Recommended Radial Special Trailer Tires for 2015 Dutchmen Voltage Tandem-Axle Trailer

Question:

Just had our 2nd blowout in 2 months. Tires came with trailer: Westlake ST235/80R16. Were checking tire pressure before driving and keeping at recommended cold pressure 80psi. Speed rating is 75 mph, but we keep it around 60mph. What would be the best tire to recent future blowouts? Well probably replace all at this point.

asked by: Rob T

Expert Reply:

There are three things that typically cause heat-related tire failure: incorrect inflation, excessive speed and overloading the tire beyond its weight rating. Since you maintain your Westlake ST235/80R16 trailer tires at their full recommended 80-psi pressure (the right thing to do!) and operate them below their maximum rated speed that leaves the weight load on the tire as the potential smoking gun. Apart from these three causes the most likely reason for such a massive failure is a bit of road debris.

All of the tires we offer in your ST235/80-16 size are radials and most are rated as Load Range E, which is 3,520-lb maximum load at 80-psi. The Westlake # LHWL401 is likely to be the tire you have; it is rated for 75-mph and requires 80-psi. All tires in this size are shown on the linked page.

In order to go to a higher-weight-rated tire you will need to switch to size ST235/85-16, shown on the other linked page, which we offer in Load Ranges E, F and G. G-rated tires such as Taskmaster # TTWPRG235R16 are rated for up to 4400-lbs at their required 110-psi pressure. These tires also are rated for up to 81-mph. These tires should run cooler since they will be operated well below their speed and weight ratings.

Do note that the larger tire size will be about 1/2-inch taller overall. So long as you have adequate clearance to allow for normal suspension travel you will benefit from the higher-rated Taskmaster tires.

expert reply by: Adam R