Will Increasing Trailer Tire Size Improve Tire Reliability for Carry On 5 x 10 Utility Trailer  

Question:

Expert Reply:

I have a solution for you to potentially increase your utility trailer tires' durability but you may not need to change your tire size.

A larger diameter/wider trailer tire can be substituted for the stock size when there is enough clearance within the wheel well/fender and around suspension and brake components. Your size ST205/75D15 tires have an overall diameter of right around 27-inches while a 225/75-15 will be about 1-1/2-inches larger at about 28-1/2-inches. You need to maintain at least 3 inches of clearance above the top tread surface to allow for normal suspension travel.

In terms of width the 205 size is about 8-inches wide while the 225 is almost 9-inches wide. If you have the internal clearance for this wide a tire to fit without it contacting anything then you're good to go. Do please note that both of these two tire sizes will fit on certain rims (15 x 6 and 15 x 6-1/2) but narrower 5- and 5-1/2-inch wide rims cannot take a 225 size tire.

However, for durability you will be better off simply using the same tire size but in a higher Load Range rating. One of the linked pages displays trailer tires/wheels in your tire size and 5-on-4-1/2 bolt pattern, such as Kenda # AM32418DX. These are all rated as Load Range D, 2150-lbs capacity at their rated pressure of 65-psi. Using a higher load range tire means it will run cooler, and a cooler tire will generally last longer.

I also linked our page for tires only in case you want to keep your current rims and mount the new tires locally.

Please note that special trailer tires should always be inflated to their maximum rated psi pressure as noted on the tire sidewall. It is never appropriate to under- or over-inflate a trailer tire for any reason. Tires will run cooler when properly inflated, operated within their speed rating and within their load capacity.

expert reply by: Adam R

0