I have a 16ft Load Trail Trailer that I bought earlier this summer.

The tires have started to wear unevenly. Every other tread across the tire is wearing more than the ones next to them.

I'm running Milestar tires. Anyone have any experience with these?

Can I run an equally load rated truck tire? I saw a huge boat in bumper to bumper traffic and he was running Goodyear Wrangler tires on all three axles.

What brands have you run and had good success with?

Do you get your tires and wheels balanced? I called my local trailer dealer and they told me they don't balance them because the hubs aren't balanced.

Discuss....

The trailer has never been overloaded since I have owned it. I have been religious about tire pressure everytime I've towed it.

I love the Goodyear Marathons. Tire pressure is key to making any tire live.Definitely stick with a radial.

The Marathons have been on mt dual axles I have had. My triple axle race trailer runs Truck LT radials and I have not had it for more thank 10k miles. I am happy with them so far. I had one punctured and replaced and it is apparently common to see that. It was new to me.LTs are definitely cheaper than trailer tires.

Thanks for the reply. I spoke with my local tire guy and he confirmed that there is no reason I can't run a truck tire instead of a trailer tire. He said he has never in 20 years seen a trailer tire replaced because of it being worn out. He said they were replaced only because of a problem with the tire like uneven wearing or tread separation. I think I'm going to go with a truck tire for now and see what happens.

He also said the main difference between trailer tires and truck tires is the inner core of a trailer tire is harder than a truck tire. The truck tires are more flexible for ride quality.

Your tire guy is an idiot. Trailer tires are contructed differently to handle the sideloads a trailer tire sees, where a truck tire is weaker in the sidewall.

Your tire guy is an idiot. Trailer tires are contructed differently to handle the sideloads a trailer tire sees, where a truck tire is weaker in the sidewall.

BINGO!!! On all counts.

I have replaced trailer tires due to blow-outs, weather-checking (dry-rot), and last but not least, because they were plain worn out and slicker than a drag tire...

http://www.outbackers.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t15775.html

Contact Milestar and see wht they will do for you. From the sounds of it, you could replace your tires with a set of Maxxis tires and Milestar will pick up 80% of the tab.

I run 10 ply rated truck tires (LT245-75R16E) on my tandem axle trailer. I've NEVER had a problem.

In fact, I buy them used since they'll die of tire rot LONG before I run out of tread.

IMO- the only time a trailer tire sees a sideload greater than that of a truck (or car) is when you are making sharp corners. Out of the entire tires life, how much time is that, really. The sidewalls of tires on a DD trail rig see far more abuse.

I also run E rated truck tires on my trailer, never had a problem. I understand the differances between the truck and trailer tires but can't afford to replace trailer tires every few years because of age, dryrot, etc. My work has a fleet of vans and I can get matched sets of tires almost anytime I need them, for free:D

That being said I would buy trailer tires if it was a trailer that got used every day or if I put lots and lots of miles on it.

brewchief

I run 10 ply rated truck tires (LT245-75R16E) on my tandem axle trailer.

Same here. 10k trailer w/5200 lb axles. OE spec is for 7.00-15 LR Ds, it had Cs on it when I bought it. I decided to buy new wheels instead of the Ds (which are rated ~2500 lbs, IIRC), and run the 245s that I'd taked off my truck (rated ~3000 lbs).

The 245s I originally put on all failed, they all slipped belts and developed bubbles/high spots on the tread. They were Bridgestones with a fairly mild tread design. They have all been since replaced with takeoffs from the local tire place, and no more problems. I think the Bridgestones I had just couldn't handle the sideloads from the tire scrub.

I did notice a difference in the way the trailer handled after going to the 16s, much better. I wasn't overloaded with the old C rated 7.00-15s, but I was right about maxed out.

Pete

http://www.outbackers.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t15775.html

Contact Milestar and see wht they will do for you. From the sounds of it, you could replace your tires with a set of Maxxis tires and Milestar will pick up 80% of the tab.


Thanks for posting that. I spoke with TireCo today and they're sending me 4 new Freestar tires tomorrow. I'm probably going to stick with these for a little while and upgrade to a better tire later.

If anyone has had any problems with their Milestars, call TireCo and talk to them. They told me that I could either get a new set from them for free or go get a set locally and take a chance that they won't reimburse me for a whole set.

Thanks for posting that. I spoke with TireCo today and they're sending me 4 new Freestar tires tomorrow. I'm probably going to stick with these for a little while and upgrade to a better tire later.

If anyone has had any problems with their Milestars, call TireCo and talk to them. They told me that I could either get a new set from them for free or go get a set locally and take a chance that they won't reimburse me for a whole set.

Same thing they told me except they're sending me 5 to replace the spare. I can't complain, the tires are a couple years old and if these crappy Freestars last a year I put off buying new tires for that long. :D

Looks like you found the problem but I would like to post my experiences.

I ran load range E 245 75 16 tires on my 10000# trailer and had a host of problems with them. I had flats, sidewall damage, broken belts, severe vibrations, etc.... I was putting around 10000 miles a year on the trailer loaded to 75% of max weight.

I switched to goodyear marathon trailer tires 6 years ago and have not had a single problem since. I'm running the same set I purchased new at that time. I'm towing around 7000 miles a year now but my load has gone up to 90% of max weight.

I paid twice the cost of the load range E radials initially but have saved a LOT more in the 6 years since.

I take quite a few trips with a guy that still runs the load range E radials and he carrier two spares with him. It's rare that he doesn't use at least one on a 2500 mile trip. He's at 100% load rating though.

I'm not saying that everyone that runs the truck radials will have problems. I'm only saying that I did. You may get by.

Running the same marathons I bought new in 1999. No problems, normal wear and pull great. Not exactly sure of the mileage on them, but it's in the 20-30k range. 5-6 cross country trips, plus countless local trips. Not one single issue ever.

I was looking at the Marathons before I discovered that Milestar will warranty my set of tires. I will most likely go with these when the Freestar's wear out. I've always had good luck with all of the Goodyear tires I have purchased.

I was looking at the Marathons before I discovered that Milestar will warranty my set of tires. I will most likely go with these when the Freestar's wear out. I've always had good luck with all of the Goodyear tires I have purchased.

My 5 new Freestars showed up this morning, I plan to have them mounted next week and we'll see how they hold up. Either way I'll be carrying 4 spares no matter what... if I get a year out of them at least I didn't have to buy new tires for a year. :D

I can't claim experience running LTs on my trailer, but the Marathons are performing flawlessly! IMO, it's money very well spent.