Best Trailer Tire and Wheel Combo for 205/75-14 Tires
Updated 09/26/2017 | Published 09/25/2017
Question:
Im building a ground lowering motorcycle trailer that I am slightly overbuilding and making a premium quality trailer. Looking at your tire and rim combo packages for a trailer with 205 75 r14 tires. Which combo has the best rim and tires? Which rims are the most rust resistent and look the best the longest? How do the rims sold by etrailer compare with those sold by other suppliers? Honestly? Which tires are the best: Contenter vs Provider vs Westlake? Best handling, least hylaning, best ride, best tracking and longest tread life.
asked by: Wayne S
Expert Reply:
If it were my trailer I would go with the Castle Rock ST205/75R14 Radial Tire w/ 14" Condor Aluminum Wheel - 5 on 4-1/2 - LR C - Gunmetal # LH84VR. These are high quality wheels and tires. The wheels are aluminum, so they are naturally resistant to corrosion. I've linked a review video of this tire # LHCK201 and wheel for you.
The tire has a 5-year warranty, the wheel a 1-year warranty, and Westlake also has a 1-year "no excuses" guarantee. That means if within the first 12 months the tire is damaged in any way that's not covered by warranty it will be replaced at no charge. You will also be compensated a flat labor rate for the cost of mounting the replacement tire.
The tire and wheel combo comes with complimentary roadside assistance for 2 years. If your RV or trailer has a flat tire, call the help line and a technician will come change the flat for you. You can call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year from anywhere in the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico.
The trailer tires and wheels we carry are what a lot of the OEMs use but many of them are upgrades beyond that. So I would take the Pepsi challenge with any other supplier any day of the week. I can honestly say that the tires and wheels we carry are as good if not better than the other options out there.
The tire in the combo above is a radial tire meaning it will track better and run cooler than a bias ply tire. This is going to be true for any radial tire compared to the same size and load range bias tire so no matter what you end up going with I do recommend sticking with radials.
Something that will help with tread life on a trailer tire is to make sure the tires are always inflated to the maximum psi indicated on the tire. This is because trailer tires are built with a thicker sidewall compared to car tires. If under inflated the thicker sidewall can bunch up and lead to excessive heat. The tread depth on the above tire is 10/32" which is what the higher end trailer tires will have.
Making the trailer as strong as you can is a good thing but I will warn you that if the suspension is also over-built it will create a stiff ride and be jarring for anything loaded on the trailer. So for example if you want the trailer to have a capacity of 2,000 pounds you wouldn't want to use suspension for a 3,500 pound axle. The suspension won't be able to compress enough.
