Are 235/80/16 Load Range E Rated High Enough for a 15,000 lb GVWR Trailer

Question:

My Trailer needs tires. My Trailer has 7,000 lb axels and the GVWR is 15,000 lbs. The tires that came from the manufacturer were 235/80/16 E rated at just over 3145 lbs. Does not look like theyre rated high enough for the weight of my trailer. Does not add up or is there some math Im missing? I am a full timer carrying close to the max GVWR of the trailer.

asked by: Randy B

Helpful Expert Reply:

Great question!

The thing that a lot of people forget is that the tongue weight (TW) of the trailer takes some of that GVWR. Since a properly loaded trailer should have a TW that is 10-15% of the loaded weight of the trailer this means that if you carried enough stuff to sit right at the GVWR of 15,000 lbs then your axles would be left to carry between 12,750 lbs - 13,500 lbs of weight. Although this means your 7,000 lb axles are rated high enough to handle the weight, unless you are nearer to that 15% of TW (leaving you with 12,750 lbs for the axles) you very well could be overloading your tires.

If you would like to stick with ST235/80R16 tires that have a load range of E then I highly recommend the Taskmaster Provider Radial Trailer Tire # TTWTRTM2358016E. The load range of E for this is 3,520 lbs at 80 psi which puts you at a total of 14,080 lbs for 4 tires. As long as you have your loaded TW at least at 10% you will not be overloading these tires plus they have an 81 mph speed rating. These tires come with a 2-year limited warranty.

For the same size tire that has a load range of G (4,080 lbs at 110 psi) we have the Provider Radial Trailer Tire # PRG80235. This has a speed rating of 81 mph and comes with a 2-year limited warranty plus it is also rated for much more weight than you need it to carry meaning the tires won't be as stressed.

I have linked review videos for both tires so that you can get a little more info on each as well.

expert reply by: Jon G