PWC Trailer Tires

[rjd]

I guess that i had this question in the wrong section, so i hope i have gotten it right this time!

A general question about towing PWC's. Has anyone swapped out their 12" wheels on thei trailers for bigger wheels & tires? I have towed my 2003 2 GTX's about 300 miles for the long weekend, and i found a big blister on the side of one of my trailer tires when i got to my destinantion. This got me to thinking that a blow out at 75 mph on the highway would be a bad afternoon! Is there a after market swap out there?

 

[Hghgrad]

Your wheels are likely 5x4.5 which is a common wheel size. Find the proper size wheel/tire combo that will fit under the fender.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Glad you made it to your destination.
How good were those tires to begin with?
12 " is usually the biggest for a PWC trailer, maybe dual trailers will have a bigger size...IDK.

Test out a boat trailer tire and see if it fits under the fender.....some fenders can be adjusted in height. But watch out for too wide of tires also.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Generally speaking, taller tires carry less load but have a higher speed rating.

Shorter can carry more but not travel as fast.

You need to figure out the GVW of your trailer, skis, oils and fuels, and every thing you carry on your trailer and then check out the info in your times to make sure they are over by 20%. This allows for heat build up.

 

[Seadoobuddy]

Generally speaking, taller tires carry less load but have a higher speed rating.
Shorter can carry more but not travel as fast.
You need to figure out the GVW of your trailer, skis, oils and fuels, and every thing you carry on your trailer and then check out the info in your times to make sure they are over by 20%. This allows for heat build up.

Gee, i didn't know that. It would seem logical that the bigger the tire the more weight it can carry & travel farther on the road....guess not.

 

[Coastiejoe]

Taller tires equate to less RPMs per mile. So they are normally built for highway speeds. They are normally thinner, meaning less tread on the ground.

It's a give take. Short fat tires can carry a lot more weight but are close to 2:1 in regards to RPMs per mile.

 

[rjd]

Thanks for the info guys. As usual, very helpful. I will do some more research and post results. Thanks again.

 

[Dr Honda]

I have standard 12" tires on my trailer, and never really had an issue. And... I have a 4 passenger Genesis on the one side. (big/heavy) With that said... not all tires are made the same. You can get steel belted tires, and they are rated at more weight.


Just make sure you keep a spare tire on the trailer. AND... keep them at MAX pressure.

 

[Spimothy Leary]

i've ridden with 12", 14" (skinny) with no issues, and replacements are cheap, my local trailer place is $35 per tire on the rim. (which is a smokin deal by the way according to what I hear from others) and mine only charges $10 + $1 disposal to change them for me. so if you find the lug nuts are really stuck, i'd suggest calling a local trailer builder and check prices, very important to check prices, one local trailer shop charges about $70, the other is $35, so its worth the extra phone calls.

the nice thing about buying a complete replacement is that you can then put a new tire on the old rim and have a spare.

Last week I also decided to add trailer coverage onto my AAA plan, figured it was worth a few bucks to have the option of just calling somebody if i'm really in a bind, then I can just let them do the work, sure beats being out of town on a weekend and being screwed.

you can also go to recstuff.com they have pretty decent deals from what i'm told. but i've never used them since I have my local guys.