Larger Tires And Wheels For Utility Trailer Application

Question

Question:

Hi. I have Kenda Loadstar K353 high speed 4.80x12 5-4.5 trailer tires on a flipped-axel utility trailer. I am considering either wider and/or taller high speed tires for increased traction/clearance. Most of my trailer use is city and highway, but I also go off-road camping. Would you have any suggestions for me? I have read several comments and responses on etrailer.com, but has yet have not come to a conclusion.

asked by: Nathan A

1

Helpful Expert Reply:

For increased height and clearance on your utility trailer, you can use the Kenda Karrier ST175/80R13 Radial Trailer Tire w/ 13" White Mini Mod Wheel - 5 on 4-1/2 - Load Range D # AM31991. This will give you a section width of 7 inches and an outer diameter of 24.1 inches.

This will give you a wider tire by 2.2 inches and a taller tire by 3.6 inches. As long as you have 1.1 inches of clearance more on the inside between your frame and the sidewall of your tire and have clearance with any fender or frame on the top for the additional 3.6 inches, you can make this work.

expert reply by: Jason S

1

Answer 1

I have another option for you, but we do not have any 13" trailer wheels with offset to push the tire further from the frame, and do not recommend using any spacers as they can cause additional stress on the hubs which can wear out bearings and…

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Answer 2

You can upgrade to larger tires but you will need larger wheels and also ensure you have the right amount of clearance. With trailer tires, the general rule of thumb is you want at least 3" of clearance from the top of the tire to your fender…

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Answer 3

I do have a recommendation for you to replace your 145R12 size tires with a tire that fits on a 13" wheel but you will need to note that you need to have extra room both in your wheel wells as well as between your tire and the frame of your…

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Answer 4

You have already done most of the work in regards to knowing your bolt pattern and the Loadstar ST185/80D13 Bias Trailer Tire with 13" Galvanized Wheel #AM3S334 does have a 5 on 4-1/2" bolt pattern so the wheel is going to fit. Since you…

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Answer 5

The minimum distance between the inside of a tire and the frame rail depends a lot on the setup of the trailer. But as long as the tire and the frame don't touch you would be fine. It's hard to give an exact figure as trailer setups can vary…

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Answer 6

We have ST145/R12 trailer tires with a load range E, the Kenda Karrier S-Trail #AM10140. If you wanted to go to a larger tire and wheel you could do so but you would need to ensure you have the needed clearance of about three inches from your trailer…

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Answer 7

You do indeed have a 12 inch rim. When you measure the diameter of the wheel, you'll need to measure the diameter of he wheel where the tire bead meets the wheel. I've provided you a cutaway diagram of a wheel showing where the measurement…

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Answer 8

Generally speaking, larger tires can be added to a trailer as long as you have the needed wheel well and trailer frame clearance. I took a look at the specs for your 2016 Little Guy T@G Trailer and it looks like it came equipped with 175/80D13 tires…

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Answer 9

You can certainly go with a larger wheel/tire combo, like the #AM3S050. This is a 175/80-13 tire on a white spoke wheel, which is about 3.5 inches taller and around 2 inches wider than your existing tires. Because we're talking a circular object,…

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Answer 10

Switching from a 4.80-12 size tire to an ST175/80R13 is quite a decent jump in size but it really just depends on how much room you currently have available both between the top of the tires and fender and between the side of the tire and trailer…

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Answer 11

There are a couple of factors that will determine if you are able to use a larger size tire and wheel on your trailer. First you will want to make sure that your trailer hub will accept a larger size wheel. Many of the trailer hub assemblies we offer…

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Answer 12

I've linked our selection of 175/80-13 sized tire and wheel combos for you but it sounds like you've already looked through them. Since your trailer will mainly be on the highway I definitely suggest going with radials like #AM31991. Radial…

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Larger Tires And Wheels For Utility Trailer Application

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