Benefits of Upgrading to 5.30-12 or 175/80-13 Tires On a Boat Trailer

Updated 06/02/2020 | Published 05/29/2020

Products Featured in This Question

Kenda 5.30-12 Bias Trailer Tire with 12" Galvanized Wheel - 5 on 4-1/2 - Load Range C

(7532)

$80.61

Karrier ST175/80R13 Radial Trailer Tire with 13" Galvanized Wheel - 5 on 4-1/2 - Load Range C

(2449)

$143.20

Question:

Hello - I am hoping for some advice on a potential wheel/tire upsize. I need to replace both tires on my new-to-me boat trailer The old tires are 13 years old and have bad dry rot. I am also going to be replacing the hubs and moving to new, softer leaf springs, as the ones on the trailer are too much for the weight of the boat, and dont really flex at all. The boat weighs about 1200lbs fully loaded, and the trailer 1988 Shorelandr weighs about 150-200lbs Id guess. Most of my towing will be 2-3 hours on highways, with some hills. In an effort to take a little strain off the hubs, would it be worthwhile to upsize to a 5.3-12 or 175/80-13? Im not worried about the load rating, just focused on highway trailering ease and efficiency. Many Thanks for any insight you can share.

asked by: Armando R

Expert Reply:

The benefits of upgrading to larger tires are better weigh ratings, higher speed capacity, larger wheel/tire selection as well as reduced wear/tear on the hubs. If you have the needed space then this is a great option. The 5.30-12 tires are 21.9" diameter x 5.6" wide, I recommend the Kenda 5.30-12 Bias Trailer Tire with 12" Galvanized Wheel part # AM30850. The 175/80-13 tires are 24.1" diameter x 7" wide, I recommend the Karrier ST175/80R13 Radial Trailer Tire with 13" Galvanized Wheel part # AM31952.

I have attached a full list of each options below.

expert reply by: Conner L