Are Radial Tires More Resistant to Tread Wear Than Bias Tires

Updated 12/23/2019 | Published 12/22/2019

Question:

My boat trailer tires always wear more on the inside edge of bias ply tires. Would a radial version give a more even wear pattern? Currently, my tires are ST175/80D13. I usually inflate them to 35 pounds. Perhaps inflation is not correct, but they always wear more on the inside third of the tread.

asked by: Charles S

Helpful Expert Reply:

If you do mostly highway driving then radial tires like the Karrier ST175/80R13 Trailer Tire # AM10210 will be all-around better as they have a better design to say cool at highway speeds, but radial doesn't necessarily have a better resistance to poor tread wear.

Typically when then inside tread of tires is wearing out faster than the rest of the tire it means that too much load is being put on the axle and it is almost bowing down which forces your tires to sit at a weird angle. This could also be due to damage to your trailer suspension so I would double check the weight capacity of your trailer axle to see if you are overloading it or not.

Then you definitely need to remain within the weight capacity of your axle, weight capacity of your tires, and then fix any suspension problems you may be having (if you aren't overloading your trailer axle). It is also worth noting that you need to keep your trailer tire inflated to the psi rating that is stamped into the sidewall. For example, the tire # AM10210 that was referenced has a load range of D which is 1,650 lbs at 70 psi so you need to keep the tires inflated to 70 psi.

Attached are some helpful articles on tires that you can check out as well.

expert reply by: Jon G