Trailer Tires and Wheels

[akbridge]

Who has the best deals out there right now for quality tire and wheel combos?  I am looking for two 5 lug 13" tires and wheels for my trailer.  Galvanized or aluminum makes no difference to me.  Or if someone knows of a deal on used wheels I could make my own set.

[slvrlng]

See if you have a Rimco in your area or a tire kingdom.

[akbridge]

I  have a tire kingdom near the house.  I have dealt with them before.  But I am looking more for a source for wheels.

[wingtime]

I've bought some with the rims at Wal-mart for like $70 bucks

[John Jones]

I don't have a source on deals but you don't really want aluminum on a saltwater boat.  They will look like heck in a year.  The lugs crack the clear coat and the salt starts corrosion around the lugs and you will have spider web corrosion creeping across the wheel in short order.

[GoneFission]

$30 + $12 shipping on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Boat-Tra ... ccessories  

And a few more choices:

http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=13%22+ ... m270.l1313

Good luck!

[wingtime]

I just saw 13" tire with galvanized rim at Wally World in St Pete foe $67 bucks.  They also had 12" and 14" there too.

[akbridge]

Thanks for all the suggestions.  I always forget about Sturdy Built Trailer Parts.  Good folks to deal with.  The are about 15 mins from my father's place in Manatee County.  That seems like a deal at Wally World.  Might have to take a look at them.  Any idea on tire manufacturer?

[John Jones]

The folks at Sturdy Built have always been good to me.  My son-in-law bought a boat and trailer here then took it back to Alabama.  Before he left he bought 4 new tires and galvanized rims from Sturdy Built.  One of them had a tread separation on the way back to AL.  He had to pay the shipping both ways but they replaced the tire.  That was May of last year.  He has not had any more tire problems.

[fitz73222]

I`m running Wally world 13" tires and wheels on my tandem with no problems. Most of their tires except name brand are coming from China for Walmart. They seem to be good tires; they are black and round load range C and have had them up to 70 mph without coming apart!! My average tow round trip is 20 miles @45-50 mph so I`m not worried. Would I tow across the state in the middle of July here in Florida @75 mph on those tires? Probably not...It all depends what you want the tires to do.

[akbridge]

I need good quality tires.  I am land locked in Lakeland.  So to get to saltwater it takes an hour and a half at least.  I am not scared to spend money on good quality tires.  That to me is an investment in the safety of me and everyone else around.  Having said that times are tight and my wife is taking 3 months off work to be with the little one.  That is why I am in search of good deals.  I have had an issue with the tires at Sturdy Built, but they did make it right for me.  Just don't buy Trail America tires.  Both Trail America tires got bubbles on the sidewall the size of golf balls about a month or so use.

[fitz73222]

The Wally World tires are Trail America so I will keep an eye on them. I only have 3 trips on them for a total of about 60 miles.

[allen456]

Here is a though that was suggested to me.  I am looking for new tires/maybe wheels and my friend suggest buying new take off Jeep wrangler wheels/tires.  Same size, but how will the auto tires hold up on a trailer?  I know the sidewalls on a trailer are thicker and supposedly stronger to help with the shock and heat, but is there that much difference?

[akbridge]

Depending on weight, car tires can hold up ok.  They are more likely to chunk and tear going around corners.  They can hold up to heat fine.  I have run them on lawn trailers before and had no issues.  You just need to compare load rating, ply materials in the sidewall and tread, and tread layout.  I have heard of running jeep tires, but to find two they can get pricey.  Ranger wheels work too.

[wingtime]

I used to run car tires on my trailer here at work and we had nothing but problems.  I switched to trailer tires... no more problems.  Even with the imported ones.  I would not run car tires on a tandem trailer since they put a huge side load on the sidewalls when you make sharp turns.

On a side note we have some Chinese tires on some of our heavy trucks and they have been ok.