Choose the Best Trailer Tire for Your Trailer

2. What Makes the Best Trailer Tire?

You must never compromise the quality of your trailer tire. Therefore, you are called upon to know what makes the best trailer tires to make an informed choice. The following qualities distinguish the best tire for your light trailer.

2.1 Its Load Carrying Capacity

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Your trailer comes with the manufacturer’s manual detailing the use of its hardware and software features. This information facilitates efficient output and easy use of your trailer. Its load capacity comes first when choosing your best trailer tires, and this aspect must never be compromised. The best trailer tires must comfortably support the weight of your loaded truck at all times and on all terrains.

You may have heard of the term, a tire load rating. This rating specifies your tire’s load-carrying capacity at its maximum. The capacity of the tire is when it is at its correct pressure.

The numbers, symbols, and letters you see at your tire’s sidewalls spell out your tire’s specifications. The best trailer tires have the size, load rating, and speed rating written on the walls. The tire load index is typically indicating the weight your trailer tire can safely carry.

Assume your tire can support 1,500 pounds at its optimum air pressure, and your trailer needs four tires. To get the maximum weight of your loaded trailer, you will multiply 1,500 x 4 = 6000 pounds. The same principle applies to all light trailers. The load capacity of your light trailer should guide your choice of the best tires in the market.

2.2 Its Low Rolling Resistance

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Rolling resistance is defined as the energy needed to keep your tire rolling at a particular speed. Tires are known to change shape while rolling on the road from a deformed to a relaxed state. The energy to constantly keep your tires shape-changing is dissipated in the form of heat. This procedure influences the rolling resistance of your light trailer tires.

Your trailer deserves tires with low rolling resistance for efficient use of energy and savings on fuel consumption. The best trailer tires have a low rolling resistance on the road, are eco-friendly, and save you money. They offer you a compromise between grip, performance, traction maintenance, energy loss, and rolling resistance.

When buying replacement tires for your trailer, insist on low rolling resistant tires. A radial tire is your best option. It allows the tread and the sidewall of your tire to operate as distinct features giving it less sensitivity to overheating.

2.3 Tire Stability

The stability of your trailer on the road solely depends on its tire stability. The best trailer tire must be stable under pressure and constant heat. Its rolling stiffness, dimensions, tire inflation pressure, tread design, and tire-carcass construction, work together. Consequently, you get the desired tire stability for your trailer.

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With stable tires, you increase the traction and handling on variable terrains for your trailer. Stable tires make your ride a joy all along. Choose the right size of tires for your trailer and the correct treads for your road. Fill in the correct pressure on your tire to have the stability of both your trailer and tires.

2.4 The Tire’s Life Span

For you to choose the best trailer tire, its lifespan must come into question. You certainly don’t want to do regular shopping for your tires. Check out the following factors to determine your choice for your truck tires.

• Age Limit. Check out the date for manufacturing and the expiry date set by your tire manufacturer. The best trailer tires offer you a long time for maximum use and value for investments.
• Tear and Wear. If your trailer carries heavy loads, your tires will wear and tear faster than with lighter loads. Choose tires with more tear and wear resistance capacity for much life on your tires.
• Tire Type. Your choice of tires has a direct impact on the lifespan of your tires. Under heavy load, new radial tires boast of a longer life than retreaded tires. However, if neglected, new tires will give you a shorter shelf life than some retreads that are repaired and maintained well.
• Maintenance. How your tire demands maintenance is critical in your choice of the best trailer tires. Be sure its maintenance is simple and can be done with little cost.

2.5 Radial Tires

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Your choice for your best trailer tires is also informed by the product design and how regularly your light trailer is used. If your trailer sits for long periods, a radial tire is your ideal choice since it does not develop flat spots. Radial tires last longer due to their low rolling resistance compared to bias tires. These tires are effective in dissipating heat.

You get these benefits of a radial tire due to its inner layer of steel belt. This belt runs from the tread centerline at a ninety-degree angle. Radial tires will offer you an efficient and better fuel economy. If you are a seasonal trailer user like travel trailers and campers, radial tires are your best trailer tires.

2.6  Speed Ratings

Did you know that the choice of your light trailer tires influences the speed at which you should drive for both comfort and efficiency? Check for the speed limit ratings on the wall of your tire before you buy one. Although a heavy-duty 14-ply tire may offer you a great deal, its speed rating may be lower than you had anticipated.

The maximum speed rating for most light trailer tires is 65 mph. You will increase your tire’s inflation pressure by 10-psi if you, for instance, run it at 75 mph while it is rated at 65 mph. This rise in pressure will occur even when you maintain your load weight.

When choosing the best trailer tires, check for the letter “N” or “V” listed close to the rim. The figure written thereof is the speed rating for the tire’s maximum speed. If you choose a tire with a low-speed rating than you desire, then your tires will tear and wear quickly.

2.7  Tire Size Should Remain the Same

Usually, your light trailer comes with the ideal size of tires from the manufacturer. We advise that when choosing the best tire for your trailer, insist on maintaining the exact size of tires all the time. This choice will hand you the benefits of:

• low resistance
• long life on your tires
• efficiency and comfort
• low cost of tire maintenance, and
• savings on fuel consumption.

Just in case you don’t find the exact tire size as the original one, get yourself a tire whose size and capacity are not very far from the original tires. Do not use car tires on your light trailer even when they read the same size since. They perform differently on the road. Use trailer tires all the time.

2.8  Cost of Tire

In a world whose resources are increasingly decreasing, you can’t be careless with your money. When buying your light trailer tire, the value for money on your product is a fair quid pro quo bargain. Some tires are highly-priced, yet their value proposition is way below their price, and so high cost does not mean high quality.

The cost of your tire should be the last consideration when choosing your truck tires. The earlier factors should come first and when you are satisfied, consider the price. It may be too costly to prioritize cost over the other factors since you may compromise the safety of your trailer on the road and that of other road users.