Recommended Trailer Tire With Higher Load Capacity For Fifth Wheel Trailer

Updated 04/18/2017 | Published 04/16/2017

Question:

I have a fifth wheel rv, recently I had two tire failures. my dry weight decal states it weighs 12809 lbs and additional cargo weight of 2632lbs my vin plate states a gvwr 15500lbs my axle tag states 7000# weight rating and I have two axles. tire size is st235/80/r16 LRE 10 PLY load rating 3420 per tire. I do maintain my tire pressures to the max cold 80 psi Every trip or once per week when traveling. also I am aware the speed rating of any st tire is 65 mph max.as a rule I never exceed 55 mph when towing except when needed to merge with traffic and that is only for a very brief period, and never exceed 60mph. I feel the axles are over loaded and the tires should be 14 ply for a higher weight capacity it this correct?

asked by: Terry

Expert Reply:

The 235/80R16 tires we offer are all Load Range E 10-ply tires with similar load ratings as you described. It does seem that your trailer axles are a little over loaded per the GVWR you said the trailer has. With the 7,000-lb rating on the axles, the manufacturer knows that not all of the weight is on the axles, as some of the weight of the trailer is placed on the front at the king pin.

You want to tow your trailer as level as possible. If the front end is higher, it will put more weight on the trailer axles and that could contribute to the tire failure. You might find that leveling the trailer may help improve the tire performance. You may want to also check the suspension to make sure everything is in good working order.

If you have the clearance you may want to go with tires that are a little bigger but also have a higher load capacity. We offer The Kenda Karrier Trailer Tire, part # AM10501. This is an ST235/85R16 tire that has a Load Range F rating. This is a 12-Ply tire with a maximum load rating of 3,960-lbs at 110 psi. This tire measures about 1/2-inch taller that the tires you have on your trailer, but with the higher ply and weight capacity may work better for you.

expert reply by: Jeffrey L