Recommended Upgrade for 4.80/4.00-8 Tires For Highway Speeds

Question:

Hello, Id like to upgrade my 4x8 utility trailer to be capable of highway speed for camping, 1,000 lbs. Do I only need to upgrade wheels? Currently the tires Kenda high speed trailer K3A3 T08, 4.80/4 - 8. What would you recommend? And can I upgrade to a larger wheel, like 12? Thanks

asked by: Jay D

Expert Reply:

For best highway performance at sustained speeds above 65 miles per hour, you'll definitely need to go with a larger wheel size, as the 4.80/4.00-8 tires we offer aren't rated for speeds above 65 mph (which I assume is what you mean by 'highway speeds'. Don't get me wrong, the tires we offer in this size are just fine for highway use, but not at high speed. Exceeding the speed rating of a tire will cause the tire to heat up, and excessive heat build-up is one of the primary causes of premature tire failure, along with overloading them.

As you mentioned, in order to get a radial tire which is what I'd recommend for frequent highway use at higher speeds, you'll need to move up to a 12 inch wheel and 145/80-12 tire like # AM10130 which is a Load Range D tire with plenty of capacity for the trailer you describe. This is a radial tire which is what I'd recommend for longer highway trips, and the tire carries an M speed rating, up to 81 mph.

We don't sell it mounted on a wheel, but you can go with the # AM20140 12 x 4 white spoke wheel and have the tire mounted locally.

A 145/80-12 tire is 5.2 inches larger in diameter than your existing 4.80/4.00-8 tires, so if your trailer has fenders, they very likely won't fit and you'd need to remove the existing fenders and replace them using something like # CE19500-2. Going with the larger tires will increase the height of your trailer by about 2.6 inches.

I've linked to product videos for the wheel, tire and fenders I recommended.