Can Tire Size be Increased on Jet Ski Trailer with 2" of Tire-to-Fender Clearance

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Question:

Hello Jon G. I currently have 4.80x12 tires on the trailer, I would like to run a 14 tire and wheel, but I am not sure about fitment. Thanks,

asked by: Rex C

1

Helpful Expert Reply:

Thank you for all of the info!

You can safely use a wider tire, but we recommend having 3" - 4" of clearance from the tire to the wheelwell (fender) so that they don't make contact when your suspension moves. I'm not sure what size tire you current have on your 1996 Triton Elite Single Jet Ski Trailer but if you can let me know the tire size I can make a recommendation from the linked selection of tires/tire-wheel combos that fit a 12" wheel.

expert reply by: Jon G

1

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Rex C.

3/23/2020

Hello Jon G. I currently have 4.80x12 tires on the trailer, I would like to run a 14 tire and wheel, but I am not sure about fitment. Thanks,

Jon G.

3/23/2020

Your 4.80-12 size tire will be 4.8" wide and have an overall diameter of about 20.8". The smallest 14" tire/wheel combo is 205/75-14 which has a width of 7.99" and an overall diameter of 26.1". This means that your fender clearance will be reduced by about 2.5" and your tire will sit about 1.5" closer to your trailer frame. Since we recommend having at least an inch of clearance to your trailer frame I recommend going with a 13" combo instead. For that I recommend the Karrier ST175/80R13 Radial Trailer Tire with 13" Galvanized Wheel # AM31994 which reduces your fender clearance by about 1.5" and it will sit about 1" closer to your trailer frame. This also is a radial tire so it will perform best on the highway, and it has a galvanized wheel which does a great job at reducing rust and corrosion from water. It has a load range D (1,610 lbs at 65 psi) and a max speed rating of 81 mph. I have attached a review video of this combo for you to check out.

Answer 1

Hey Vance, we have the Kenda KR25 Radial Trailer Tire with 12" Aluminum HWT Wheel #AM31208HWT which is the tire size of 145/80-12 on a nicer looking aluminum wheel. This has a 4 on 4 inch bolt pattern so you would need to verify that for me.…

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Answer 2

The 5.30-12 tires, being wider, are going to make more contact with the road. This means that the noise, and heat build up will be higher than a 4.80-12 tire but the rolling resistance will actually be less because the tire is larger diameter. The…

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Answer 3

The interesting thing about trailer tires is that they need to be inflated to their max psi rating at all times regardless of load. This ensures that heat does not build up which causes premature failure. So for a tire like the Loadstar 4.80-12 Bias…

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Answer 4

Hey Andy, the trailer wheel and tire part #AM30670 should be inflated to 90 psi when cold under all circumstances and you'll be fine. Unlike on vehicles with trailer tires they need to be inflated to the max psi rating at all times so that you…

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Answer 5

In the tire size of 175/80R13 the best trailer tire option is the part #AM31994 which is a radial, has the highest speed rating at 81 mph, and is Load Range D with a weight capacity of 1,610 lbs at 70 psi.

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Answer 6

That doesn't sound like a standard date code. The code should be a 4 digit number. The first 2 are the week and the last 2 are the year. So for example if it was 2314 that means that tire was made in the 23rd week of 2014. I attached a picture…

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Answer 7

The Aluminum Viking Series Valhalla Trailer Wheel part #AX02350545BMFL will fit on your jet ski trailer as long as you have 5 bolts on your hub. You will want to match these up with Karrier ST175/80R13 Radial Trailer Tire part # AM10210. These are…

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Answer 8

You are in luck because all 12 inch trailer tires fit the same size wheels. I recommend going with a 145-12, #AM10130. It will have a section width of 5.7 inches, nearly a full inch wider than your existing tires. You will need to make sure that you…

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Answer 9

Your current 5.30/12 tire and wheel setup has an overall diameter of 21.9 inches and the ST185/80R13 has an overall diameter of 24.1 inches. That means you will have 1.1 inches less of clearance between your tire and fender as well as about 2 more…

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Answer 10

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I will be happy to help you find some replacement wheels and tires for your Yacht Club Jet Ski Trailer that are more reliable. I recommend the Kenda 4.80-12 Bias Trailer Tire with 12" Galvanized Wheel item…

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Answer 11

As long as you have the needed wheel well and trailer frame clearance, there is no reason that you couldn't go to a larger tire size from your existing 5.30-12 tires. The next size up from what you have is going to be with an ST175/80-13 size…

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Answer 12

Since both a ST145/R12 size tire, like the Kenda Karrier S-Trail #AM10130, and a 5.30-12 size tire, like the Kenda K353 #AM10068, fit a 12 inch wheel, a ST145/R12 size tire can replace a 5.30-12 size tire. Keep in mind that these tires do have…

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Can Tire Size be Increased on Jet Ski Trailer with 2" of Tire-to-Fender Clearance

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