Tire pressure????

[uglyokuma]

I have a 17' deep v tracker boat with a wt console and a tracker trailer. What pressure should I have the trailer tires set to???? I currently have them at 42 and it is beating the snot out my boat as I pull it. I asked the folks in auburn at BPS and they said 50psi but that seems way too high.......

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[Tim Bromund]

What does it say on the side of the tires? Mine are supposed to be filled to 50.

[Don Supon]

ditto

[NitroMusky]

Trailer tires (STs) should be run at max pressure listed on the sidewall, usually that's 50. 42 is too low.

I know there are guys that go as high as 60 and swear by it with no problems, but that's outta my comfort zone.

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[lineman49]

A friend just blew a tire going to onidea lake at 65-70 mph. It ripped of the fender, tail lite,brake line & did gel coat damage. He only had 40# of air in the tires. The trie dealer told him they should be at 50#'s. Guys load boats up with Equip, coolers, & other odds & ends ,all add up in weight. Low air creates lots of heat. Easier & cheaper to add air buy 6 plys

[iiwhistlerii]

I have same boat and trailer.. 50.. also had a tire go to pieces this year, no fun. Switched to radials.

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[borderline 350]

Dear Trailer tire users!,

Trailer tires are only rated for 55 MPH. Speeds above this drastically lower a trailer tires life, especially those rated LOAD RANGE B. Try to buy load range C for replacements. The bigger boat rigs should have LOAD RANGE D. And yes, they cost ......more. Weigh your rig loaded some time and most people would be shocked to see how far overweight, their trolling rig is! If you have a rough riding trailer, it probably is an aluminum boat. The only solution is to take out one spring leaf on each side. Which I did...and run a load range C tire @ 50 lbs pressure. Normally recommended 70 PSI on load range C...unless you have torsion axles and then you can't remove a spring leaf. ...

Respectfully submitted....X-Jet Boat Bill

[NitroMusky]

Industry standards dictate that tires with the ST designation are speed rated at 65 MPH (104 km/h) under normal inflation and load conditions.

if tires with the ST designation are used at speeds between 66 and 75 mph (106 km/h and 121 km/h), it is necessary to increase the cold inflation pressure by 10 psi (69 kPa) above the recommended pressure for the rated maximum load.

http://www.tirerack.com/images/tires/goodyear/Marathon_Special_Trailer_Applications.pdf

[borderline 350]

Dear NitroMusky,

Thank you for pointing out the "new" ST trailer tire speed rating of 65 MPH. HOWEVER, the RMA that states that this is the MAXIMUM SPEED!!! Goodyear may claim you can run faster with higher tire pressure, but my example clearly shows that you are rolling the dice!! P.S. My info on speeds was from 2005 info!

Example: In 2006 trailered my 3700 lb. boat, 7200 GVW Shorelander trailer, 900 lbs net, with ST 205/75/14 Goodyear Marathons to SW Florida and back, using I95 and I75. Speeds were 65 to 70 MPH towing and several blizzards encountered in March. South bound trip was event free. North bound trip was a NASCAR tire change event Had 3 tires blow before North Carolina and the fourth one blistered a side wall and went flat upon arriving in my driveway. Three of these were made in China Goodyear Marathons. The fouth one was made in USA. The new owner of my rig put 4 Made in USA Goodyear ST radials on and hasn't had any problems. My final opinion is ST rated tires are another cost down feature brought on by the tire industry and trailer mfg's. LT rated tires can be used on boat trailers and should be used by anyone doing long distance trailering......Respectfully Submitted....X-Jet Boat Bill

[bandrus1]

would anybody recommend a product like Slime to prevent blow outs

[NitroMusky]

Just thought this bulletin would be of interest, not trying to start a debate. That said the bulletin notes that 65 is the industry standard, meaning the minimum speed that ST tires must be able to handle rather than a hard and fast max speed, as mfgrs can build a product that will hold up to higher speeds if they choose. So, I believe that what GYear is saying is that you can run (newer?) marathons up to 75 IF you increase the pressure to 60... otherwise I think the bulletin would read quite differently from a product liability standpoint (I.e. 'do not exceed 65 mph under any circumstances')

That said my next tire will be kumho 857s. They are 8 ply (vs GY's 6 ply) AND have a higher D load rating with Q speed rating (99 mph). Fortunately for me my wheels are 14" dia. as that's all kumho makes.

[skipper19]

Those Kumho 857 205/14 look awesome. Very high load range 500 lbs more per tire than most standard 205s. Tire Rack has them for 508 bucks for 4... Think the cost is offset by durability from the reviews on hull truth and others. Radial tire are best for ride if you have the slamming going on. Raising tire pressure on bias tires is worse for ride but is necessary on those tires to run at maximum pressure. Radials are smoother at max pressure and save gas too. 857s should get me down to the Keys so I can fish with Ray this winter

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