New trailer tires

Captains Cat":1nc2nz3b said:
Bought a car for one of the kids a few months ago and one of the extras was nitrogen in the tires, about $100 worth to be exact. When I asked how much it would be with air instead, he offered to replace it for only $50. We went elsewhere!
...

Charlie
Click to expand...

That reminds me of a local "tire shop" (they sell mostly used tires :roll: ) where I checked for trailer tires for a boat trailer we had before the C-Dory. I asked, "Do you have Goodyear tires?"

He replied, "Yeah, dees are good."

I said, "No, Goodyear - the brand."

He said, "Yeah, dees are good for a year."

Ummm... no thanks.

:mrgreen:
 
Nitrogen to inflate tires in lieu of air is a scam for ordinary use, even the moisture content of air argument. If the air goes in as a gas when filled, the rise in temperature when the tire is in use will keep that water in vapor form, not liquid. Water vapor does not degrade rubber. Neither does ordinary oxygen. What really hurts rubber is ozone, one of the components of smog.

Air, a 4:1 mix of nitrogen and oxygen, will change pressure in response to temperature changes exactly as will pure nitrogen. Gases don't operate like liquids that way. The only difference between a tire filled with nitrogen and one filled with air is the weight of the gas inside, which would be about one seventh of an ounce greater for the air filled tire I guess the NASCAR crowd feels that is a disadvantage, in a tire that weighs what, 40 pounds or so? I doubt it.
 
From Discounts Website:

Trailer Tire Applications
•Trailer tires are designed for use on trailer axle positions only. They are not built to handle the loads applied to, or the traction required by, drive or steering axles.

Inflation
•Always inflate trailer tires to the maximum inflation indicated on the sidewall.
•Check inflation when the tires are cool and have not been exposed to the sun.
•If the tires are hot to the touch from operation, add three psi to the max inflation.
•Underinflation is the number one cause of trailer tire failure.

Load Carrying Capacity
•All tires must be identical in size for the tires to properly manage the weight of the trailer.
•The combined capacity of the tires must equal or exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) of the axle.
•The combined capacity of all of the tires should exceed the loaded trailer weight by 20 percent.
•If the actual weight is not available, use the trailer GVW. If a tire fails on a tandem axle trailer, you should replace both tires on that side. The remaining tire is likely to have been subjected to excessive loading.
•If the tires are replaced with tires of larger diameter, the tongue height may need to be adjusted to maintain proper weight distribution.

Speed
•All "ST" tires have a maximum speed rating of 65 mph.
•As heat builds up, the tire's structure starts to disintegrate and weaken.
•The load carrying capacity gradually decreases as the heat and stresses generated by higher speed increases.

Time
•Time and the elements weaken a trailer tire.
•In approximately three years, roughly one-third of the tire's strength is gone.
•Three to five years is the projected life of a normal trailer tire.
•It is suggested that trailer tires be replaced after three to four years of service regardless of tread depth or tire appearance.

Mileage
•Trailer tires are not designed to wear out.
•The life of a trailer tire is limited by time and duty cycles.
•The mileage expectation of a trailer tire is 5,000 to 12,000 miles.

Why Use An "ST" Tire
•"ST" tires feature materials and construction to meet the higher load requirements and demands of trailering.
•The polyester cords are bigger than they would be for a comparable "P" or "LT" tire.
•The steel cords have a larger diameter and greater tensile strength to meet the additional load requirements.
•"ST" tire rubber compounds contain more chemicals to resist weather and ozone cracking.

Storage
•The ideal storage for trailer tires is in a cool, dark garage at maximum inflation.
•Use tire covers to protect the tires from direct sunlight.
•Use thin plywood sections between the tire and the pavement.
•For long term storage, put the trailer on blocks to take the weight off the tires. Then lower the air pressure and cover the tires to protect them from direct sunlight.

Maintenance
•Clean the tires using mild soap and water.
•Do not use tire-care products containing alcohol or petroleum distillates.
•Inspect the tires for any cuts, snags, bulges or punctures.
•Check the inflation before towing and again before the return trip.

Keys to Avoiding Trouble
•Make sure your rig is equipped with the proper tires.
•Maintain the tires meticulously.
•Replace trailer tires every three to five years, whether they look like they're worn out or not.
 
As long as we're discussing it, here's another idea I've picked up over the years from reading.

The synthetic rubber in tires breaks down in sunlight (probably mostly due to UV but also because of the heating/cooling cycles over long repeated exposures, so manufacturer's add a compound into the rubber to protect the tire sidewalls from sunlight degradation.

The compound is distributed throughout the rubber sidewalls, and heating the tire up significantly on the road brings new compound to the surface to protect the sidewalls.

Problems are then incurred as some trailers/tires set for long periods, not being used and bring new protection to the surface. Then the sidewalls dry out, begin to crack and get ready to fail under way.

This, of course, is why folks with RV's and trailers that are often stored for long periods cover their tires to avoid the deterioration and/or use a spray on tire protectant.

Using your trailer frequently would certainly at least partially avoid this issue, but since it takes several years or more for most of us to wear down a set of tires, the 5 years or so of recommended maximum tire life begins to make sense.

Let me know if this is incorrect or partially an advertising/sales promotional spin off/rationalization from the tire and auto accessories industry. (Been had again?)

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Very curious about a couple of things on this list:

Aurelia said:
•Always inflate trailer tires to the maximum inflation indicated on the sidewall.
Click to expand...

I would have thought one would do it like RV tires. That is, weigh the boat/trailer combo to figure out how much weight is on each tire, and then inflate accordingly. I'd like to know which method is better.

Aurelia":kbaj5f47 said:
•Trailer tires are not designed to wear out.
•The life of a trailer tire is limited by time and duty cycles.
•The mileage expectation of a trailer tire is 5,000 to 12,000 miles.
Click to expand...

I don't have any issue with the first two points in this list, but the last one... 5,000 miles? Really? That's scarcely more than one trip from the Florida Keys to the Pacific Northwest. It would never occur to me to buy a brand new set of trailer tires (with current date codes), drive that distance, and then need to get another brand new set. Thoughts?

Aurelia":kbaj5f47 said:
•The ideal storage for trailer tires is in a cool, dark garage at maximum inflation.
Click to expand...
Not a warehouse, a carport, or a shed, mind you, but a garage :wink

Aurelia":kbaj5f47 said:
•Use thin plywood sections between the tire and the pavement.
Click to expand...

This is interesting (presuming by "pavement" they mean the floor of above-recommended garage). Is this like the myth that batteries should not be stored on concrete*?

(*Which had a basis in fact many many years ago but is no longer valid.)

Sunbeam
 
They are trying to sell tires after all. The tire life 5000mi +.... is plausible based on my experience with tires on various vehicles. The range of actual life would be broad and based on many factors. Just take a look at the standard tires fitted to a list of factory trailers and you can deduce that a single size, used on a variety of trailers/loads can't possibly live as long on the heavier end of use. Temperatures, road surfaces, speeds, and the details of trailer setup can also severely impact the life of the tires.

Push it and you might be on the short end.
Baby it and your mileage will be much longer.

I have seen the same motorcycle tire model on the same bike last three times as long for the same riding. The difference was a single size in width.

load vs. load capacity is a big deal.
(I just bought a new trailer for largely that reason)

Greg
 
Sea Wolf,

Never heard that before. Flexure of the tire works protective stuff out to the surface? Dunno. Might be true, but suspect adding Armorall or similar reputable rubber protective material to the surface does not hurt anyway, long as it does not leach out the plasticizer in the rubber. I would not treat tire surfaces with petroleum products or rubbing alcohol, because I know they would scrub/leach out plasticizer.

After that, I guess it would be sunlight and ozone as the main culprits in degrading tire rubber. Living in Oregon on the coast, no worries about the sunlight! :wink:
 
Armorall MSDS: Hydrotreated light petroleum distillates 10% to 15% Not something I would want to put on my tires. There is all sorts of controversary about this. In general most knowledgable RV owners seem to avoid Amorall. We do not use it on our tires--or anywhere else for that matter.

Pressure: Sunbeam is correct, each side of each axle on an RV should be weighed and the tired inflated to the chart as recommended by the manufacturer--these are online. Part of this is for even wear on the tire--and part is for the "ride". If a tire is overinflated for its load, there will be more wear in the center of the tire, if under inflated, more wear on the outside. On the trailer you are not as concerned about "ride"--but you would want as good a "ride" as possible for your prized boat….

Wear pattern: When I first bought the 25, there was very significant wear on both sides and both axles within 7500 miles. We went to radial tires, made sure that the trailer was absolutely level when being towed, and also added a weight distributing hitch. I sold the trailer with about 12,000 miles on that second set of tires, and there was no significant measurable wear. If tires are wearing out in 5,000 miles there is something wrong with the way that the trailer is rigged. (Or something very wrong with the tires).
 
Tire manufacturers and dealers want to sell tires. Of course they are going to say replace them every few years. Speaking from experience towing various trailers, maintain the rig and tire and you'll get the best longevity out of it. I started running nitrogen before last season and one for sure thing I noticed was very little pressure change in the tires from cold to hot. Regular air could change by 5 lbs! Colby
 
I recently bought a set of four Michelin tires for the F250 from Costco. They filled them w/ 100% nitrogen. Same with the one tire I bought for the trailer after a side-wall blow out. Got it from the local Les Schwab and they filled it w/ nitrogen.

But nitrogen is not easy to find and is not convenient. How do I drive to a shop and still fill my tires "cold"? I have a nice compressor system w/ filters, water separators etc in the garage, so I just top everything off with good old fashioned air. My air set up and my regular maintenance etc eliminates as much H2O as possible. :|

I have "heard" that w/ nitrogen, the tire pressures will remain more steady vs plain air. Is that reason enough? I don't know.

From the inter-webby: http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/repair-questions/4302788
 
I should note I got a deal to fill both my tow vehicle and trailer tires with nitrogen for $30. Free refills for the life of the tires. (After my one blowout last year, they refilled the new tire with Nitrogen for me for free....so as long as I keep using my dealer, they'll probably keep me in Nitrogen for free since my initial charge... :-) I like not having to top off or let off the air as the season changes. Also like the dryness of the Nitrogen. Other that guess it depends on how much you want to spend to keep the tire pressure pretty constant year round. :-)
 
Expansion coefficient of nitrogen vs air is virtually identical. See:
http://powertank.com/truth.or.hype/

98% of the high end end motor homes say change tires at between 5 and 7 years, a majority say 5 years. Yes, maybe a 45,000 lb RV with tire pressure at 110 PSI has more stress on the tireds, than an 8,000 lb boat trailer, at 55 PSI. I check my tire temps on the boat and the RV every two hours. Often there is zero difference between he temperatures. For me its a safety issue.

I went to our local tire store today to ask about trailer tires for the C Dory single axle trailer. Tire size is 225 x 75 15" rims. I am load rated D at 2450 per wheel. They had a Omni Trail Radial, in the correct size, 10 ply Load range E, Load Index of 117 (?) and rating of 2830 (380lbs per wheel, or 760 for the axle more than the current tires. I am not going to load the trailer any higher, but having a total capacity of 5660 lbs makes me feel a little better than 4900 lbs.

Does anyone have experience with the Omni Trail? (made in China of course)

The Maxxis seem to be back ordered in this size and Carlislie does not seem to make the USA tailer tire in this size, load rating...
 
Regardless what the formulas say, I can only go from experience. Before the nitrogen, I was changing the tire pressures by about 10% between winter and summer. (5 lbs) Would also see several pounds increase between cold and after running an hour or so down the road. With the Nitrogen I've only seen about a pound or two change between seasons, and no more than a pound change between cold and running.... Perhaps it's the moisture that causes the increased pressure changes.... Not recommending everyone change from regular air to nitrogen...just sharing what I've experienced. :-)
 
Strongly suspect colbysmith's pressure effect with "air" is due to liquid water turning to vapor as the tire warms up. I bet dry air would respond similarly to his dry nitrogen. Localboy's replenishment with good old WA air strained through a compressor and a water separator is a cost effective solution.
 
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