Tire wear questions for the experts...

Wil

Hi All,
This is my third summer with my T@B and as I un-hitched it a few weeks ago, I noticed that the outside of my tires are wearing far more than the inner tire. They will need to be replaced before my summer adventures continue. My summers include long trips from Texas up to the Pacific Northwest and BC - so we have about 10000 miles on the trailer so far.  Seems early to be needing new tires. Any suggestions as to what might be causing the uneven wear?

wil

Sharon_is_SAM

Did you balance them?  Factory does not balance them.

KBaggins1

If they are the old bias ply tires, 10000 is probably all you are going to get. Radial tires last a lot longer, make less noise and we noticed the trailer was more stable. If your tires have a D in the size designation, they are bias ply tires.

Wil

Our trailer is a 2015 ...  it is stored at a friend's right now - I'll have to take a look when I get back. Where does one get trailer tires balanced?

KBaggins1

Any tire dealer can do it for you.

2Cougs

I will be honest... I thought the title of this thread was "tie wear"... Should know by now to have my glasses on!!!

ericnliz

@Wil, As @KBaggins1 stated, you might, in fact, have bias ply tires on your trailer. Should say: 205/75D14 for the tire size, if they are bias ply. ST (trailer use designation) 205/75R14 is the radial designation. Bias ply tires work differently than radial tires in the manner that a bias ply tire does not keep the tread flat on the surface of the road when turning, it actually lifts a portion of the tread as the force of a corner acts on the tire because of the "bias" construction. A radial tire remains flat on the road surface during cornering because of the sidewall to sidewall radial construction. Radial tires also run a lot cooler than do bias ply, again because of this construction factor. Balancing will not cause edge wear, it will cause "cupping" wear because of the bouncing effect from imbalance. You should, however have the new tires balanced for both a better ride, and better wear. Use the search menu above, and put in "trailer tires", go to "Time for new tires", excellent information from both @AldebaranJill , and @wizard1880 . These two do their research thoroughly, and the Goodyear Marathon in my humble opinion is an excellent choice. Hope this helps you out. BTW, I was in the tire business for over thirty years, and have also done my research as well.
@2Cougs , We'll do the "tie wear" issue at another time if 'ya like. I also have some spare reading glasses I could loan you!  

Tabnero

Even if your tires are radials, most ST tire manufacturers state 12,000 miles for the life of the tire. The tread may look fine, however the accumulated heat damage is the real problem. The fact that the tires are worn on the out side would suggest alignment. Sometimes the mount to the trailer is not square and should be corrected. New tires for you before going anywhere would be the best bet

ericnliz

@Tabnero, That would be a camber, or toe correction if, in fact that's the case. The T@Bs come with stub axles, rather than a solid one piece axle, bolted directly to the trailer frame. Would be quite a coincidence to have equal wear on both sides. Heat damage usually shows up with cracking/splitting on the sidewalls from UV rays, being exposed to lots of hot direct sunlight. I agree, new tires should be on the menu!

Wil

Thanks for all the info!!!  I have no intention of going anywhere before those puppies are replaced.... then it's off to Crater Lake and the Redwoods

ericnliz

@Wil, Good to hear! You'll love Crater Lake! Nice scenery, and pleasant trip. If 'ya ever get up this way, stop & say howdy! Have fun & travel safe.  

2Cougs

Love Crater Lake and the Redwoods!  Have a wonderful trip!

Ratkity

Very punny, @ericnliz! Ugh... I need a spare tissue....

DABWCA

Tire wear seems to be an issue for my 2015 T@B. About 5-6 thousand on my original 205/75R14 Rainier tires. Inflated to 42-45 with mostly highway travel @ 55-65. T@B behaved well but both tires are totally worn on outter sides. Tread on insides are serviceable but almost done.

The uneven wear concerns me most, but 6,000 miles seems awfully low for pretty good quality radial trailer tires. Have any of you had similar tire wear?

My biggest surprise: I discovered today that the spare is a 205/75D14.  That's a bias tire, not a radial. And I've always been told that radials and bias tires shouldn't be used together. I know that at least some other T@Bs are delivered with the same bias radials. Should we all be concerned about this?

Wil

I did replace my tires with Goodyear Endurance tires. They are radials - my guess is that the original tires were bias tires. The new ones are inflated to 65 psi and the ride is much much better. They weren't the cheapest, but my peace of mind is worth a lot. Redwoods are beautiful!!!

DABWCA

Wil - My plan is to replace my existing tires with Endurance tires, which seem now to be among the best out there - way better than the now retired Goodyear Marathon. If "Clementine" was built in 2015, it should have been equiped with the same radials that were on mine as the T@Bs were marketed with radials at that time. Mine didn't last too long even though inflated higher than the recommended 35psi.  Check your spare.  My guess is that it is a bias ply tire -- not good to use with radials.

David (Austin resident from 1986 to 1994)

Sharon_is_SAM

Are you balancing the tires after the Tab purchase?  The factory does not balance them.

DABWCA

Probably not balanced, but several sources have told me that an unbalanced tire would not only wear unevenly but also show evidence of cupping. Both of my tires are pretty evenly worn on the outer tread.

Wil

I did not get the spare replaced - will check to see if it is a bias or radial at the next camp. Thanks!  I love this forum - really appreciate all the people willing to share their knowledge.