MFI Trailer......Best Tires

[BigN8]

So I am the worst trailer owner in the world. I might see my trailer twice a year. It sits in a gravel parking lot all year long with no boat baking in the hot sun. I grabbed the trailer this past weekend to pull the boat out to do a quick inspection of the stern, hull, but mainly to fill the tank with gas at Walmart for $3.01/gal, which beats the Marina price of $4.30/gal.

I noticed all 5 tires are looking real bad. Have a lot of cracks in the side walls, one of them was completely flat. I am thinking of getting new tires this off season and also investing in some wheel covers. What is the best tire for these trailers? Best value I mean, not most expensive.

 

[Boat Crazy]

I am happy with the Maxxis.

 

[KXCam22]

I have heard of many people using the BFG KO all terrain truck tires as trailer tires. Legal and apparently a lot tougher for similar money. I do see them on all kinds of industrial trailers hauling heavy equipment. I am considering this when it is time for my tires to be replaced. Cam.

 

[GiddYupJoe]

I am happy with the Maxxis.

^^X2

 

[Andy S]

^^X2

x3

 

[farrelltravis]

If you don't use the trailer very often, and then when you do use, you don't go far, if it were me, I would just get cheaper passenger tires for it. I would forgo the trailer tires. Just me though. Also, in your situation, I would look into those plastic tire covers that RVs use a lot. That would keep the sun off of them and help prevent issues. This is my $0.02.

 

[jetboater4life]

@BigN8 My maxxis are holding up well. You need to get 5 jetboaters.net tire covers instead of one. Better hurry though I think @Bruce is placing the order today.

 

[PEARCE]

Maxxis are very good and will give you a lot of carefree miles. I recently switched to Kumho 857 high speed trailer radials. We trailer everywhere and usually drive faster than the standard 65 mph with trailer tires. They were around $143 per tire at Discount. They are a special order obviously. If you don't plan to do any more trailering then you do now I would find some cheap LT tires that can safely support the weight and invest in some tire covers. Any tire you get and park it in the sun 24-7 for 6 years it's gonna rot if they aren't covered and taken care of.

 

[jawsf16]

x3

x4

Had them on my 210 trailer also, no complaints. $3 gas at WalMart!!!!

 

[Cotay]

I just put five (including the spare) new Hercules Power STR radials on my MFI a few weeks ago. They seem to be recommended by a few folks and are less expensive than the Maxxis. I wasn't convinced that we needed anything more than Bias tires on these trailers, but after taking the trailer on a 300 miles trip this past weekend I am a believer in switching to radials. The ride was smooth and the boat tracks better than it ever has. My MFI had the original tires from 2004 on them still and they were definitely due for replacement.

 

[octavio3311]

My buddy has been running BFGoodrich All Terrain T/A's on all his trucks and his heavy duty equipment trailers and landscape trailers for quite some time now, and swears by them. His landscape trailers are loaded with 3 big ass mowers, blowers, weedwackers, etc. That's a lot of weight, but his equipment trailers are hauling Kubota excavators, backhoes and BobCats. He also has a 3 yard dump trailer and that's also BFGoodrich equipped.
They look bad ass too.

 

[DoubleThrust]

Get BFG ATs. Best trailer decision I ever made. I believe they are 195/70/14, there's only one 14" and it's great.

 

[bucks448]

@DoubleThrust - these? http://www.ebay.com/itm/BFGoodrich-All-Terrain-T-A-KO-195-75-14-D-Tire-Set-of-2-/171390388967?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Tires&hash=item27e7a9cae7

 

[octavio3311]

Yes those are them. But confirm your size. My trailer is running 215/75/14's.

 

[GTBRMC]

I am running Goodyear Marathon radials, switched all 5 OEM bias ply tires out after having a blowout on 4th of July weekend in 2012. I am very happy with them.

I believe the Maxxis are less expensive and would have gone with those if I were not under time pressure.

 

[Ronnie]

I've never heard a complaint about maxis but prefer a radial trailer tire instead (I tow a lot at 65 mph +).

By the way, you seem like a lucky guy to me. If you are not using your trailer you don't have to tow your boat around and $3.01 gas (I bought super unleaded yesterday at costco for $3.91per gallon and again at shell for $4.16 per gallon).

 

[BigN8]

The stations by my house right now are at $3.07. We go to Walmart and put money on the Walmart money card or cash card, then when you use that cash card at a Murphy gas station you get another 10 cents off. So right now we can get it for around $2.97. It's a summer deal Walmart has going on. I think in the Fall and Winter is goes to 5 cents off.

Oh, and I run regular unleaded in the boat, not premium. Have never noticed a difference or problem.

 

[farrelltravis]

I don't run premium either in the boat. I do always use non-ethanol though.

 

[Ronnie]

Don't mean to hijack the thread but all of those gas prices are great. I do not ever expect to pay that little for gas in CA ever again and cant even remember when gas was $3 a gallon here. Also, i use regular unleaded in my boat as well. I quoted what i paid for premium because that is what my wife's acura rl takes. I was using it the other day and ended up stopping for gas twice, once at shell just to be sure i had enough gas to get to costco for the cheaper gas. I did buy regular unleaded for another car yesterday at the same shell for $3.99 a gallon. I dont know what costcos price is but assume it is around 25 cents less.

Back to tires, it seems like you could easily get away with going economy, even the 4 for $100 sales they have at pepboys every so often (i wouldnt as i was there once when a customer called to complain about them, the salesmans response was what do you expect for $100, they may not even be made with rubber for that price). Have you decided what you are going to do or are you still considering your options?

 

[BigN8]

Thanks for all the feedback! I think I may take a look at the maxxis tires. Those seem to be the most popular