Trailer Tire Confusion

[SteveRay]

HELP! <br />I am trying to shop around for a good price on tires for my boat trailer and I can't seem to find the tires.<br />The current tires are "Deestone G78-14ST"<br />Can anyone tell me where to find these or eqivalent and is there a cross reference?<br />Thanks in advance

 

[JB]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

The letter system for stating tire size is obsolete, Steve.<br /><br />I think you want 205R/14ST or 205/14ST.<br /><br />Good luck.

 

[rwidman]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

A trailer or RV shop can fix you up. Also BoatUS/West Marine or Boaters World. "Carlisle" brand tires have a bad reputation, I would go with another brand. Loadstar bias belted tires have worked well for me, for radials, Goodyear Marathons are highly rated by many. Be sure to buy only ST (special trailer) tires, not car or truck tires.

 

[SteveRay]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

I found them on Easter marine's website for 67.95 each....Doesn't sound bad. They are not Carlisle and I think they are actually Loadstar. <br />I figured teh conversion from their site to be <br />ST215/75D/14<br />The 205 is for a F78-14ST according to their site

 

[rwidman]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

Originally posted by Sea Ray Steve:<br /> I found them on Easter marine's website for 67.95 each....Doesn't sound bad. They are not Carlisle and I think they are actually Loadstar. <br />I figured teh conversion from their site to be <br />ST215/75D/14<br />The 205 is for a F78-14ST according to their site

That's where I got my (Loadstar) spare.

 

[NYMINUTE]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

Carlise = Blowout

 

[rayjay]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

Originally posted by NYMINUTE:<br /> Carlise = Blowout

I would have liked to have known this 3 months ago when I was putting new tires on the wife's horse trailer.

 

[Realgun]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

I would have liked to have known this 3 months ago when I was putting new tires on the wife's horse trailer.

Do you think the horses will forgive you?

 

[LoneReefer]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

Why cain't I use Car tires of the proper load capacity and size? Whats the difference???

 

[guy74]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

Why cain't I use Car tires of the proper load capacity and size? Whats the difference???

For the record, I use passenger rated tires on my boat trailer with good luck. ST rated tires have a stiffer sidewall and are able to take more abuse, like dropping off the edge of the road, or hitting curbs than a passenger car, or light truck tire. I don't feel, for the kind of towing I do, that I can justify the cost of ST tires for my trailer, when I can use the ones I take off my jeep cherokee for trailer tires. My trailer has large tires and a light boat on it, so it doesn't put the kind of stress on tires that most larger boats do. If I was towing long distance with a heavy boat, I would definately buy a good ST rated tire. My $.02

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

If you have Northern Tool stores in your area they sell the Load Star trailer tires.I think they are about 40 to 50 each for that size.Look on their website.
Car tires are a big NO for me on any trailer.They have way to much flex in the side walls and can cause trailer sway!

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

Trailer tires (ST) also have higher inflation pressures (50 pounds and up depending on the load rating). This results in a cooler running tire. Car tires these days are rated at 36 PSI max. They are ok on a very light load but are not recommended when the tires are loaded at or near their maximum load capacity as boat trailers and RV's typically are.

 

[brokemerc]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

I just bought 2 from NorthernTools,, they were F78-14ST, the brand was Loadstar.. The price was $68 per tire (no rim).. Mounting was a huge pain because the rubber was squished flat due to the way they shipped them,, first I tried, then good year,, then merchants.. Finally I bought a can of starter fluid sprayed a bunch inside the tire put the air to it and lit a match,,, poof,, mounted tire.. Good Luck...

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

I use car tires on my trailer because back in the 80's I had a new set of trailer tires put on and they only lasted about 2 seasons, I then went and tried a good set of Goodyear steel belted radials which are still on there today although they are starting to dryrot but the tread is still good. they are a 12" tire spec. out to a hond civic at the time, they carry a fiberglass 16' MFG/60HP. I wont hesitate to put the same tire back on they worked great for many many miles.

 

[brokemerc]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

Yes I've heard pros and cons, only pro for using car/truck tires is the price and it's not that big of a difference. I just prefer the piece of mind knowing I have the correct tire with superior sidewall strength,, just in case.. If I knew that I wouldn't be trailering far i'd consider auto tires definately, but my trailer will see many highway miles..

 

[jeffnick]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

I use passenger radials on my boat trailer.
http://www.geocities.com/jeff_nicholas/Trailer_Tires/Trailer-Tires.html

And I mount them myself...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Port...009QQitemZ190198208591QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

 

[Wide Open]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

I just bought 2 from NorthernTools,, they were F78-14ST, the brand was Loadstar.. The price was $68 per tire (no rim).. Mounting was a huge pain because the rubber was squished flat due to the way they shipped them,, first I tried, then good year,, then merchants.. Finally I bought a can of starter fluid sprayed a bunch inside the tire put the air to it and lit a match,,, poof,, mounted tire.. Good Luck...

You are one resourceful if not slightly crazy hombre. Glad it worked out for you.

 

[MrBigStuff]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

Some of you guys are less risk averse than I am. My trailer tires are very hot after towing. Heat kills tires. That's why underinflation is so bad for them, they overheat and fail. The thought of them failing, causing an accident and the liability when the insurance company bails (or a jury finds me grossly negligent) because they find out I was running passenger tires, well, I'm not going to risk it for a hundred dollars every 5 years...

 

[jeffnick]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

well, I'm not going to risk it for a hundred dollars every 5 years...

You're missing the point. My ST tires were scaring the daylights out of me, for good reason...failure after failure. I've found that properly loaded passenger radials on the trailer perform way better than ST tires. It's not about saving money, it's about having a quality tire on the trailer that you can count on. Of course, YMMV.

 

[MrBigStuff]

Re: Trailer Tire Confusion

I didn't miss your point at all. That's the reason I posted. I think it would be a dangerous practice for me and many other applications for the reasons I cited. Passenger tires are not designed to take the trailer sway and heat generated from it. The fact they appear to work better in your situation would only make me question what was wrong with the tires I was buying or my trailer set up if it happened to me. I trailer at least every single weekend during the summer, often multiple times per week. Knock on wood, I've never had a tire fail and I run the oft maligned here Carlisle tires. Applications vary quite a bit and in mine, the tires are very hot to the touch after a trip. No way I would subject a passenger tire to that kind of heat. Passenger tires seem to be working for you. I'd be very hesitant to extend that advice to others. That's all I'm saying.