Trailer Tires to Replace 12.5x8x10 Tires on a Jayco Trailer

Question:

I am looking for tires for my 1994 j-1406 jayco trailer. Tire size is 12.5x8x10. The last trip we took was 12,000 miles in 60 days. We had three blow outs and the tires wore fast. When I bought replacement tires the tread wore down like butter on the inside of the tire so it wasnt visible immediately. I am hoping that maybe I just got the wrong tread or something. Or is something else off? I need to replace all four tires. What is the best tire for this trailer. Another trip is in the near future! :

asked by: David B

Helpful Expert Reply:

Tread wear on the inside of the tread indicates that either the trailer is overloaded or there is something off with the suspension. Make sure you are within the weight capacity of trailer and the tires. You can check the suspension for signs of excessive wear such as broken parts or egg-shaped mounting holes (which would cause abnormal travel and positioning of the suspension).

Also, for any given tire size there are different load ranges available. The higher the load range letter in the alphabet the higher the capacity will be.

For a 10 inch the modern size is a 205/65-10. This tire size will be 20-1/2 inches tall and 8.4 inches wide. The highest capacity is going to be a load range E, # AM1HP56, rated for 1,650 pounds at 90 psi.

Things that will wear out a trailer tire are going to be overloading, under inflation, and traveling faster than what the tires are rated for. Trailer tires should always be inflated to the maximum psi indicated on the tire. This is because trailer tires are built with a thicker sidewall compared to passenger vehicle tires to handle more vertical load. If under inflated the thicker sidewall will produce excessive heat and cause the tire to fail.

Similarly, if you go faster than the tire is rated for, it will generate excessive heat. The tires we carry are rated for 65 miles per hour.

expert reply by: Michael H