Can 4.80-12 Trailer Tires be Used in Place of 4.80-8 Trailer Tires

Question:

I have read a previous post about this and just want to make sure I am following it. The center hub size does not make a difference as long as I have to place the rim onto lugs nuts and not onto the center hub and have to tighted the wheels with lug nuts and not wheel studs like a VW uses. I am also wondering if the 12in wheel would be better on a 200+ mile trip all highway

asked by: Eric C

Expert Reply:

Basically you are correct. If the wheel attaches to the hub using lug nuts then the pilot hole of the wheel can be larger but not smaller than the hub where the wheel sits.

If the wheel attaches to the hub using bolts then the pilot hole has to be exact.

A 12 inch tire is going to have less revolutions so it would not take as much wear as an 8 inch tire. But 200 or so miles would not necessitate going to a larger size. So in other words you would be fine sticking with the 8 inch tires.

The size difference is minimal. A 4.80-8 is going to be 4.7 inches wide with a diameter of 16.1 inches. And a 4.80-12 is going to be 4.9 inches wide with a 20.7 inch inch diameter.

As long as you have greater than 2.3 inches of space above the existing tires and great than 0.2 inches between the side of the existing tires and the trailer then you can use the larger size.

expert reply by: Michael H