Replacement Special Trailer Tires in Size ST235/80R16 for Tandem Dual-tire Gooseneck Trailer

Question:

Right now Ive got Freestar ST235/80R16, T103, tire on my goose neck, dual tire, tandem axle trailer. Last year I had 1 go flat, belt separation, replaced it, this year had another. I dont want to jump in and replace all 8. Is there a tire that would match up to said Freestar so I will be able to convert over as they go bad? Thanks.

asked by: Kent H

Expert Reply:

We certainly can help you select a replacement special trailer tire in the correct size and with an equivalent load rating to use in place of the Freestar tires that seem not to be providing you with the reliability you need.

On the linked page you'll see all ST235/80-16 tire and wheel/tire products. For just the tire click on that category to see items like the Load Range G Provider Radial # PRG80235 which is rated to handle 3640-lbs at 110-psi when used in a dual tire installation. This tire is rated for speeds up to 81-mph, an M speed rating, making it ideal for the interstate.

The main cause for tire failure is heat. Excess heat will build up in a tire for three primary reasons.

Perhaps the most common issue is incorrect inflation pressure. Trailer tires should always be inflated to the maximum COLD pressure noted on their sidewall. It is never appropriate to under- or over-inflate a trailer tire for any reason; there are no benefits in terms of wear or traction by using a different pressure than what is indicated on the sidewall. Tires naturally warm up from driving, and this temporarily increases their pressure. You do not need to compensate for this. Tire pressure also changes based on the outside temperature, about 1-lb-psi for every 10-degrees F. Again, you do not have to compensate for this. Just make sure that at the start of your towing day the cold tires have their specified inflation pressure.

Overloading is the next most common cause for tire failure. You want to take the trailer GVWR and divide this by the number of tires on the trailer so you know what weight load will be on each one. It is always, naturally, a good idea to have several hundred pounds of safety margin on each tire.

The third most common cause for tire failure is operating them faster than their rated maximum speed. If someone had all three of these issues going on at once then tire failure is almost a sure thing.

Keep in mind that you never want to mix tire types; radials and bias ply tires should not be mixed, nor should weight load ranges, unless of course you are replacing properly-rated tires with others than have extra capacity as safety margin.