Recommended 5.30x12 Tire and Wheel Combo Galvanized or Powder Coated Wheel

Question:

Mid June I will be traveling to Florida from Pa. I bought 5.30x12 load star galvanized/ bias ply tires from you last year that are great but did not know they made radial tires in this size. I will be making a lot of long distance treks and think I should go with radials after reading up on this subject. Was hoping to get the combo gray powder coat rims or galvanized but not sure its available in time for my Florida trip. Also I like the 145r12 with aluminum rims but only have about 3/4inch from side of tire inside to wheel well with the 5.30, not sure if that maters. Plenty of room on top and outside. The trailer is a Shorelandr boat trailer.

asked by: David T

Expert Reply:

You're correct that for long distance travel you might find that radial tires are better suited because they won't have as much heat build up, which can ultimately lead to a tire failure. I don't recommend going up to a 145 r12 wheel and tire in this case since you're only going to have about 1/4" of space left on this swap, which really doesn't leave much room for error. However, the Taskmaster 5.30R12 Radial Trailer Tire w/ 12" Silver Mod Wheel - 5 on 4-1/2 - Load Range C # TA26RR you were looking at are a nice choice for a 5.30 x 12 and the grey powder coated wheels will do a nice job of standing up to rust and corrosion. These are still bias tires, but they have a higher 81 mph speed rating that should help

You could also make your own combo using the Steel Spoke Trailer Wheel # AM20134, which are a galvanized wheel and then use the Taskmaster 5.30r12 # TT53012C tires. This is the same as the the combo you were looking at with just a slightly different wheel. However, these are radial tires that would be preferred on your trips.
The drawback is that you would need to have them mounted locally.

expert reply by: Erik B