new Carlille tires I bought for this trip.
With this type of record there is no way you could make a trip with these tires.
Plus all my down time waiting for AAA to show up and change tires. AAA takes from 2-3 hours each time.
With all this good luck with CARLILLE'S TIRES who would want to make any more trips with a trailer?
Not sure what can be done about this situation. I wonder if the Federal Government could help.
Keith Jones
297 JoyHaven Dr
Sebastian, FL 32958
Edgewater posted 07-26-2009 04:09 PM ET (US)
Before you go out and buy Marathons, do your research!!! I just had a blowout on HWY 17 on my brand new Goodyear Marathons--the tire just came apart at the seams and the entire tread was gone. I did research and found countless reams of bad press on these tires. The airstream guys hate them! They claim they have a silent recal, and the brand has been sold to china and now uses less ply in their tires. Just do your research before you get marathons--I am done with them!
R T M posted 07-26-2009 05:16 PM ET (US)
Why do so many folks have trouble with their trailer tires, and no trouble with the tow vehicle tires.
rich?Binkie
JLW posted 07-26-2009 08:20 PM ET (US)
Did you ever wonder why they put 'for trailer use only' on trailer tires but don't have any such warnings on passenger tires? JLW
Phil T posted 07-26-2009 09:21 PM ET (US)
This thread is 6 years old.

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Author	Topic: Trailer Tire Problems?
GuyNole	posted 06-08-2003 04:42 PM ET (US) I bought new a 2000 Montauk with a 75 HP Merc. in May of 2001 from Parker Boats in Orlando. It came withe a Magic Loader aluminum trailer with Carlisle ST176-80D13 tires (load class C). After less than 3000 miles over 2 years, the tire tread is flying off and I just noticed a big bulge protruding from the side. My question is this, on the side of these tires it says "Max load 1360 lbs at 50 psi". Does this mean I was sold tires that could not support my boat/motor which should weigh about 1900 lbs? I find it hard to believe my dealer (Parker Boats) could make such a mistake, but wanted to see what you guys thought. Also, I obviously need to replace the tires and want to make sure I get the correct tires and a good brand. Tire Kingdom here in Orlando said I should replace them with a brand I have not heard of "Nankang". Each summer, my wife, 2 boys and I trailer the boat to Lake Nottley in the North Georgia mountians and I don't want any trailer tire problems. As allways, any and all help will be greatly appreciated. All the best....guy
Lars Simonsen	posted 06-08-2003 06:02 PM ET (US) The 1360 lbs is per tire, so you should be able to trailer about 2720 pounds. I also had what I thought were undersized tires on my montauk trailer (but the old montauk is lighter than the MT 170). I think my tires were rated at around 980 lbs a piece, and I was never terribly comfortable with that. The bulge in the side of your tire could be caused by hitting a pothole or something like that in the road. The same thing happened to me. You should keep your tires inflated to 50 lbs.
Jarhead	posted 06-08-2003 07:22 PM ET (US) It may be worth your while to check with the dealer you bought the boat from [in person] and voice your dissatisfaction with the tires. They may replace them or at least give you partial credit on new ones. Dealers like to keep new boat buyers happy.
specktrout	posted 06-08-2003 08:14 PM ET (US) Just last week I had similar problems on my Montauk's trailer. The trailer is a Sportman with 14 inch rims. On the way back from the boat ramp, I noticed a slight wobble to the trailer- Next thing I know the right trailer tire blows. I was able to pull over to the shoulder and spent the next half an hour tring to use the little tin jack that came with my truck to change to the spare in the sand on the side of the road. When I looked over at the other tire, it had a very large bulge in it. Anyway, the point to this is these tires were only about 18 months old and I had just checked the pressure about two weeks before. I use the boat multiple times during the month and could see no signs of rot in the sidewalls. The tire dealer also confirmed there was no sign of rot. He felt the damage was most likely a result of the tires striking a pot hole or some other obstruction. (There is a long stretch of construction on the way to the boat ramp). He also confirmed what Lars said- Keep the tires inflated at the maximum psi- (50 in this case). I have heard others blame excessive speed on tire failure- expecially with smaller rim sizes, but the dealer said that at least in the 14 in. rim range these tires actually came with no warning or recommendations about a maximum speed. Things I learned: 1. Keep my large cross-shaped tire iron in the truck when trailering the boat. 2. Keep trailer tires inflated at maximum. 3. I have added a quick visual inspection of the tires in the driveway before taking off on each trip. 4. REAL glad I bought that spare and a mounting bracket for the trailer last year. I would consider it cheap insurance to buy a second if I were to be trailering any long distances. 5. I would buy a better jack, and bring it with me if I were to be trailering any substantial distances. 6. Bring a small board or something else flat to place the base of the jack on. Well, sorry for the long post, but just to finish the story above, the rear tire on the truck was flat by the time I got home- Must have run over something on the shoulder as I limped home with the trailer going slow.
Dick	posted 06-08-2003 08:48 PM ET (US) GuyNole I used to sell Nankang trailer tires and never had a problem with them. Dick
GuyNole	posted 06-09-2003 12:36 PM ET (US) I might have let the tire pressure get too low on a couple of occasions. Could that have caused these problems?
lhg	posted 06-09-2003 03:03 PM ET (US) It's timely that this subject on Carlisle tires should come up. I have had nothing but trouble with them on my 25 Outrage trailer. For trailer tires, you want Goodyear Marathon radials, period!!!! Don't let anybody talk you out this. And even better, there is a fellow on this website (handle of "180") who is a Goodyear distributor in Grand Rapids MI, and will ship to any Whaler owner at wholesale prices, 2 day delivery. I have bought several Goodyear radial tires from Kevin, and he is super to deal with, great service. I have used Goodyear radials since 1989 under both boats, but several years ago needed new galvanized rims for the trailer, so bought them complete with Carlisle radials as a package, thinking I'd give them a try. I'm talking the P205-75R14 size here. Of the four, the third one just delaminated with a huge bubble on the sidewall, as did the other two previously. None had more than 30% tread wear when they failed. Also had same problems with two Titan Radials that I had been talked into. Titan and Carlisle are made by the same company, which now does seem not too surprising. Stopping at a tire dealer for emergency replacement, actually a BF Goodrich Dealer, he told me he has seen nothing but trouble from Carlisle radials, and that they all failed like mine did. He also confirmed, that for radials, you want Goodyear, period. So now I have four Goodyears once again under my trailer, and feel much safer.
diamondjj	posted 06-09-2003 04:47 PM ET (US) lhg, I am in the process of replacing my tires on my trailer and have been looking into radials verses non radials. The tires I currently have are Goodyear B78-13 ST (non radial). I have a single axle shoreline trailer, trailering an 18 foot Outrage. I do alot of highway driving (over 200 miles one way). One of my concerns regarding radials is the potential for excessive swaying, due to the nature of the side walls on radials. Have you found this to be the case with the Marathons. They have also said that the uni-steel tires are the best for durability and for long trips, but I do not believe the Marathons are uni-steel. Any suggestions ?
lhg	posted 06-09-2003 06:18 PM ET (US) JJ - Glad I now have a chance to help YOU out! I also have been using Goodyear radial Marathons on my single axle 18 Outrage trailer, with no sway effects whatsoever. Sway or fishtailing is mostly related to tongue weight, not tires. I find the radial tires wear twice as long, run cooler, but only cost about $10 more, and with better wet weather traction and wider tread configuration. The trailer grade radials have stiffer sidewalls than the passenger car radials, and carry the 50 psi rating. They are rock steady at a all speeds on both of my trailers. My trailer has P205-75 R14 size tires, and I would think that you, too, should be running that size. The 13" tires sound a bit small for a single axle configuration under an 18. I would definitely move up to 14" tires and wheels, as I think they accomodate the same bolt pattern and fender size. Be sure to have them balanced. A year ago, Kevin ("180") sold the 14" size to me for about $63 each, incl shipping to FL. I don't know if prices have changed. You can contact him at KTH60@aol.com for a quote. Tell him I sent you, from the Whaler forum. On Cetacea page 1 you can see the Goodyear radial Marathons on my Outrage 25 trailer. After 100,000 miles of towing boats, I have decided that it pays to have good rubber under your trailer, and I think Goodyear is the leader in trailer tires. All these oddball brands are cheaper stuff, old technology. That's why the trailer manufacturers put them on. Price is everything with boat trailers, but the good manufacturers now offer Marathons as an upgrade. When my last Carlisle failed, and I compared the interior construction of the Goodyear to it, there was quite a difference in quality. They were not made the same at all.
diamondjj	posted 06-09-2003 07:47 PM ET (US) Thanks, lhg ! I am glad that your helm project was a success. I never thought of upgrading to a 14" rim, which I would prefer doing, due to all the highway driving I do with the boat. I will check out my fender clearances and contact KTH60 on this. Appreciate your help on this ! jj
GuyNole	posted 06-10-2003 09:56 AM ET (US) Is there a problem with switching to radials on a trialer that came with Carlile tires? I just want the best tires I can get on my trailer.....
Jerry Townsend	posted 06-10-2003 12:27 PM ET (US) Hey guys - regarding trailer sway - as many know, a light hitch load can cause the trailer to sway. But misalignment of the axle(s) can also cause the trailer to sway. Just make sure the distance from the hitch to the same point on each wheel/hub/axle near each wheel is the same. ---- Jerry/Idaho
diamondjj	posted 06-10-2003 02:28 PM ET (US) Jerry, I may have confused the issue by the way I worded my original concern, referring it to trailer sway only. It is my understanding that the side walls of radials have more give to them than regular bias ply tires. There was an article that I read recently that stated the following : "the flexible sidewalls of this type of tire [radial] may aggravate trailer sway problems when this type of tire is installed on a trailer." I was also concerned about the fact that the boat, with all that weight sits higher off the ground, and radial tires with a flexible sidewall, would be a problem if, when trailering on the highway, you suddenly had to swerve to avoid something. With all that weight on the trailer, I was concerned that the maneuver would cause an excessive swaying condition. That could be one of the reason why they say not to use passenger (radial) tires on trailers. As lhg had pointed out earlier, radial tires (Marathons) designed for trailer applications have a stiffer sidewall. That would minimize swaying caused by swerving maneuvers in the towing vehicle.
Duckin Whalers	posted 06-10-2003 02:53 PM ET (US) 2 years aog I switched from Goodyear to Carlisle. I went through 2 sets of the same Goodyears because of excessive blistering in hot weather. Both tires were replaced free of charge. After the third time I just told the tire shop I wanted a better, heavy duty tire. I paid the difference of $40 + mount and balance and put on Carlisle load range C tires with a 90PSI max and have had no problems since.(the Goodyears were $25 a piece) Since I have a 13', that isn't a good comparison to the weight class a Mountauk is catagorized as, although, since I have practiced a little overkill in the load range catagory I have not had any problems. I feel that most stock trailer tires are probably cheaper tires to keep the purchase price on the trailer to a minimum. I see the same tires and wheels most new trailers come equiped with at Wal-Mart and similar stores. For the price I paid for the Carlisle tires I could have bought new rims and tires at the local superstore. Did I make a good choice? I am happy with it because I have had no problems and I feel confident that the heavy duty tires will last longer that the cheaper lower load range tires that equip most trailers. The Carlisle's I have are load range C. 745lbs @ 90PSI. size 4.80-8. They are just little guys.
lhg	posted 06-10-2003 06:50 PM ET (US) GuyNole There is no problem switching from Bias Belted tires to Radial tires. Goodyear Marathon radial trailer tires, available for 13-16" wheels, are the top of the line in trailer "rubber".
jimh	posted 06-12-2003 12:17 AM ET (US) I have seven (5 + 2) Goodyear Marathon trailer radial tires on my two trailers. They are balanced, too. Last trip was 3,000 miles throught the Blue Ridge mountains with the tandem axle trailer, and we had zero problems. I good friend (who shall remain nameless) had four passenger grade radial tire on his trailer. He was several hours late to the last gathering--blew two tires on the road. I also heard through the grapevine that on a recent trip he lost another tire. He bought 4 new Marathon radials to get back on the road.
Royce	posted 06-13-2003 11:16 AM ET (US) I also put Goodyear Marathon radials under my 25 outrage. (You can order them at The Tire Rack .com) Another good tire I put on my 1996 20 ft. outrage is an 8 ply Michelin lt. truck tire. It is 14 inch and has a capacity of 2200 lb. I think this is the highest capacity for a single 14 " wheel. I have towed it on short hops and as far as 1500 miles round trip. No problems. The 8 ply gives me comfort on roads with potholes. I always carry at least one spare. Royce
Backlash	posted 06-13-2003 03:19 PM ET (US) Guy, Definitely go with the Goodyear Marathon radials and carry a spare. I replaced my bias-ply trailer tires with passenger car radials several years ago (at the recommendation of someone on this site), and as jimh has pointed out, have had nothing but trouble with them. Unfortunately, when you have a blow-out on the road, in the middle of nowhere, and don't have a spare (Duh!), you'll be stuck with any radial tire you can find to get back on the road. Consequently, on our last trip to Florida my trailer had 3 different passenger car radials and a Carlisle trailer radial! At 9:00 PM one evening one of the passenger car radials blew and we ended up in Cartersville, GA for the night. At that point I was determined I would not buy another passenger car radial. I ended up buying 3 Goodyear Marathons and finished the trip to Florida without any tire problems. While there I bought yet another Goodyear Marathon and a new rim for a spare. The problem with passenger car radials is that they are 4-ply and rated for 35 PSI maximum. The Marathons are 6-ply and rated for 50 PSI maximum which makes a big difference. At 50 PSI the Marathons do not look underinflated as did the car radials at 35 PSI. I now have 4 Marathons on the trailer and a Carlisle trailer radial for a spare. This has been an expensive lesson, but I now feel confident my trailer tire problems are over. Good luck, Guy, get the Marathons. A blow out on a single axle trailer can be much more dramatic than on a twin axle. Steve
ufish	posted 06-13-2003 06:45 PM ET (US) I've used Nankangs for years and have never had a problem. Carlisle tires are no good in my experience. The Nankangs will most likely rot off the rim before they blow, unless you hit a road hazard. I had the same bubbled sidewall problem with the Carlisles. Have never tried the Marathon.
GuyNole	posted 06-15-2003 06:26 AM ET (US) Went to Tire Kingdom over the weekend and got 2 new tires. Manager was very good. I felt sure my problem was caused by under inflating the tires. I had not understood the importance of keeping the trailer tires at 50psi, but he told me most of the problems he sees with tread coming off and bulges in sidwall are a result of lack of inflation. I know I have run the trailer with softer tires, kind of thought it might soften the ride. BIG mistake. Live and learn. Thanks again to all. Now on to my next project:)
keithpgk	posted 07-30-2008 02:51 PM ET (US) On October 10, 2007 I purchased four new Carlille 225/75R15 Load E tires for my 5th Wheel Trailer. My trailer calls for Load D tire and I felt with a Load E I wouldn't have any problems. On May 5th, 2008 we left Florida for the west Coast. AT 3,100 miles, my right rear tire exploded and tore off the fiberglass wheel molding and damged the under carriage. My speed ws 60 MPH and the temp was 84 degrees. This was at Beaver, UT. The at 3,800 miles my right front tire exploded and did some more damge, that was tire number 2. This was at Fort Walton, CO. My Speed at that time was 55MPH due to heavy traffic and temp ws 74 degrees. At about 4400 miles, tire number 3 blew on my left front, thank God no damge this time, and this was at Carledon, TX. I thought we might make it home without any more problems, then at about 5800 miles, tire number 4 blew on the left rear and no damge to trailer this time, my speed was at 55MPH, Orlando, FL 528, Exit 8. That was the end of all the new Carlille tires I bought for this trip. With this type of record there is no way you could make a trip with these tires. Plus all my down time waiting for AAA to show up and change tires. AAA takes from 2-3 hours each time. With all this good luck with CARLILLE'S TIRES who would want to make any more trips with a trailer? Not sure what can be done about this situation. I wonder if the Federal Government could help. Keith Jones 297 JoyHaven Dr Sebastian, FL 32958
Edgewater	posted 07-26-2009 04:09 PM ET (US) Before you go out and buy Marathons, do your research!!! I just had a blowout on HWY 17 on my brand new Goodyear Marathons--the tire just came apart at the seams and the entire tread was gone. I did research and found countless reams of bad press on these tires. The airstream guys hate them! They claim they have a silent recal, and the brand has been sold to china and now uses less ply in their tires. Just do your research before you get marathons--I am done with them!
R T M	posted 07-26-2009 05:16 PM ET (US) Why do so many folks have trouble with their trailer tires, and no trouble with the tow vehicle tires. rich?Binkie
JLW	posted 07-26-2009 08:20 PM ET (US) Did you ever wonder why they put 'for trailer use only' on trailer tires but don't have any such warnings on passenger tires? JLW
Phil T	posted 07-26-2009 09:21 PM ET (US) This thread is 6 years old.