How to search for tires?

[K3WE]

I don't want this to be a tire bashing thread, ALTHOUGH, I may have purchased my last ever TRAILER tire. :M

This is for a utility trailer (not a camper).

As I've searched around, I find the search engines lacking because NOT EVERYTHING is width, aspect, diameter...especially when it comes to 15-17" rims.

There's a bunch of passenger car tires, and a bunch of light truck tires, but no way to filter out the wrong load ranges.

Also, I could care less about the width and aspect ratio- pretty much anything will work for my application. I want to find a cheaper, load range E LT tire.

I'll probably just drop by a couple of stores, but with all of our modern computing power, it's not that bizzare of a search to ask for Load Range E 16 and get a list, rather than going one by one AND having to double check where they sneak in P (or even lighter tires with no designation.

/rant. 🙂

[bucky]

Grit, besides being my hero for that epic post are you a writer/comedian as well?

[Grit_dog]

Ok, well since no one gives a carp about searching for tires…to be fair it was a silly question anyways.
But not as silly as the ensuing thread jack!
Where do you guys come up with these theories? Is it strictly age related or are these things that you’ve believed even before 401k and Social Security age?
First, the notion that somehow trailer tires and wheels are immune from being out of balance or that being out of balance is somehow ok or better than it is on a vehicle is almost the most counterintuitive thing I’ve ever heard….
But secondly, that A. Lugs and hubs could be so far off that it would perceptibly change how a wheel balances. Or B. That “if” that were the case that somehow balancing would take care of an off center situation (if it were the lugs) similar to an out of round situation with a tire is even funnier. Do you really think that any hub is so far off of where the lugs are, that it will affect the “balance”. Balance being primarily a function of weight differential. If you’re correcting out of round with wheel weights, you probably also believe Les Schwabs is still a good tire store!

And the funniest part is you all jabbering about these 2 things aren’t disagreeing with each other even though you’re at totally opposite ends of the spectrum while mis-interpreting or just plain not understanding something as basic as tire balancing.
To recap, one side believes in the magic fairy who balances trailer tires invisibly (won’t even get into if same people who are anti trailer tire at all costs due to quality even when they’re the best/only option).
And the other side is saying that balancing is so important that the thousandths of an inch, maybe couple hundredths that a stamped or cast hub could be off of theoretical dead center with the lugs (which are stamped or cast by the same method at the same time) will somehow render hub centric balancing ineffective or worse yet, detrimental to the process!

I’m goin to have to chalk all this up to spammers changing your guys’s posts after you post them and magically preventing you from correcting them. Or aliens have abducted you and they’re really smart but we all know aliens don’t have cars or wheels on their spaceships so they’re missing that one key piece of info in the algorithm they’re using to be fully effective imposters while carrying out their alien missions undetected!!
(Far more plausible of an explanation for anyone hailing from Nevada….don’t get your britches in a wad Nam. Not your fault, that’s just where the aliens seem to be spotted the most….idk why. Maybe they too like endless desolate landscapes, gambling and glamorous shows performed nightly by washed up musicians….lol).

[Grit_dog]

valhalla360 wrote:
Are wheel balancing machines able to conduct internet searches for tire size...if they are lug centric?

OMG, thank you!
This was an epic squirrel moment.

[NamMedevac_70]

fj12ryder wrote:

NamMedevac 70 wrote:
In 17 years I have placed new Goodyear and Maxxis tires on my TT by shops and myself and no wheel or tire balancing was needed. Never any tire wear or problems during those many years. I do not know so called lug centric balancing. My simple RV life has been great fun and rewarding with no complicated equipment, toys, etc. Plain is good and comfortable. Object focus was camping and not Others have gone dus

Cheers to the comfortable good life and 4 Rs

So you don't balance your car/truck tires either?

As I stated in my comment I was clearly referring to trailer tires KH. Of course my truck tires are balanced at the shop by whatever method they choose. I have had very good service from Walmart, Sams Club and Tires Plus.

Cheers to clear reading and good eye glasses.

[fj12ryder]

NamMedevac 70 wrote:
In 17 years I have placed new Goodyear and Maxxis tires on my TT by shops and myself and no wheel or tire balancing was needed. Never any tire wear or problems during those many years. I do not know so called lug centric balancing. My simple RV life has been great fun and rewarding with no complicated equipment, toys, etc. Plain is good and comfortable. Object focus was camping and not Others have gone dus

Cheers to the comfortable good life and 4 Rs

So you don't balance your car/truck tires either?

[fj12ryder]

bucky wrote:
5 POUNDS of weight on each wheel? Let's try 5 ounces!

Yeah, that was an exaggeration, but it was a lot, measured ins square inches, probably 4X6. I took 'em all off before I put them on the trailer. Just couldn't believe it was right. LOL

[NamMedevac_70]

In 17 years I have placed new Goodyear and Maxxis tires on my TT by shops and myself and no wheel or tire balancing was needed. Never any tire wear or problems during those many years. I do not know so called lug centric balancing. My simple RV life has been great fun and rewarding with no complicated equipment, toys, etc. Plain is good and comfortable. Object focus was camping and not Others have gone dus

Cheers to the comfortable good life and 4 Rs

[bucky]

5 POUNDS of weight on each wheel? Let's try 5 ounces!

[fj12ryder]

You basically can't find anyone who does lug-centric, and it's hard to find anyone who knows what it is. The balance based on the center hole, like capriracer says, and all you can do is hope those brake hubs have the lugs positioned concentric to the center. I wonder if anyone has ever checked. And I honestly have my doubts.

[valhalla360]

Are wheel balancing machines able to conduct internet searches for tire size...if they are lug centric?

[fj12ryder]

CapriRacer wrote:

fj12ryder wrote:
Okay, I watched, most, of the video on balancing tires, and no where does he mention that many, perhaps most, trailer wheels are lug-centric, and almost no one will balance lug-centric wheels. I asked a guy at the tire dealer why they don't balance lug-centric wheels and he said they do. But they balance off the center which he said works fine. But if the wheel is balanced hub-centric, but mounts lug-centric, how is that fine? He just kept saying it's not a problem.

In theory, the wheels are machined using the center hole as center - and that includes the lug holes. So using the center hole is nearly the same as using the lugs for lug centric wheels.

Besides, there is a tolerance for balancing - which is why they have wheel weights in increments. The difference in balancing using incremental wheel weights is imperceptible to the user. And since trailers aren't designed to be ridden in, close enough is good enough!

I can see the idea, but my issue isn't with the tires/wheels, it's with the drums that the tires/wheels mount to. How precisely are they positioned in relation to the center ring? Nothing about those drums says "precision". 🙂

[fj12ryder]

Well, the wheels on my last trailer were "balanced" by the local guy who does all my tire work, and using a regular tire balancing machine had about 5 lbs. of wheel weights on each tire. So I'm a bit skeptical about how well the trailer tires balance using the hub centric system. I decided "Screw it" when I installed the new Sailuns, and tried out the Centramatic dynamic balancing ring. Does it work? Haven't the foggiest, but nothing has bounced off and the tires look okay.

[JIMNLIN]

Trailer hubs don't come machined balanced like automotive hubs on our cars/trucks. Adding weights on the wheel can be a hit or miss.

Also steel trailer wheels and some forged aluminum center hole and lugs are stamped at the time of process. Most stamped lug holes don't come concentric to the bead seat flange.
I've watched a old truck tire dealer/truck repair shop go through his supply of 16" trailer wheels using a engine lath/dial indicators looking for just one that didn't need several 4" long weights in one spot.

Thats a big reason commercial truck tire dealers that are savvy with non automotive wheels recommend spin the tire/wheel/hub ass'y on the trailer and measure the tire for radial and lateral run out. Something most tire shops down on the corner in town don't have much if any experience with.

And short (28"-30") stiff trailer springs are a huge damper for smoothing out of balance vibrations if any.

[Grit_dog]

fj12ryder wrote:
Okay, I watched, most, of the video on balancing tires, and no where does he mention that many, perhaps most, trailer wheels are lug-centric, and almost no one will balance lug-centric wheels. I asked a guy at the tire dealer why they don't balance lug-centric wheels and he said they do. But they balance off the center which he said works fine. But if the wheel is balanced hub-centric, but mounts lug-centric, how is that fine? He just kept saying it's not a problem.

What does your post even have to do with the OPs weird question?
Regardless, What you said makes zero sense. Most of the wheels you see on the road, on most vehicles are also lug centric….
And if a wheel is that “off” that lug vs hub centric balancing is an issue (it’s not, but let’s suppose we’re talking about a bent handmade wheel off a Model A or some other ridiculous scenario) then you have bigger problems anyway.
But doesn’t matter. OP asked a silly question and then flew the coop and now it’s the typical off topic stuff.

[CapriRacer]

fj12ryder wrote:
Okay, I watched, most, of the video on balancing tires, and no where does he mention that many, perhaps most, trailer wheels are lug-centric, and almost no one will balance lug-centric wheels. I asked a guy at the tire dealer why they don't balance lug-centric wheels and he said they do. But they balance off the center which he said works fine. But if the wheel is balanced hub-centric, but mounts lug-centric, how is that fine? He just kept saying it's not a problem.

In theory, the wheels are machined using the center hole as center - and that includes the lug holes. So using the center hole is nearly the same as using the lugs for lug centric wheels.

Besides, there is a tolerance for balancing - which is why they have wheel weights in increments. The difference in balancing using incremental wheel weights is imperceptible to the user. And since trailers aren't designed to be ridden in, close enough is good enough!