Trailer Tires – Dave’s Garage

Trailer tires have a tough life. Drivers are unlikely to feel any notable differences in road noise or road feel with trailer tires. Trailer tires are often subjected to harsh curb hits and road bumps. Tandem axle tires also experience harsh scrubbing due to making tight turns in parking lots and on corners.

trailer tiresTrailer tires are quite different from traditional passenger car and truck tires. Trailer tires are not designed for either tractive effort or steering adhesion. The tread design is not optimized for ride comfort or noise reduction. Most importantly, the side walls are designed to reduce trailer sway and provide optimum control.

The two biggest enemies to trailer tires are abrasion and heat. As trailer tires heat up, their structure begins to disintegrate and weaken. The load capacity gradually decreases as the heat and stress caused by higher speed increases.

As with any tire, trailer tires have a “shelf life.” Time weakens a trailer tire too. Three to five years is the projected life of a trailer tire. Obviously, the type of use and number of duty cycles influences the service life of the tire. Weight carried and speeds driven are the biggest factors influencing tire life. In approximately three years, roughly one-third of the tire’s strength is gone.

The mileage life of a trailer tire is generally 5,000 to 12,000 miles. Which tires should you use? Trailer tires should match each other, and the load rating should ex-ceed the combined weight of the trailer and load by about 20 percent.

What is a tire with a rating of “ST”?
“ST” tires feature materials and construction to meet the higher load requirements and demands of trailering. The polyester cords are bigger than they would be for a comparable “P” or “LT” tire.

The steel cords have a larger diameter and greater tensile strength to meet the additional load requirements. “ST” tire rubber compounds contain more chemicals to resist weather and ozone cracking.
Always inflate trailer tires to the maximum inflation indicated on the sidewall. Check inflation when the tires are cool.

If the tires are hot to the touch from operation, add three psi to the max inflation.

Under inflation is the number one cause of trailer tire failure. An under inflated tire will flex needlessly, and run much hotter than a fully inflated tire.

Keys to Avoiding Trouble from Carlisle tire

  • The ideal storage for trailer tires is in a cool, dark garage at maximum inflation.
  • Use tire covers to protect the tires from direct sunlight.
  • Place thin boards or plywood sections between the tire and the
    pavement.
  • Clean the tires using mild soap and water ONLY.
  • Do not use tire-care products containing alcohol or petroleum distillates.
  • Inspect the tires for any cuts, snags, bulges or punctures.
  • Check the inflation before towing and again before the return trip.
  • Replace trailer tires every three to five years, whether they look like they’re worn out or not.

Trailer Tire Warranty

  • The Carlisle trailer tire warranty applies to the original purchaser for three years from the date of purchase or until the tread depth reaches 3/32″.
  • The OE (original equipment) warranty goes into effect at the time of the trailer purchase

Please email all inquiries to: Dave
or snail mail
32 Turkey Hill Road
Richmond VT 05477

 

1964 Studebaker Avanti R2

StanRay and Julies’s ‘64 Studebaker Avanti R2 has been sold to someone in the state of Washington.

The Greenias have had the Avanti for 20 years. This car has been such a big part of our club gatherings over the years, the blue beauty will be missed.

Ray said he has had a hard time finding folks qualified to work on it and he is getting to the point he would rather not be climbing around the car any longer doing maintenance himself… so he decided to sell.

Ray found it in a Hemmings ad in 1994 located in Queens, NY and brought it home to Burlington.

Ray said the Avanti ran fine when he got it but the front end was misaligned and the tires were in bad shape. He replaced the front and rear springs and shocks, the dual exhaust system along with new tires and alignment. Since then he and Julie have had 18,000 miles of trouble free touring. He did repaint it himself a year after the purchase.

Stowe Show Musings

Once again, I marvel at the work of the dedicated people who put together our Car Show at Stowe. I am pretty sure they are already at work for next year, in fact. Despite the rain and wind on Thursday, the next three days were pleasant and sunny, a little muddy, but great by Sunday! The kitchen team this year certainly presented many, many delicious meals. Then there was the setting up for vendors, car parking, registration booth, where Gael Boardman and Serge Benoit made announcements throughout the Show. There was the car corral, crafts tent, and the information booth.

The souvenir tent was an excellent vantage point to get a valuable perspective on the show. Thanks to Tom Alag of Shelter Logic for giving us a large white tent to work from. It gave us room for displaying things for sale and room for people who needed a place to sit out of the sun. They also had one of their tents set up nearby to be raffled off to a VAE member. Non-members could qualify by signing up on the spot, which they did. We gained a substantial number of members as a result. The winner was a lady who signed up about ten minutes before the drawing. Then there was the fashion show competition (Thanks, Julie, for covering that for me). The “everywhere needed twosome”, Duane Leach and Bob Chase, who were always (mostly) smiling and al-ways helpful. If I wore a hat, it would be off to them! Also, to Chris Barbieri for his many interviews promoting the Show. Thanks to Nancy Olney for staying at the booth so that I could be with Wendell in the parade. Also to Isabelle and Clark Wright, Theresa Rayta and Anita Bean.

Our constant interaction with the public provided us with interesting comments and suggestions. Many were valuable and a few were just “off the wall.” Some didn’t care for the car on the back of the sweatshirts, unless of course it happened to be their favorite car. So since we can’t please everyone, maybe just the VAE logo or show date should be on the back! Others would like a pocket on the tee shirts, tank tops, sleeveless tees, hats, VAE decals, pencils with VAE or Stowe Show on them. Several people would like to have the option of a three-day pass, rental carts for handicapped people and, as part of the judging awards, a “teen choice award”. Another suggestion was to have a tent for Bingo if someone would like to sponsor it.

The field is now empty and shows little evidence that it just hosted the best car show in the northeast. After a little bit of a breather, I look forward to being a part of it again.