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Question 786493

Can Larger Tires With A Higher Speed Rating Be Installed In A Malone XtraLight Kayak Trailer

Updated 08/06/2025 | Published 11/27/2024

Question:

Can I put higher speed rated22 inch tires on a malone xtralight kayak trailer with 8inch tires

asked by: Ed M

Expert Reply:

Hey Ed,

You can switch to larger tires but you would potentially need to move the fenders up to keep a minimum of 3" of clearance so that the wheels won't rub as the suspension compresses. Are you looking to just replace the tires and keep the 8" wheels or are you wanting to replace the wheels as well? If you're wanting to replace just the tires was there a specific size you had in mind? If you're fine with replacing the wheels what is the bolt pattern of the hubs?

expert reply by: Kevin C

Edward M.

11/27/2024

I am trying to get higher speed rated tires for the trailer figured 12 inch tires would be able to hold up to higher speeds than 8 inch,am taking trailer I just bought with 2 kayaks from Texas to Michigan

Kevin C.

11/29/2024

@EdwardM Ok, so you're wanting to go from 8" wheels to 12" wheels. That's definitely doable and would allow you to switch to tires with a higher speed rating, but the tires are going to be stiffer so you might experience a bit of a bouncy ride unless you can weigh down the trailer enough with your kayaks. You should have a 5 on 4-1/2 wheel bolt pattern so the Kenda Karrier S-Trail ST145/R12 Radial Tire w/ 12" Galvanized Spoke Wheel # AM31202 would be a good fit. The # AM31202 is 21.3" in diameter versus your current size of 16.3" so you'd be losing about 2.5" of gap between the tire and fender. If this would put you less than 3" from the fenders you'll want to move them up to prevent the wheels from rubbing. This tire has an M speed rating which has a maximum speed of 81mph.

Edward

11/30/2024

@KevinC Thanks will check clearance then order wheel tire combo

Edward

8/6/2025

Kevin just an update I upgraded my 8 inch tires to the 12inch tires you recommended moved the fenders up and this month took the kayaks on the malone Xtralight from Fort Worth Tx to paw paw Michigan around 1100 miles trailered great no issues I would highly recomend your tire combo to anybody looking to take long distance trips I went through wind,thunderstorms and high heat and no problem with the tires once again thank you