Can Using 1 Larger Tire on a Tandem Axle Trailer Cause Bearings to Wear Out

Updated 09/21/2025 | Published 07/14/2018

Question:

Good day to you,,, With your blessing i have a ? to ask,, My best friend claims that if you have a tire on a dual axle car trailer that is larger or smaller than the other 3 tires on trailer it will wear out the wheel bearing,,, Is that true??,, I myself just cant understand how that can be possible,, How can a wheel bearing know it has a larger or smaller tire on it and how can it wear out the wheel bearing just because the other 3 are the same size tire on trailer,, Am i missing something ??,, With your blessing can you please explain how this can be possible.

asked by: Kevin H

Expert Reply:

First let me just say that you do want all of your tires to be the same size, construction, and load range. In a pinch if you have to use a different size you can but it should be temporary until you can get the right size on it.

If one of the tires is larger or smaller than it is supposed to be it can put additional stress on the running gear which would include the bearings. A larger tire will have fewer revolutions than the other tires and that plus the larger size can cause the trailer to want to pull to one side. That introduces additional lateral stress on the bearings.

A smaller tire can have the same issue and, being smaller, it will have more revolutions to travel the same distance as the larger tires.

It does take time for anything catastrophic to happen though so it isn't like you put on a larger tire and it instantly fails. The first thing you would notice, other than how the trailer "feels" or tracks when you tow it, is uneven tire wear. It can also have an adverse effect on the trailer's suspension.

So my question for you is, what size, type, and load range can I set you up with so you have 4 matching tires?

expert reply by: Michael H