What you absolutely need to know about your travel trailer tires.  This is one of the topics that I have warned people not to talk about on social media.  So, I’m not here to get into arguments around brands, types, or inflation.  You are the decision maker when it comes to your tires, so do your own research.

Travel trailer tires

#1: Correct Type of Tire: Do you have the right tire on your travel trailer; it should be an ST (Specialty Trailer tire). By and Large they are built stronger than LT (Light Truck) tires.  ST tires are engineered with extra‑stiff sidewalls to control trailer sway and handle high vertical loads. They have higher load capacity, and are more heat resistant than either passenger car tires or light truck tires.

LT tires are really designed for vehicles that steer, brake, and accelerate, not for the unique lateral forces of a travel trailer. Using LT tires may reduce stability, especially on taller or heavier trailers.   ST tires are built to carry more weight than LT tires of the same dimensions.  So if you want to use them on your travel trailer you will need to move up in load range with LT tires to match the trailer’s needs.

#2: Only Buy a Quality Tire.  However, you could buy a cheap POS if it’s just going to sit somewhere for years.  That’s what I’ve done with my motorcycle trailer. It hasn’t moved in four years and will need new decent tires if I decide to use it. 

If you’re pulling your trailer, then get the best tire you can afford.  Think of how little of the tire is touching the surface of the roadway.  That’s all that stands between you and a bottle jack on the side of the road.  That’s not to say that you can’t get a blow out with a good tire – ask me how I know.  You don’t want to end up on the shoulder of the highway wishing you had chosen a better-quality tire.  There are many bad and good tire brands out there – select carefully.

Endurance travel trailer tires
Ask me how I know.

#3: The Age – Should only be five to seven years old.  I’d go with changing every five.  Let’s talk about my VW Beetle.  I’m embarrassed to say how old they were before I changed them.  Even though they looked brand new I knew they weren’t safe anymore.  There are a lot of things that can happen when tires age out.  Braking and maneuverability is affected. Since the rubber is old and hard, it isn’t providing the traction you need to stop or turn effectively.  That was the case with my VW Beetle.  No dry rot, no defects, or cracking, just very, very, hard rubber.

Travel Trailer Tires
You still need to replace all four tires regularly, even when each one carries only 418 lbs.

So how do you determine the date?  Look on your sidewall for the letters DOT.  That code ends with a string of numbers and letters, with the last four digits indicating the manufacture date. The first two digits show the week it was made, and the final two show the year. For example:  DOT XXX XXXX 5107 = the 51st week of 2007. For reference, the Endurance tire failed on October 10 this year and carried a 0322 date code. The third week of 2022. Sometimes bad things happen to good tires.

#4: Weight and Speed rating.  This is easy to look up online by just searching on your brand and size tire.  My Weight rating is 2830 per tire. The combination of those two tires must meet or exceed my axle rating of 4400 lbs.  Which they do.  The speed rating on the endurance tires are 87 miles per hour – I’ll never exceed that for a couple of reasons, the most important being safety.  You are asking for trouble when you exceed your speed rating.  There is no buffer.  87 doesn’t mean 88, 89, 90, etc.  The second being the kind of damage that will cause to the trailer at that speed.  Lastly, and most important, the highway isn’t there just for me – there are innocent people trying to enjoy their travels. Don’t take a chance at hurting someone else on the roadway.

#5: Tire Pressure – Too high or too low will destroy a tire.  Underinflation is the leading cause of blowouts.  Overinflation can lead to that as well.

As mentioned earlier, we won’t go into depth on the recommended PSI for your trailer tires. However, there are three schools of thought on this. One is to weigh your trailer and if the tire provider has a PSI chart based on weight, use that for your psi guide.

Second, If no chart exists, then inflate to the max cold psi on the sidewall.

Third if your travel trailer has a placard on it stating the recommended tire pressure, you should use that. Provided that you haven’t changed to a different type of tire. My placard states 80 PSI.

Travel Trailer Tires Placard
Placard

So do your own research, they are your tires, and you will need to decide how to manage them just like any other vehicle you own.

So, what should you do before each trip

  1.  Check the tires for dry rot, nails, bulges, punctures from other road debris, uneven tire wear etc
  2. Check inflation, only fill tires when they are cold.
  3. Check their age and replace if they’ve reached that 5-year point
  4. Check the torque on your wheel lug nuts.

Then have a nice safe trip, not exceeding you speed rating! Additionally, I would highly recommend a tire pressure monitoring system. I’ve seen posts where folks had no idea they had a flat.  That flat tire ended up taking out their wiring and a lot of their trailers floor.