Troubleshooting Tire Wear on Outsides of Trailer Tire

Published 08/14/2015

Question:

I replaced 225/75R C tires with 225/75 D tires. The R stands for radial I think ? The new tires are not a radial and are much more norrow. The tire on the right frront is worn badly on the outside edge after 400 miles. Its the only one worn. Could this be due to the new tires not being radial ?

asked by: Danny

Expert Reply:

The D in the tire size you have now means that it is a bias-ply tire. If there was an R instead, like your previous tire, that would mean that you have a radial.

Most likely the reason the tires I wearing on the outside has nothing to with the tire construction.

Most likely the outside edge of your trailer tire is wearing because of an issue you are having with the suspension of the trailer. Check the suspension for worn out components or holes that are egg-shaped instead of round where the suspension components come together.

Sometimes, when the outside edges of a tire are showing wear its because the tires are under-inflated. The solution is to always inflate the tires to the maximum pressure listed on the sidewall in this situation.

expert reply by: Jameson C