Should I switch to Radial Tires?

[Sidarousmg]

time to replace tires on the trailer and add a spare. currently have 185/80/13 bias ply tires. should I keep the same size/type or should I switch to radial tires? looks like I may have to go down to size 175/80 if I go with radials. would I need the spare to also be radial, or can I keep the spare bias? I drive about 50 miles each way to the lake and back. sometimes more on the highway when we take the boat somewhere new.
thank you

 

[Troy JK]

If you search the net on this you will find many opinions that say radials are better in every way, but in my experience they have more issues. Rarely from what I’ve seen do the radials last as long as the bias ply. I pull a double jet ski trailer with 13” tires and wore them down till they were bald (6 years) and never an issue. The guys that run radials often have them separate and fling the belts. Trailer tires are highly stressed due to the lack of suspension and IMO steel belts don’t adhere to rubber as well and are more likely to separate.
I try to listen to the experts but when I personally experience the opposite, I’ll stick to what works for me.
radials might be smoother riding, but since I ride in the truck I went back to bias ply.

 

[Epsmith19]

I grew up in the tire business. In my experience radial beats bias in both performance and longevity. My 2 cents is to go w/ radial especially if you plan on doing long distance hwy towing, bias plys get much hotter at sustained high speeds.

 

[Matt Phillips]

I towed 350 miles on my first set of bias ply tires. Switched to Radials and the trailer was totally different. I had Maxxis 8008s on the 2009 and Goodyear Endurance on the 2017. I liked the Endurance as they are D rated rather than C...so they are rated for more weight. The tire shop guys said the boat would ride a little harder, but those tires will be less taxed than the C rated ones. Overall I've been pretty happy with the Endurance.

 

[WREKS]

Goodyear told me that since I do not put a lot of miles on the trailer to stick with Bias Ply. He thought they might hold up a little better in the South Florida heat. He sold me two Carlisle Sport Trail ST205/75D14. Same spec for the tires that came with the trailer. Those were Trail America. Since I do not use the boat but a few times a year, I started putting the trailer/boat on blocks.

 

[IvanRZB]

Last year I replaced my tires, I had two different tire shops recommend that I stick with the nylon ply tires, which surprised me a bit after reading online that radials are much better.

In addition to the reasons already mentioned, one of the tire guys said that if I happened to get a blowout with radials, the steel belts could fling up and damage the boat's hull, while nylon tires wouldn't.

 

[Troy JK]

Last year I replaced my tires, I had two different tire shops recommend that I stick with the nylon ply tires, which surprised me a bit after reading online that radials are much better.

In addition to the reasons already mentioned, one of the tire guys said that if I happened to get a blowout with radials, the steel belts could fling up and damage the boat's hull, while nylon tires wouldn't.

I’ve seen radials separate and take fenders off and bend or break fender mounts. So far no boat damage other than some rubber marks that could be buffed off. I’m sure it’s happened though.

 

[viper15]

I'm going on my 5th season with bias ply tires and have had zero problems. If you stick with the bias ply, the biggest advice I can give is to get the tires balanced. Many here claim a better ride with radials after switching away from the stock bias ply ... which they are right. The radials do a much better job of absorbing the bumps and vibrations. But the bias ply tires that come stock on the trailer are not balanced from the factory. All it takes is $10 to have your local shop balance them. I had this done and was surprised of the difference. Smooth as silk now.

 

[Babin Farms]

I make an annual trip 8hrs away to Michigan and this year making 2 trips down to Florida with the trailer so I went with radials & balanced them. Radial tires dissipate heat better than bias-ply tires, which allows them to travel at higher speeds for greater distance. Due to a rigid tread, single steel body ply construction and the absence of multiple nylon plies, radials are much more effective at reducing heat. If your only going down the road an hour or so to the launch I don't see why bias tires would be an issue.

 

[Sidarousmg]

now you guys have me rethinking my purchase, but I found a deal on etrailer. wheels and tires were on sale for $110 each for radials, so I got 3 (so i can have a matching spare). I'll report back once I've mounted and tested them. wondering now if i should get them balanced before installation?

 

[Babin Farms]

Make sure that the tires aren't old stock(couple years old). Tires still age just sitting.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

now you guys have me rethinking my purchase, but I found a deal on etrailer. wheels and tires were on sale for $110 each for radials, so I got 3 (so i can have a matching spare). I'll report back once I've mounted and tested them. wondering now if i should get them balanced before installation?

Yes get them balanced.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

Make sure that the tires aren't old stock(couple years old). Tires still age just sitting.

On the money Babin Farms! For those that don’t know, there is a branded in stamp on the side wall that shows the week and year the tire was manufactured. Example: 24/20, 24th week of 2020.

The bias ply tires that came on my boat were silk smooth on the 650 Mike drive home from the dealer and for a while after that. However, a month or so after using the boat many times, one day I left for the lake and there was a bad vibration. I stopped and checked lug nuts as it felt like a wheel was loose... turns out it was the old bias tire flat spot thing. The weather had cooled off some and the pressure had dropped to 40 psi, I increased the pressure back to 50 psi and that helped but the vibration is still there. Tried going for a couple of long drives but the vibration is still there.

I jacked up each tire and spun it and the tire kinda looks out of round... I have a vid of it but cannot post it on the site.

I’ll be switching over to Goodyear Endurance tires that have a 87mph speed rating.