Trailer Tire Question

[pitzerwm]

I bought a used trailer to tow my bike to Spyderfest. The tires on it 225-60-R14 were studded tires but do not have the studs. They look brand new treadwise but manufacture date is 97. Brand ASpec.

Which makes them 18 years old. In your opinion would these be safe to use for a long trip?

Thanks

[Highwayman2013]

I think it would be worth buying new tires and repacking the bearings before a long trip.

[Cruzr Joe]

NO

[Chupaca]

It's both you and the roadster. Tires are not hard to come by and checking the bearings is a quick chore. Breaking down along the way is a hassle...happened to me towing our race car and had to rebuild the bearing on the side of the road...we had the tools...

[Biosafena]

I agree with what Joe said. I would no consider taking any kind of trip on tires that old, especially snow tires on a trailer. Go get a good set of true trailer tires and you will be thankful.


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[MarkLawson]

As I understand it, tires "age" while on the shelf. 8 years is the age where you'd consider replacements. With trailers, it's tempting to exceed 8 years because they "look" so good, still having a lot of tread. Age will cause the layers to delaminate and come apart while spinning down the road. I bought a used trailer that had that happen and lost a tread. It destroyed the fender and beat the aluminum side to heck. All tires were then replaced & were new when I bought it and repaired the damage. I recently replaced those 'new' tires when they got too old. Also, buy trailer tires, not car tires.

[SL Ken]

NO!! I had 2007 tires on a fifth wheel and had two blowouts, ripping the side of the trailer apart in two separate weekends. Tires were trailer tires and looked great. You would be really taking a chance.

[Vader]

As stated previously, I also suggest replacing the tires and repacking the bearings

[Deer Slayer]

I bought a used trailer to tow my bike to Spyderfest. The tires on it 225-60-R14 were studded tires but do not have the studs. They look brand new treadwise but manufacture date is 97. Brand ASpec.

Which makes them 18 years old. In your opinion would these be safe to use for a long trip?

Thanks

UBER DRY ROT!

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

NO

.................Someone else mentioned getting trailer ( specific ) tires ........I'm not an expert on this , but I don't know if you can get 14 inch trailer tires ??????..............The other thing is tire cost .....I "ll bet a trailer tire is going to cost a lot more than a very good car tire. Because they don't make as many.....simple economics ........how much weight are they going to carry.......use tires that are rated for the load .....and narrower tires are probably better.........you won't need flotation........just some thoughts ........Mike

[jaherbst]

NO NO and NO.

Jack

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

.................Someone else mentioned getting trailer ( specific ) tires ........I'm not an expert on this , but I don't know if you can get 14 inch trailer tires ??????..............The other thing is tire cost .....I "ll bet a trailer tire is going to cost a lot more than a very good car tire. Because they don't make as many.....simple economics ........how much weight are they going to carry.......use tires that are rated for the load .....and narrower tires are probably better.........you won't need flotation........just some thoughts ........Mike

You can get 12", 13", 14", 15", & 16" tires. My trailer has 12" tires. They have heavier sidewalls than regular car tires and are marked as ST for Special Trailer. LT, light truck, tires will work on trailers also. You need tires on trailers that don't flex the sidewall, which is desirable for car tires. Trailer tire pressures are typically in the range of 50# compared to car tire pressures of 25 to 30#. Prices are in the same range as car tires. I'll bet most trailer tires are manufactured in greater quantity than a lot of lesser used sizes of car tires. LT tires are stiffer and use higher air pressure than do car tires which is why they can be used on trailers. Semi trucks use the same tires on all axles, front to trailer. As I understand it nearly all, if not all, truck companies use new tires on the front, one time recaps on the drivers, and two time recaps on trailers.

Since tire integrity was mentioned let me take this thread off course for a bit. I'll share some "N0-Zone" safety info. There are three places on the road you do not want to be while on a motorcycle: behind a semi, alongside a semi, and in front of a semi. You never know when a truck tire will throw up debris off the road, or tear itself to pieces. When that happens you don't want to be anywhere near on your Spyder. That's why you should never lollygag when you're near a semi. Stay behind in the adjoining lane until the road is clear in front of the truck and gun like hell past the truck, then slow down when you're safely ahead of it.

[MarkLawson]

Since tire integrity was mentioned let me take this thread off course for a bit. I'll share some "N0-Zone" safety info. There are three places on the road you do not want to be while on a motorcycle: behind a semi, alongside a semi, and in front of a semi. You never know when a truck tire will throw up debris off the road, or tear itself to pieces. When that happens you don't want to be anywhere near on your Spyder. That's why you should never lollygag when you're near a semi. Stay behind in the adjoining lane until the road is clear in front of the truck and gun like hell past the truck, then slow down when you're safely ahead of it.

I was passing semi one time in north Georgia when one of it's tire blew up while I was directly beside it. I was on my Goldwing at the time. Fortunately, the tire that blew was an inside tire on the rearward rear wheels of the tractor. The debris was deflected away from me by the outside & forward tires. Scared to fool out of me!

[Marker]

No, get new tires and repack the trailer wheel bearings. Get a spare tire and wheel too.
Also I would check the trailer over to make sure that no welds are cracked on the trailer frame and all the lights work and wires are not frayed

[3whlLefty]

I've towed cycles on 2 different trailers for about 15K miles. I prefer car tires over trailer tires as long as they have sufficient load rating. In my cases that was always a pretty low number. They flex more and tow just fine. The stiff walls of a trailer tire and the high PSI's are only good if you're carrying the full load capacity. That would normally rattle the **** out of any M/C and the trailer will be airborne quite a bit of the trip. I set the PSI so that the tire stands normally. Then the tire will absorb some of the road irregularities before they get to the springs. Your car tires do this every mile you drive.

Check your tires and bearing for heat at each stop. This gives you a feel for how well you have set everything.

Your opinion may vary. Let the flames begin!!

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

I've towed cycles on 2 different trailers for about 15K miles. I prefer car tires over trailer tires as long as they have sufficient load rating. In my cases that was always a pretty low number. They flex more and tow just fine. The stiff walls of a trailer tire and the high PSI's are only good if you're carrying the full load capacity. That would normally rattle the **** out of any M/C and the trailer will be airborne quite a bit of the trip. I set the PSI so that the tire stands normally. Then the tire will absorb some of the road irregularities before they get to the springs. Your car tires do this every mile you drive.

Check your tires and bearing for heat at each stop. This gives you a feel for how well you have set everything.

Your opinion may vary. Let the flames begin!!

According to Tire Rack website the flexing of passenger tires is what allows a trailer to sway back and forth. If your trailer doesn't sway, then maybe you're OK. They also say that the load rating of car tires need to be derated 9% if used on a trailer. I can't help but wonder if your load is sufficiently low compared to the load rating if maybe it isn't high enough to flex the sidewalls like you think it is. You know, as in a spring, no load, no flex; heavy load, lot of flex. I'm skeptical that you're really getting the benefit you count on. Maybe, but I do wonder.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

According to Tire Rack website the flexing of passenger tires is what allows a trailer to sway back and forth. If your trailer doesn't sway, then maybe you're OK. They also say that the load rating of car tires need to be derated 9% if used on a trailer. I can't help but wonder if your load is sufficiently low compared to the load rating if maybe it isn't high enough to flex the sidewalls like you think it is. You know, as in a spring, no load, no flex; heavy load, lot of flex. I'm skeptical that you're really getting the benefit you count on. Maybe, but I do wonder.

I just checked my Kumho Syder tire 225/50-15 maxes at 1359 lbs each ......my other Kumho pass tire a 205/70-15 is 1499 lbs. each........So each tire alone far exceeds the weight of a single Spyder ..........just sayin......Mike

[pitzerwm]

Thanks for all of the info/advice. Researched/shopped today, apparently not many light truck tires in 14" most passenger tires in 14" were like 1000# (according to tire guys). Ended up with a ST 6 ply trailer tire . They had to order from their warehouse, so tomorrow or the next day. Plenty of time.

Will take care of the bearings too. The 2 times I've towed it any distance checked for heat, none.