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Tires aren’t just crucial safety items for your vehicle. If you’re going to tow a trailer, it’s equally as important to be mindful of the health of the rubber bits on those wheels as well. Trailer tires often go overlooked and neglected as trailers themselves aren’t typically used anywhere near as often as the vehicles that pull them. Sand Tyres
Aged and worn trailer tires are a major safety concern and can lead to a blowout and loss of control, thus, making trailer tire replacement an essential part of a safety-focused maintenance regimen. Thankfully, new trailer tires are a minimal investment compared to the valuable cargo inside, and they offer cheap insurance against roadside disasters.
Though like choosing the right tires for your vehicle and the conditions it typically sees, choosing properly rated trailer tires is critical for optimal control and load bearing. Like all other types of tires, ones for trailers are manufactured in a broad range of load and speed ratings, so you’ll need to do a little figuring to ensure you get the right tire for the job.
This can be done by simply determining the necessary load rating per tire or dividing the trailer’s loaded weight by the number of wheels on the trailer.
And while we don’t recommend driving fast with a trailer in tow, trailer tires also come with different speed ratings—and they’re not just recommendations either. Drive too fast over the rating and you can seriously risk a blowout. So, it’s absolutely critical to double-check your trailer tire choice for your application. And always replace tires in pairs and ensure that all tire ratings and specifications match as a strict matter of safety.
Trailer loads are diverse, and so is the selection of trailer tires suited to specific needs. From hauling livestock off-road to towing a lawn tractor around town, we’ve scoured real-world reviews and scored the best trailer tires that deliver value and reliability. One last note: our selections on this list include the tire only; trailer wheels are almost always sold separately.
Radial construction, all-weather use, Scuff Guard ring on tire wall, steel belted 8 ply rated
Reduced rolling resistance, 8-ply construction, speed rated M, 9 32nds tread depth
Free Country Premium Trailer Tires
10 ply rated, load range E. Steel belted, speed rating M,up to 81mph
Free Country Premium Trailer Tires
Kenda Loadstar Bias-ply Tire (Load Range C)
Thrifty but trustworthy, the Kenda Loadstar utility trailer tire delivers quality construction at a price within a stone’s throw of no-name tire brands. Unfortunately, the cost-conscious bias-ply construction gives up some comfort compared to similar radial tires. Still, for everyday hauling of implements around town in a small trailer, these tires offer exceptional value for the money.
Carlisle Radial Trail HD (Load Range E)
As cars balloon in size and weight, it becomes necessary to consider higher load range trailer tires to accommodate. M-rated to 81 mph with a maximum load rating of 2830 pounds, this tire’s radial construction helps manage heat to maintain more stable air pressures on long tows. Radial tires are naturally quieter and more comfortable, too. Finally, the well-known Carlisle brand is based in the USA with highly responsive customer service—though most Carlisle tires are now made at their factories in China.
Power King Boat Trailer II (Load Range E)
When it comes to trailering boats, nothing beats Power King’s Boat Trailer II tires. As indicated in the name, these tires are specifically engineered to handle extra-heavy loads for small to medium-sized watercraft. Its bias-ply construction means thicker sidewalls versus your conventional radial tires and its rounded profile adds stiffness, bolstering strength and durability. However, because of this design, these tires don’t react well to speed and cornering and their stability isn’t as high as some of its competitors. So it’s best (and just good practice overall, especially when hauling a cumbersome watercraft) to keep it slow and steady.
Kenda Loadstar Bias-ply Tire (Load Range D)
Kenda is a trustworthy tire brand based in Taiwan since 1962, representing a longer safety record than many of the come-lately tire brands that saturate the market. Loadstar tires have a reputation for toughness among recreation hobbyists like dirt-bike and ATV riders. This particular model uses bias-ply construction, stiffening the sidewall to armor it against rugged roads. ATV, dirtbike or livestock trailers that frequently trek off-road will benefit from deep tread that caps over the shoulder of the tire. Though it carries an 81-mph M speed rating, trailering experts recommend staying below 65 mph for bias-ply tires of this width.
Best Large Travel Trailer Tire
Best Large Travel Trailer Tire
Goodyear Endurance (Load Range D-E)
Goodyear has been a trusted name in the tire game for decades and the story remains the same with its Endurance line of trailer tires. Offered in both D and E load ranges, many approve of the Goodyear Endurance’s combination of durability and comfort, making them ideal for travel trailers and towed campers. Thanks to its Durawall Technology and Scuffwall Guard, which helps reinforce the sidewalls without crossing the comfort line and making them into uncomfortable and impractical run-flats, the Endurances have earned a reputation for being one of the best RV and camper trailer tires that money can buy.
Hirun H180 Trailer Tire (Load Range C)
You may have noticed by now that we aren’t fans of less reputable tire manufacturers with seemingly made-up names like Hykolity and MassFX, the likes of which saturate online marketplaces. When it comes to trailering, the risk of running a no-name tire isn’t worth saving a few bucks. However, if you absolutely must choose a tire based on cost alone, we found the Hirun tire was well-reviewed by buyers on Amazon. Our advice: consider these most suitable for low-speed around-town use, and monitor them closely for any signs of sidewall bulge, dry rot or tread separation.
In order to determine the best trailer tires, we only consider top-rated tire brands in this specialized category. Trailer tires are built for load carrying and durability over all other considerations. They generally need to support more weight and last longer than traditional car tires, but road noise and ride quality aren’t all that important to a trailer full of ATVs or a pop-up camper.
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We’ve compared a broad set of trailer tire products to create our list, including some that bundle in lightweight wheels as part of the package. Wherever possible, we’ve compared prices and capabilities using a popular standard tire size frequently used on many types of trailers (225/75 R15).
We evaluate all trailer tires based on these weighted metrics:
Radial construction, all-weather use, Scuff Guard ring on tire wall, steel belted 8 ply rated
Reduced rolling resistance, 8-ply construction, speed rated M, 9 32nds tread depth
Free Country Premium Trailer Tires
10 ply rated, load range E. Steel belted, speed rating M,up to 81mph
Free Country Premium Trailer Tires
Age is both a precipitating factor and a multiplier. Dry-rotted trailer tires will crack under load, worsening as the tire heats and expands under even regular use. Aggravating factors, such as exceeding the speed or load limits of the tire, can lead to tread separation. As steel belts separate from the tire, they can damage the trailer or its cargo. Five years is the generally accepted service life of a trailer tire, and tires should be inspected for wear before every loaded trip.
Dry rot is a tire’s telltale sign that it is old and doesn’t move. Concurrently, the best way to avoid dry rot is to tow your trailer at least a couple of times a year and ensure the tires aren’t more than six or seven years old. If the date code on them is older than that, it’s automatically time for a replacement. You just can’t trust those older tires that have been sitting for years and years.
If you rarely take out your trailer, it’s best to remove all load from the tires by propping up the trailer on blocks or removing the wheels altogether. Tires don’t do well sitting in one spot for years. The rubber degrades regardless of mileage, and when dry rot forms, it’s kaput.
Traditionally, bias-ply tires were known to provide increased stability when towing by reducing sidewall flex. However, advancements in radial tire technology have made radials the modern, longer-lasting, smoother-riding industry standard.
This varies by trailer. Divide the weight of the trailer and load by the number of tires that will be sharing that load. For example, a dual axle 1,800-pound trailer with a 900-pound load weighs 2,700 pounds; divide that number by 4 (the number of wheels), and you get 675. Look for a tire with a load range that exceeds that number.
Yes. Modern ST (Special Trailer) tires manufactured after 2015 are rated J (62 mph), L (75 mph) or M (81 mph) as indicated on the tire sidewall. Other non-ST tires may carry ratings from C (37 mph) to K (68 mph). Exceeding a tire’s speed rating may result in sidewall bulging or catastrophic failure.
Don’t be misled by mileage or tread depth: trailer tires don’t last forever. Even low-mileage trailers that sit undriven for long periods can be susceptible to flat-spotting, UV damage and natural rubber degradation. Five years is a safe replacement interval. When in doubt, have your tires inspected by a professional installer.
One of the primary forces that age trailer tires are ultraviolet rays from the sun. When parked outside, covering trailer tires with wheel covers or a UV-reflective material can slow that process and extend the life of the tires.
A car-crazy California kid, I’ve been writing and talking about vehicles for 25 years on TV and radio, in print and online, including AAA magazines in Arizona, Oklahoma, Northwest Ohio, South Dakota and the Mountain West, as well as BBC Autos. I serve as vice president of the Western Automotive Journalists, a professional group for automotive writers based in San Francisco, and have no relation to McKeel Hagerty of Hagerty Classic Insurance, who is younger, better looking and wealthier.
Bias Ply Rear Radial Front Since picking up my first set of MicroMachine toy cars as a toddler, I knew I had a passion for automobiles embedded in my soul. After graduating from Rutgers University in journalism, I’ve devoted my career to becoming a professional photographer and emerging voice in the car industry with columns at Automobile Magazine, MotorTrend, Hagerty, DigitalTrends.com/Cars, GearPatrol, and beyond.