Need a couple tires

[sea wolf]

Well, I pulled one of the trailer tires off to clean up some rust on the rum & lo & behold I found cracks all around the tire on the face of it. These tires are CARLISLES, 14 in., bias ply. & don't have 1,000 miles on them. And I always ran them at the proper tire pressure. So now I have to replace both tires as I don't trust the other one. Anyone have a recommendation on a good trailer tire? Never again will I buy a Carlisle tire!

 

[Stumpalump]

How old are they? Carlisle redesigned their tires a couple of years ago and they seem better.

 

[kjsAZ]

Trailer tires don't wear out like vehicle tires and normally die from age and not wear out. If they are older than 5 years they have done their job. Most tire suppliers recommend to change them every 4-5 years.
Carlisle had some issues in the past especially with the Carlisle badged China import stuff.
I run a pretty unknown Chinese tire: Gremax in ST205/75R14 since ~3 years and the tires are really good. They have a bit stronger sidewalls than the usual ones and have their full load rating at 45PSI instead of 50PSI. From what I was able to figure out they are most likely LT tires and rated/labelled at higher PSI's for trailer use with higher loads.

 

[sea wolf]

The tires are probably 6 yrs. old. The tread on the tire is in excellent shape. However there are cracks all around the tires inside the grooves between the tread blocks. Don't know if I want to be a guinea pig to see if Carlisle has improved their product.

 

[kjsAZ]

If they held 5 years they were the good ones. You will have the same with whatever you buy now. To extend the life you have to keep the trailer in a dark (no sun) and cool place, no load and partially deflated . What helps is if you replenish the softeners in the rubber by using some of these "tire shiners" once a year. I have seen trailer tires used for thousands of miles with perfect tread. That's usually not how they die if alignment and pressure are correct. The tow vehicles tires tread was all but gone.

NEVER judge the "state of health" of a trailer tire by the tread.......
My trailer tires are replaced every 5 years without even looking at them again. When you buy new ones always check the manufacturing date! I was offered new tires once which were already 3 years old. They age less when stored correctly but in this case it was a non-A/C'ed storage in the AZ heat.....

 

[sea wolf]

IDK, but it seems to be that Carlisle & other tire makers should be able to design a trailer tire that will last more than 5 years, especially when they have as in my case less than 1,000 mi. on them. The tread is fine on the tire but they cracked along the face of the tire. And these are radial tires, not bias ply as I stated. Brain fart I guess. And who can store their trailer with no weight on it? Carlisle & other tire makers will continue to sell junk to the public until the Feds step in & force them to clean up their act. As far as Carlisle "improving" their product, I don't care. I don't trust them & will never buy another Carlisle tire.

 

[MH Hawker]

I have had decent service from the Kendra load star tires.

 

[kjsAZ]

IDK, but it seems to be that Carlisle & other tire makers should be able to design a trailer tire that will last more than 5 years, especially when they have as in my case less than 1,000 mi. on them. The tread is fine on the tire but they cracked along the face of the tire. And these are radial tires, not bias ply as I stated. Brain fart I guess. And who can store their trailer with no weight on it? Carlisle & other tire makers will continue to sell junk to the public until the Feds step in & force them to clean up their act. As far as Carlisle "improving" their product, I don't care. I don't trust them & will never buy another Carlisle tire.

On cars you usually change tires before they are 5 years old because they have worn out tread but if you look at car tires 5+ years old they also start to crack. Due to the different loading of a trailer tire it doesn't have the same forces on the tread to wear it out. This means that you will always have to throw away trailer tires with good looking treads. The only exception would be if your spindles or axle are bent or misaligned or the pressure is far to high or to low. What also takes a big toll on trailer tires (ST) is that they are pressured well above what you would see on vehicle tires. That stresses the rubber compound even more and makes it crack faster. Radials are a bit better in that aspect as the "webbing" doesn't move as much as in bias ply which generates heat and evaporates the softeners in the rubber faster.

I don't want to defend Carlisle and they had saved to many pennies in the past but they are in very good company with all the other importers. I expect that you will have the exact same complains in 5 years (+/-) from now no matter what brand tires you buy. Even if you can find an LT tire (tougher mandatory spec requirements) with sufficient load rating you will have the same issue. After a while you will have gone through all importers/manufactures and have to make your own and better tires in your garage. Heck, with your tire size it's <$200 every 5 years for new tires. You spend a lot more on "marine" stuff in that time frame!

I agree that the required minimum specifications for trailer tires should be identical to vehicle tires as it is the case in most other countries in the world but that won't change the ageing problem of tires and I don't see that to happen in my lifetime.

You can extend the life of your tires if you give them some maintenance and don't simply expect them to do their job but only to some extend. Look at it as the same as your boat. If you don't maintain it it goes down the drain fast.

Edit: a few more things. If you want your trailer tires to last longer don't haul beyond their max speed limit of 65mph. Install the largest diameter/circumference tire you can fit as the internal movements per square are lower (and your bearings will thank you too). As slower you go as less heat is generated in the tire itself which evaporates the required softeners. If you park your trailer outdoors put a cover on the tires or generate some shade. Over the winter put your trailer on blocks to take the load off the tires and deflate them to 1/2 or less the pressure. Give them some softeners all over at the end and beginning of the season and they will last longer but not until the tread is gone.

 

[sea wolf]

On cars you usually change tires before they are 5 years old because they have worn out tread but if you look at car tires 5+ years old they also start to crack. Due to the different loading of a trailer tire it doesn't have the same forces on the tread to wear it out. This means that you will always have to throw away trailer tires with good looking treads. The only exception would be if your spindles or axle are bent or misaligned or the pressure is far to high or to low. What also takes a big toll on trailer tires (ST) is that they are pressured well above what you would see on vehicle tires. That stresses the rubber compound even more and makes it crack faster. Radials are a bit better in that aspect as the "webbing" doesn't move as much as in bias ply which generates heat and evaporates the softeners in the rubber faster.

I don't want to defend Carlisle and they had saved to many pennies in the past but they are in very good company with all the other importers. I expect that you will have the exact same complains in 5 years (+/-) from now no matter what brand tires you buy. Even if you can find an LT tire (tougher mandatory spec requirements) with sufficient load rating you will have the same issue. After a while you will have gone through all importers/manufactures and have to make your own and better tires in your garage. Heck, with your tire size it's <$200 every 5 years for new tires. You spend a lot more on "marine" stuff in that time frame!

I agree that the required minimum specifications for trailer tires should be identical to vehicle tires as it is the case in most other countries in the world but that won't change the ageing problem of tires and I don't see that to happen in my lifetime.

You can extend the life of your tires if you give them some maintenance and don't simply expect them to do their job but only to some extend. Look at it as the same as your boat. If you don't maintain it it goes down the drain fast.

Edit: a few more things. If you want your trailer tires to last longer don't haul beyond their max speed limit of 65mph. Install the largest diameter/circumference tire you can fit as the internal movements per square are lower (and your bearings will thank you too). As slower you go as less heat is generated in the tire itself which evaporates the required softeners. If you park your trailer outdoors put a cover on the tires or generate some shade. Over the winter put your trailer on blocks to take the load off the tires and deflate them to 1/2 or less the pressure. Give them some softeners all over at the end and beginning of the season and they will last longer but not until the tread is gone.

Yes, you're probably right. But, I don't remember where I read it but I was under the assumption that covering trailer tires, & using softeners was a no no for trailer tires. So, I never did it. I'm not doubting your advice & I thank you. Just wondering'.

 

[kjsAZ]

Don't use the RV covers they sell which are a close fit for the tire. You want the air to be able to circulate! I have RV covers for MUCH larger tires (37" dia for my 26" dia 14" wheels...) which actually go over the fenders and leave sufficient volume and openings for the air to exchange. Much easier to install too ). What you don't want is that the temperature inside the cover increases. That's why white or silver are the better colors to use, not black or any other dark one. They are only there to keep the UV rays away from the tires and that the black tires don't get directly heated by the sun. A piece of plywood towards the outside of the wheel will do almost the same job.
You have to use the right type of softener too and not on a weekly basis. One time per year is really sufficient and you only start if after 2-3 years, not on a new tire.

 

[Gyrene]

If they held 5 years they were the good ones. You will have the same with whatever you buy now. To extend the life you have to keep the trailer in a dark (no sun) and cool place, no load and partially deflated .
NEVER judge the "state of health" of a trailer tire by the tread.......
My trailer tires are replaced every 5 years without even looking at them again. When you buy new ones always check the manufacturing date! I was offered new tires once which were already 3 years old. They age less when stored correctly but in this case it was a non-A/C'ed storage in the AZ heat.....

Sunlight and heat are what caused the cracks.

 

[bruceb58]

Using crap like armor all on your tires is a waste of time and likely makes your tires worse.

 

[phillyg]

ST tires just don't last. Covering them doesn't work, either (in my experience with RV tires).