Does Weight Distribution Cause Tire Wear On A Tire's Inside Only

Updated 01/28/2020 | Published 01/27/2020

Products Featured in This Question

Loadstar ST185/80D13 Bias Trailer Tire with 13" Galvanized Wheel - 5 on 4-1/2 - Load Range D

(7564)

$154.13

Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution System w/ 4-Point Sway Control - 4,000 lbs GTW, 400 lbs TW

(875)

$840.27

Question:

I have a 2018 Coachman Clipper 125ST Sport. This is a single axle trailer. The original ST18580R13 tires were low miles and started wearing on the inside. Never overloaded, no bent axles, tire pressure at 65psi per manufacturer. There are two things to add to this. 1. Tires were actually built in 2015, again, camper is a 2018 2 I had a setup with equilizer bars for the camper, and my TV was a 2003 Frontier 4cy 5speed. Recently, purchased a 2017 Nissan Titan, which of course, is much larger. Question is: could the equalizer bars cause excessive weight from the TV back on the camper tires? I am thinking that since the camper axle is rated at only 3000lbs, that I am getting more weight transfered back to the camper than it can handle. I bought the equalizer bars for safety, but, I am thinking that they are causing my problem with camper tire wear on the inside. Is this possible? Thanks in advance for your advise.

asked by: Brad E

Helpful Expert Reply:

It sounds like you've done a great job of reducing your tire blowout risks already so I would say this likely has more to do with the age or condition of that specific ST18580R13 tire. A weight distribution system like the Equal-i-zer Weight Distribution System w/ 4-Point Sway Control # EQ37040ET should not shift excessive weight to your rear tires if it's an appropriate system for your tow setup. If it's a much higher capacity than necessary then you may be on to something there as that will often cause the ride to be overly rigid and could affect tire wear potentially.

It's best that your total tongue weight (sum of your trailer tongue weight and cargo) falls in the middle of your WDH range. This gives you a bit of wiggle room if your tongue weight varies between trips. For example, if your total tongue weight is about 1,000 lbs, a weight distribution hitch with a tongue weight rating of 800 - 1,200 lbs is ideal.

expert reply by: Patrick R