Should 205/70D15 or 205/70R15 Tires be Used for Highway Travel

Updated 10/16/2018 | Published 10/15/2018

Question:

I am a scarp man ?? by heart ??. I have a big Tex 70 PI Trailer an haul loads up to 2.5tons. And travel about 60m miles at a time. What’s a good tire. Currently I have the factory tires which are 205/70/D15. Read a post that for the load and use I be better off with 205/70/R15. 8ply or higher. What would you recommend.

asked by: Joe

Helpful Expert Reply:

If you will be traveling on the highway then a 205/70-15 size tire with an R instead of a D is much better on your trailer as the R stands for radial and the D stand for bias. Radial tires have cords that run at a 90 degree angle to the direction of travel which allows it to flex more and run cooler than a bias tire. Although bias tires used to be the common trailer tire, they have sidewalls that are more stiff which makes them the better option for off-road applications like a farm.

When it comes to the ply rating of a trailer tire you just need to make sure that the tire has a weight rating that matches or exceeds the weight rating of the axle it is on. For example, the Taskmaster Provider # TR20515D has an 8 ply rating and a load range D (2,150 lbs at 65 psi) which means when you have 2 of these on an axle they have a combined rating of 4,300 lbs. This is a great tire for highway use because it also has a speed rating of 81 mph. As long as the 4,300 lbs of 2 tires is greater than the weight rating of the axle they will be on then I highly recommend going with this tire.

A review video for this tire has been linked for you to reference as well as an FAQ for trailer tires.

expert reply by: Jon G