Trailer Tires

**Tom Foley** · 07-26-2006, 06:43 PM

I am sick of paying 100 bucks for these over rated good year Marathon radials after having blown three this year in the past six or eight months . Yes they are inflated properly , and towing an STV Euro 100 miles each way . Lets hear some suggestions , I am considering going to passenger car tires as I have had no problems with these on other trailers . Thanks !

**Hottrucks** · 07-26-2006, 06:55 PM

1500 miles in 20 hours home, and you know what I pull with and how I drive so you choose!!! after that I drag it 60 miles on a bad week and I'm heading to Maine next.......

car tires!!!

**Fish** · 07-26-2006, 06:56 PM

I'm feelin dis dog!

**captcarb** · 07-26-2006, 07:38 PM

Tom,

I use carlisle bias belt trailer tires in the 205 size. They are not expensive and I have towed thousands of miles with them. Since they are the ST special trailer tire, they have a stiff sidewall and are very resistant to sway. I have been able to use quite light tongue weights with no sway as a result. Since they can be inflated to 50psi, it makes the trailer easy to push by hand.

I towed my ski boat to IL and WI every year up until a couple of years ago. I never had a failure. I have heard of similar problems with the Goodyear.

jim

**ShorePounder** · 07-26-2006, 09:00 PM

I've had problems with the super pricey Marathons separating as if they were recaps. The tread just peels off of them. I switched to regular old passenger car radials and haven't had a problem with tires since. My Mirage trailer had car tires on it and I drug it from Texas to Florida, and then shortly after that from Florida to South Carolina and back. These were performance radials (Cooper Cobras and Cordovan Grand Prix's). They'd give you a stiffer sidewall than typical automotive tires. When one of the Coopers gave up the ghost (it was dry-rotted and I knew better than to run it). I pulled mine around with 16" Mustang wheels and Goodyear Eagle GS-C's

My last boat which I sold to Travis(outboards4life) had Marathons on it. One of them came apart a few days before Travis showed up to get the boat. I replaced it and made sure the spare was good so he'd get back home to Illinois. He made it, but I worried until I read he'd made it home.

**Ted Stryker** · 07-26-2006, 09:29 PM

I've had poor results from Cooper's also... 2 belts sperated and 2 treads separations... One of the belt failures was on My 1500 Siverado, and the other 3 failures were on Our shop Vans over a 4 year span and the Van tires were the Xtra load models... These were all what was thought to be a pretty "gravy" life for a tire... No high speed, and only a moderate weight loading with no towing involved.. With that said, I know of many people that have had great results from Cooper..

**Gordie Miller** · 07-26-2006, 09:30 PM

are snake oil. They go down the same crappy roads as the tow vehicle. Buy a good quality tire and be done with it.

**Tom Foley** · 07-27-2006, 06:28 AM

Yeah Gordie , I am done with snake oil !

**AwesomeBullet** · 07-27-2006, 05:11 PM

Dam Tom, what the hell are you doing to them tires? My Bullet had Goodyear Marathons on it, I put around 20,000 miles on the trailer before I traded the rig in. Never did anything to the tires other than inflate them to 50psi cold. No rotating, no balancing, no nuthing....My Stratos has Marathons on it and so far so good, and I know it weighs a hell of a lot more than your ski boat....

**Ted Stryker** · 07-27-2006, 05:27 PM

All the manufacturer's are capable of making a great tire and I believe the vast majority of them to be so, but alot of time it's the ones that slip through the QC that leave a lasting impression...

**brettster98** · 07-27-2006, 08:43 PM

must have tires balanced, other wise plan on spending time tightening screws every where on the boat..

**BUSHWACKER** · 07-28-2006, 12:26 AM

My 24' BB SUPERBOAT lived in Pa outside on grass, got towed towed to Key West several times then to Crystal River on 1987 FIRESTONE's 700X15 Load range D still on there
My 25' BB Wellcraft Nova got towed from Monroe Iowa to Crystal River Fl on F78X14 BF Goodrich's load range C look like car tires to me.

**euro scott** · 07-28-2006, 06:05 AM

the tires on the stv trailer gets munched by the torsion axle, i had to replace one axle already for the problem and the new one makes the tire wear goofy as well, im not real happy about this but i dont whats better spring rust and such or tire issues

**ShorePounder** · 07-28-2006, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by brettster98

must have tires balanced, other wise plan on spending time tightening screws every where on the boat..

When I had new tires put on my trailer, the kid at the tire shop looked at me like I was stupid when I said I wanted them balanced. "They're on a trailer" he says. Like it made a difference.