Wheel & tire advice?

rodney eppes

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 3, 2010
Location
Mt.Holly NC 28120
I got a "new to me" car trailer, that has seen Very little use. Today, I finally got the chance to pull the wheels, & check the date on the tires. I considered swapping tires & rims, with my old trailer. Just my luck, different lug patterns! The new one has the 5 on 4.5, X 15. I think that's how you measure it. The old one is 5X5. My Best tires, are 3+ years old, so probably not worth swapping. Tires on the new trailer, are the originals, 205/75/15 Biased, 2006. Ok, I know I need to get tires, + I like radials. On the wheels, [white spoke], I can either touch up the rust & paint, twice a year, or get new or different ones. So, if a Jeep wheel fits, should I go with that, buy chrome, buy new painted again. What would you do? Got any wheels for sale? Btw, trailer rims, seem to be 6" lip to lip.
 
Watch out with jeep wheels rubbing the inside sidewall against the frame. I ruined a couple tires this way. They cleared unloaded and sitting flat, but rubbed once loaded and articulating at speed.

I've had very good luck with khumo trailer tires and have heard good.things about maxxis trailer tires.
 
I have used lots of trailer tires over the years I think there all about the same China junk so I just get the load range d cheap ones and replace them every 2 years or so
 
Don't have anything intelligent to add on the rims but one good paint job and I would think you should be fine for many years. As for tires, I will only run maxxis M8008 in that size - nothing else. You can read about them all day long if you wish. Used to be they came out of Thailand but were made to the old US standards. It's been awhile since I did my homework but they are on all my trailers that use a size maxxis makes. Make sure you get the M8008 model in the size you need, there is a 2nd maxxis line in those sizes that are a little cheaper but don't have the same specs. Those meet your radial preference. 7 years seems to be the magic number for trailer tires but that's more from a camper perspective since a blow out rips the floor out since there's no real fender. On a utility type trailer with steel fenders it's less catastrophic if one goes but I still mind that same time frame for all my trailer tires. I am always tossing tires that look new but they're relatively cheap in the grand scheme of the money I piss away so that's just how I operate. If you get into the 16" tire check out a brand called Sailun S637 if you get into the 7K axle territory but that's a topic for a different day. Those are the only two brands of ST tires I would own until you get into the 17.5" medium duty real commercial trailer wheels then you have more options. Some like to swap to LT tires and have plenty of rationale for that and you can again read all day about that but I don't think you can go wrong with the maxxis ST tires. Good luck
 
Thanks to all that replied! I hadn't thought about "offset" in different rims. The last big post talked a lot about Maxxis, being a great tire. Now, I think I'm ready to start pricing. Probably will just throw some paint on, for now, + will need at least 1 spare.
 
Update: Picked up my new set of Maxxis tires & wheels package today. Being that I didn't have a spare for This trailer, I just bought a new package. I'll carry some of the old set for spares.
Went with Discount Tire, & got a fair deal. They had to order the tires, from Maxxis, so I was surprised today, to check the build dates, & find that they are a year old! Last trailer tires I bought, a generic brand, were only like 2-3 months old. The wheels came with a dual bolt pattern, so That's an unexpected plus.
 
I should have noted that before I loaded them up,but I didn't. It was pouring Rain, as seems most of December did. I still haven't had the chance to mount them. What's done is done!
These are the M8008s. Their is a new version out, & I have to wonder if they stopped manufacturing this style? It's not bothering me, but I'm still learning!
 
Some age on brand new tires is not surprising. Remember these get made in large batches in molds that have to be swapped out of machines that get used for lots of different tires. So when a manufacturer does a run they make a PILE of tires in that size, then they go to warehouses to get distributed as needed. You buying one or even four tires is not a blip on the proverbial radar for a manufacturer that is producing thousands of tires in one batch.

Unless they are stored in poor conditions a tire will be fine sitting around for years without an issue.
 
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