Trailer Tire PSI ?

Just wondering what people usually run for pressure in their trailer tires. I had the tread on a tire just “give way” on a trip last week. It was a 4 hour trip…but it gave out in the first 1/2 hour. The tread just separated and the tire basically just failed. Luckily…we felt the vibration early and nothing exciting happened! Anyway….this is the 3rd boat I have owned and I have not had one fail before. I have been running 40 PSI in my tires on a Karavan roller trailer that carries a 2001 Lund Mr. Pike 16. The tires looked in very good condition and looked to have a ton of life left in them so this was a complete surprise. I now have 2 new radial trailer tires on board….and just want to run the right pressure. They say max pressure of 50 PSI…but had been told by someone that 40 would be good. Any ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Brian

Glad you caught it before bad things happened!

I’ve run mine at 45 psi with a 17′ Angler SS. I have my boat loaded moderatly.

There must be a tire website out there some place that has the best psi for each tire and the weight.

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There must be a tire website out there some place that has the best psi for each tire and the weight.

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The best and only place is on the tire itself….real important……

You raise a good question that I’ve wondered about as well. My trailer tires say max 50 psi as well, and like you, I try to run them at 40. Have had no problem with them so far, but they’re only in their third summer. I don’t think you did anything wrong…just came across a bad tire.

Dont let it get below 40 though – keep checking them. I had a “sidewall” blowout due to low tire preasure . (45-50#) Keeps the tread wearing well too. ( dont forget to rotate them every year or so)

My tires say 50lbs, that’s where I run them. When I bought the boat new in 2001 I asked my dealer and that’s what he said too. 16′ Alumacraft Lunker w/40hp.

What I have noticed on this site, and from friends and personal experince, is that now a days, trailer manufactures use the cheapest tires out there to outfit the trailers from the factory. Mine were from China, and 1 seperated after 1 season, and 1 more started to go during the spring of the next year. I have now replaced all four with good quality radial “TRAILER” tires. It is important that they are trailer tires.
My boat/trailer never sees the sun unless I am on the road/lake. It also does not see heat or cold. (I keep my shed heated and A/C’ed year round) And the stock tires still went bad.
My new tires say 50psi, and thats what I keep in them. Lot of miles, and 2 1/2 years later, they are still in great shape. Old addage that says, “You get what you pay for!”, seems to me anyway, to hold true for tires.

Mine are rated for 50 and I run them at 50. No problems.

-J.

Thanks for the feedback. I think I had a little bad luck. They were trailer radials….and my rig is stored inside at all times unless on the road. I think I may bump up the pressure to the 45-50 range and go from there. I just didn’t want to wear them out fast….but I’ll take safety before replacing tires every few years.
Thanks for the input,
Brian

A mechanic friend of mine has told me to run the tire pressure at what the side wall says. If they are underinflated they will build up excessive heat and that is why the treads seperate. This hold true for your vehicles also. Many newer vehicles have a sticker on the drivers door jamb that gives the recommended tire inflation. My friend said to still go by the tire sidewall inflation recomendation, not what the door jamb sticker says. If in doubt call a tire store like Goodyear.

The rubber on the tire has a life of about 5 years. No matter how much tread you have on a tire it should be replaced. Sometimes it can be shortened by how much the tire is exercised (used) and it’s exposure to the sun. If the tire is not run much, then it dries out, your spare will be a typical example of a tire that needs to be rotated on the trailer once in a while. Check on R.V forums and there will be many discussions about tire failure. There is also some recomendations on what brands to stay away from because of premature failure.