Padraig

Anyone using Hankook trailer tires. My tires are old and while the tread is good, it is time to replace them . 225/75/15 on a tandem trailer, hauling Velocity VR 1 29 foot single engine. What are your thoughts?
Padraig
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VetteLT193

I haven't used them but I just read a bunch of reviews online and they seem to be very well received as long as the tires you get are recently built. It seems there are many people that order them and get old stock.

Quinlan

14 Ply Only way to go.

bajaholic

It really doesn't matter what "Trailer" tire brand, go with Ply rating Heavier the better, but still they will wear out from age, LONG before mileage. And always, the tread will separate from the tire. About 4 years seams to be the magical number.

Tartilla

Out of the sun helps out as well.
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​​If the carcass/tread has no cracking, you should be ok. They don't go through as many heat cycles as vehicle tires, and often see very little sun.

bajaholic

Agreed, however I have a bit of a different hypotheses...

When you drive down the road, the tires heat up, you get to the ramp and you back the trailer into the water, it INSTANTLY cools off the tires, almost like a heat treating of the rubber. They then begin to build up a tolerance to the heat, thus the upper part of the tread begins to take the heat differently than the side wall, I feel this is why in a shorter period of time they separate.

I can easily run my car trailer tires intill they are bald, where as boat trailer tires RARELY ever show any real wear yet they implode...

Tartilla

That's a good observation. Maybe this is a region specific issue?

How warm are the tires on general use and minimal braking? Alloy wheels transfer more brake heat to tires?

Having tires come apart on a regular basis is not a good SOP.

Commercial retread tires come apart at the same rate as original non-retread tires.

Tridem axle systems will put far more side stress on the front and rear axle tires. Maybe the boat trailers get more extreme maneuvering with longer trailer systems to launch etc.

bajaman

MOTORTREND did a test of the Hankook Vantra tire, see below. Seems to be really good.

Hankook Vantra Trailer Tires One-Year Update (motortrend.com)

Padraig

Thanks! I hadn't seen that review.

Padraig

Markus

Doesn’t matter if the tires are old when you buy them. They have only been sitting in a warehouse.

It is the combination of heat and time that kills polymer materials. Not time alone.