Upgrade for Existing ST205/65-10 Tires on Double PWC Trailer For Highway Travel

Question:

I currently have a steel double PWC trailer with 2 750lb wave runners. I am running 205/65-10 bias ply tires and have some 600 mile trips planned. What size radial upgrade would handle weight, highway speeds, and the distance or should I just stick with the stock bias ply size?

asked by: Matthew K

Expert Reply:

Your stock tire size would work fine, but given the fairly extensive travel you're planning it might not be a bad idea to at least consider upgrading to a radial tire. As there aren't any radial options in the 205/65-10 tire size, you'd need to upgrade to a 12 inch wheel. Radial tires provide a much better highway ride and do a much better job of dispersing excess heat than bias-ply tires do. Since excess heat is the number one cause of premature tire failure, upgrading to radial tires would be a good choice.

The average double PWC trailer weighs around 500 lbs at most. Combined with the 1500 lbs of weight of your PWC's, you're looking at a maximum of 2000 lbs. I'd recommend going with a ST145-12 size in a load range D, which would provide 2440 lbs of capacity, which should be sufficient. This tire size will move your tire about 1/2 inch closer to the underside of the fender. Assuming you have more than 3-1/2 inches of clearance between your existing tires and the underside of the fender currently, moving to the larger tire size will work just fine for you.

For a basic galvanized wheel with a 5 on 4-1/2 inch bolt pattern, I'd go with part # AM31202. If you'd like to dress things up a little bit, but still have a wheel with great corrosion resistance, go with an aluminum wheel option, part # AM31215 Since you are increasing the wheel size, you might also consider going with the same size spare, as it's not a great idea to mix tire sizes.

expert reply by: Mike L