Trailer Tires, ST Tires vs LT Tires vs Passenger Car Tires ~ The Right Tires for your Trailer

This is the 1st installment in our 3 part series on trailer tire selection, care and maintenance.

Passenger car tires achieve comfort in part by making the sidewalls of the tires softer, allowing the sidewalls to flex. Many trailers (especially enclosed cargo trailers and car haulers) have higher centers of gravity than the typical tow vehicle and sidewall flexing in this case can lead to increased trailer sway. The stiffer sidewalls and higher inflation pressures on ST (Special Trailer) tires helps to reduce trailer sway.

Tires are a critical piece of equipment for all kinds of trailers - horse trailers, car haulers, cargo trailers, utility trailers, etc. Using the right tire for the job is critical to keeping you and your horses, cargo and equipment safe and riding comfortably. Your trailer will pull better and be more stable on the right tires. Feel free to contact us at Trailers of the East Coast with any questions on getting the right tires for your trailer.

See 10 acres of in-stock inventory at Trailers of the East Coast. We keep hundreds of trailers of almost every conceivable type in stock, including horse trailers, motorcycle trailers, race car haulers, utility trailers, dump trailers, vending trailers and more. As always, please feel free to contact us with any questions. From all of us at Trailers of the East Coast, Happy Trailering!

[kuzz]

I had never thought of the fact that the wrong tire could lead to trailer sway. Great video !!

[tommyaoi]

Wow! This video is over 8 years old and I got all the questions answered that I was looking for in a simple straight to the point way. Thank you so much. 💓

[XEGTDodgeMagnum]

I never use ST tires on my trailers anymore. After 25, 000 miles they start coming apart and if they're past three years old the risk of a blowout increases, and then they tear your fenders apart. Trailer tires are made in China/ overseas and are all junk. I use Michelin LT tires on my triple axle 21, 000 lbs trailer, I usually get over 60, 000 miles on them and have never had a blowout. Just don't go making extremely tight turns, that's bad on the sidewalls for any tire. Age is a big factor. Most people only use their boat or Utility trailers once or twice a year and time flies by, before you know it there old and unsafe. Just a note, Tires for larger trailer's are in another class. Be safe and always check the date code.

[douglasradowick]

Ron, I came across your educational video on proper tires. I was about to buy regular car tires for my pop-up trailer thinking it'll run better, quieter, smoother and long tread life. You showed me the foolishness of that thinking! Now I can go to a correct tire dealer for the right tire application. Thank-you so much for saving me from wasting money and time, avoiding a lot of misery especially when on a trip. Doug

[StevieWonder]

I've never had a blow out on an LT tire but I've sure as hell had more than a few on the infamous "China Bomb" tires that come with most all trailers including RV trailers

[fsj]

I've never had a ST tire blow out but have heard a lot of people have. I read somewhere that while P and LT tires are 'good' for 10 years, ST tires, because of the chemical difference, are only good for about 6. So I changed one of my trailers over to LT and will do so with the rest of them as the tires age out.

[Elleoncito]

Thanks for the tire info. It has really cleared up several things for me. I Just bought a 25' used travel trailer. Took it out to the lake for a 3-day campout to look for bugs...not those bugs, there were plenty of those Lol!
Made it back home and park it in my driveway before taking it to a storage lot. Three days later one tire went flat and the other one
blew up with separation of the threads... all this with the trailer just sitting there! What surprised me was the threads on all the tires were good. The tires were St 20575R15. Upon a closer look at the tires, I saw where the rubber was starting to crack and checking the dates on those tires I found out that some of them were made years ago. Learned a valuable lesson today.

[Nachos]

Now this guys a guy who likes like you can trust.

[garymahon]

Thanks. I was wondering the differences in tires.

[rodneylw]

There is a real problem currently that many owners are experiencing with ST tires blowing- even on new camping rigs. The treads seem to stay intact but the poly-only sidewalls fall apart and blow. OEM tires, new rigs, proper inflation, etc. 

[philadams]

Thanks for the very informative video. I was leaning toward LT tires but I have a greater understanding now of why I probably should not do that.

[reelmoody]

I found that Goodyear Endurance is the only trailer tire manufactured in the US, which is what I mounted in my car trailer (15”). Most are made in China. There might be ones made in other countries, but that information is difficult to research.

[day-cinvacuums]

Very informative. Highly Recommend watching. I now know why I'm using ST Tailor tires on my boat.

[travelingrvrv]

You need to see the "MayPop" tire description on youtube. Help me understand you vs Them. Thanks

[jaykay]

Excellent info but I just watched another video that suggests LT tires for an RV instead of ST. Said Airstream installs LT's as standard? I still have 30yr old GY ST Marathons (made in USA) on my trailer and never had a problem other than age...cracked between the thread and should be replaced.

[RosemaryEast]

Very good information on trailer tires.

[dennishill]

This answered my question exactly and was very informative. Thanks

[martinschulz]

Buy brand name trailer tires (or any tires) from a reputal tire shop/outlet. They are experts and will sell you the correct tire. Avoid at all cost any good deal non brand internet tires regardless of the ratings on them . I had some China Bomb trailer tires come literally come apart on a new boat trailer, and I have since learned that this is a common problem. The tire shop told me that they see them come in all the time on new trailers and RV's. They sold me Goodyear Endurance. Good video.

[bodeine]

Very good info that I did not know before, especially that a trailer tire rubber compound was different and used to dissipate heat more efficiently. I wonder if they're a harder compound? I would imagine that they are since they aren't really needed for a lot of traction like a car, truck or motorcycle is. And the stiff sidewalls is probably why they were a pain to mount with just 2 tire mounting tools/irons.

[peterhess]

Thank you for this video!!  Am currently looking for new tired for my trailer and was considering passenger tires until I watched your video.  Now I know I need to just get the ST.