Recommended Radial Versus Bias Trailer Tires for Tandem Axle Trailer

Question:

Ive bought a new tire on my 4 wheel trailer its an st175 80 r13 gt radial and the three other one are st175 80 d13 load star. The d one were 4 ply and the r one are 6 ply. The seller told me better bying a 6 ply then a 4 i agreed with that thats what i look for when i buy some tires for my truck since we oftenlly go in the bush. But he did not mention it was an r instead of a d. It look a bit higher is that possible and will i end up having problems. Thanks a lot!

asked by: David C

Expert Reply:

When using trailer tires, you want all your tires to match so they will wear evenly and have the same traction. It is not recommended to use a mix of radial and bias tires. The radial tires are made differently from the bias tires, so they will absolutely wear differently and will also heat up differently when in use. The friction from contact with the ground will allow the bias tires to heat up more than the radial. Since you often go in the bush, you will want to determine if a bias tire is better for you which is better for off road use or if a radial is the better choice which is designed for highway use. Whichever the majority of your travel will be is what I recommend using.

The load range and ply rating will go hand in hand and will not be dependent on radial versus bias design. The ply rating has to do with the sidewall thickness.

The highest rating we have in the ST175/80-13 tires is ply rating 8 and load rating max of 1,610 lbs at 65 psi. This is available in radial # AM10210 or bias # AM1ST77. The only negative of the stiffer sidewall is a more rigid ride and a max speed rating of 65 mph on these tires.

If you choose to go with a load range C tire with 6 ply, that will give you a smoother ride I recommend the Taskmaster Provider # TTWTRTM1758013C for a radial which will give you a speed rating of 81 mph. Likewise the Taskmaster # TTWTD17513C for a bias tire has that same speed rating. Both have a load capacity of 1,360 lbs max.