How to Select Replacement Trailer Tires to Avoid Blowouts on 2015 Oakmont M-325 5th Wheel  

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Expert Reply:

In our experience the specific brand of trailer tire has less to do with the potential for a blowout or failure than other factors. Those other factors are inflation pressure, weight load and driving speed.

Heat is what causes tires to fail and excess heat in a trailer tire arises from incorrect inflation pressure (either too high or too low), from overloading the tire beyond its weight capacity or from driving faster than the tire's rated speed. All of these issues generate heat and if two occur at once your odds for a failure go up quickly.

We do not offer special trailer tires in your size 235/70R16 but we do have special trailer tires in size ST235/80-16, shown on the linked page. For example, Provider ST235/80R16 Radial Trailer Tire # PRG80235 is rated for Load Range G, 4080-lbs at its rated 110-psi pressure. Four of these would provide a total load capacity of over 16K. This tire also has an M speed rating, making it ideal for higher-speed highway use.

What you want to do is confirm the trailer's GVWR and divide this by 4, since it has tandem axles. This will tell you the weight load each tire has to handle. The M-325RE has a base weight of 10,550-lbs. Naturally a safety margin is a good thing so select tires that can handle more weight than they actually have to; this enables them to run cooler which means less chance for failure.

Always inflate to the COLD pressure noted on the tire sidewall; it is never appropriate to under- or over-inflate a trailer or light truck tire.

Also, check the speed rating for your tires. Speed ratings, like weight/ply ratings, use a letter code to indicate capacity. L-rated tires are good up to 75-mph while M-rated tires are good to 81-mph. Choose tires so that you have safety margin for both weight and speed.

expert reply by: Adam R

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