Trailer tires, radial vs. bias ply
From what I can see most travel trailers come with bias ply tires. My brother switched his out for automotive radials and claims they pull better and that he has had none of the issues that he had wi...
Forum Discussion
P or LT or ST tires work fine on trailers when properly fitted to the trailers axle weight requirements.
....Many trailers (rv and non rv) come with P tires.
....Not many bias ply tires are made anymore as most trailers come with radials.
.... P tires aren't speed restricted like ST tires.
Hell before the tire industry gave us the infamous ST tire all we had were passenger tires on lighter trailers and light truck tires on our heavier trailers.
P tires (44-51 psi) on trailers with 3k-3.5k axles work great. Years back our passenger car tires had a 32 psi max pressure which wasn't enough pressure to hold the tires seated to the wheel on a heavier trailer. Tubeless tires would pop the beads with 100 percent air loss resulting in the tires coming off the wheel as the trailer was pulled around a corner or backing maneuvers.
Tell your bro this from fed regs regarding using a P tire on a trailer;
Example; the P tire may have a 2201 lb capacity.....divide by 1.1.....the P tires actual capacity is now 2000 lbs.
If using a P tire on a lightweight trailer I would select a P tire with 10-15 percent reserve capacity above the trailers axle rating.
Heavier trailer above say 7k I would use a ST or LT tire.
....Many trailers (rv and non rv) come with P tires.
....Not many bias ply tires are made anymore as most trailers come with radials.
.... P tires aren't speed restricted like ST tires.
Hell before the tire industry gave us the infamous ST tire all we had were passenger tires on lighter trailers and light truck tires on our heavier trailers.
P tires (44-51 psi) on trailers with 3k-3.5k axles work great. Years back our passenger car tires had a 32 psi max pressure which wasn't enough pressure to hold the tires seated to the wheel on a heavier trailer. Tubeless tires would pop the beads with 100 percent air loss resulting in the tires coming off the wheel as the trailer was pulled around a corner or backing maneuvers.
Tell your bro this from fed regs regarding using a P tire on a trailer;
fed regs wrote:
per 49 CFR FMVSS safety regs 571.110
S4.2.2.2 When passenger car tires are installed on an MPV, truck, bus, or trailer, each tire's load rating is reduced by dividing it by 1.10 before determining, under S4.2.2.1, the sum of the maximum load ratings of the tires fitted to an axle.
Example; the P tire may have a 2201 lb capacity.....divide by 1.1.....the P tires actual capacity is now 2000 lbs.
If using a P tire on a lightweight trailer I would select a P tire with 10-15 percent reserve capacity above the trailers axle rating.
Heavier trailer above say 7k I would use a ST or LT tire.
