Can Trailer Tires Be Under-Inflated to Reduce Trailer Bounce

Question:

Have a small boat trailer with 20.5 x 8 x 10 tires, Maximum weight of boat, motor and weight is estimated at less than 1000 lbs. Can I inflate to 30 to 35 psi or should I inflate to max on tire side wall of 70 psi. Trailer seems to bounce all over the road when inflated to maxs psi recommended.

asked by: Tony D

Expert Reply:

Trailer tires should always be inflated to their maximum air pressure. If the max psi listed on your trailer's side wall is 70 psi, then you will want to be sure to inflate the tires to 70 psi. I cannot recommend that you under-inflate your tires to 35 psi.

If the tire is not inflated to the max psi, the amount of weight the tire can safely carry will be reduced. Tires are designed to carry a particular amount of weight at a particular psi rating. If the tires are under-inflated and too heavy of a load is placed on the tires, the sidewall of the tire could heat up and cause tire failure.

The best solution I can recommend for you is to replace your existing tires with the same size tire but with a lower psi rating. The equivalent tire size to your existing 20.5x8x10 size tires is 205/65-10. The lowest rated 205/65-10 size tire we offer is the Loadstar K399, 205/65-10 Bias Trailer Tire, Load Range B # AM1HP50. This tire has a maximum load rating of 910 pounds at 35 psi. This is a much lower psi rating than your existing tires, but will still offer you enough capacity to safely carry your boat trailer.

You can see all of our 205/65-10 size tire on the linked page. I have also attached a help article on trailer tires for you.

expert reply by: Victoria B