Hot Tires?

[SweetLou]

Ok now I think this is odd. I was taking my boat up and over the mountain to get some maintenance done. I don't trailer this boat but 0.5 mi to the launch ramp twice a year and the mechanic. So I am 12 mi into a 35 mile trip and I pull over to check the bearings on the single axle boat trailer. They feel cool to touch, however the tires are hot. There are no trailer brakes and both sides felt the same. Why would tires only, not the rims or hubs be hot? I slowed way down the rest of the way. Tires are old won't lie, and for sure I am going to change them before they go on this trip again.

[blt2ski]

SweetLou wrote:

BarneyS wrote:

SweetLou wrote:
Snip...Why do you think truckers take a club to the tires on the side of the road? Snip....

They do that to find a flat tire. It is not always obvious by looking.

If I hit the desert in 115 degree temps I would just keep on rolling and not worry about my tires that are inflated to the max cold pressure.
Barney

Even if you have some age on those tires?

x3

[BarneyS]

Yep.

[SweetLou]

BarneyS wrote:

SweetLou wrote:
Snip...Why do you think truckers take a club to the tires on the side of the road? Snip....

They do that to find a flat tire. It is not always obvious by looking.

If I hit the desert in 115 degree temps I would just keep on rolling and not worry about my tires that are inflated to the max cold pressure.
Barney

Even if you have some age on those tires?

[BarneyS]

SweetLou wrote:
Snip...Why do you think truckers take a club to the tires on the side of the road? Snip....

They do that to find a flat tire. It is not always obvious by looking.

If I hit the desert in 115 degree temps I would just keep on rolling and not worry about my tires that are inflated to the max cold pressure.
Barney

[SweetLou]

aftermath wrote:
When a tire has a maximum pressure rating of 80 PSI printed on the sidewall, it is a pressure designed to be safe for the tire. The maximum ratings specifically say "cold" on them. So, if it says 80 cold it can and will safely handle pressure increases due to heat. Think a minute about your position. If 80 is the absolute maximum then you could never fill it to 80 because it would be over than once the sun hit the street. You would always have to stop and release some air to keep it at 80. Is that what you are saying?

Yes, I am "over tired" on my trailer. Airstreams suffer from harsh rides. My system allows me to run a tire with a little give in it but at the same time can handle the load. Works for me over 9 years and more than 40K miles.

Just the part about fill to cold on them. If you followed that logic and you hit the AZ desert at 115 degrees, what might your tire pressure be then? Why do you think truckers take a club to the tires on the side of the road? Your logic may work for a tire placed on the road for the very first time. Most are well used and have age and weight has a lot to say about this.

[aftermath]

I change pressures to reduce the flexing that causes heat buildup. Might not "have" to do that but it makes me feel better. I do this before I leave in the morning.

[aftermath]

When a tire has a maximum pressure rating of 80 PSI printed on the sidewall, it is a pressure designed to be safe for the tire. The maximum ratings specifically say "cold" on them. So, if it says 80 cold it can and will safely handle pressure increases due to heat. Think a minute about your position. If 80 is the absolute maximum then you could never fill it to 80 because it would be over than once the sun hit the street. You would always have to stop and release some air to keep it at 80. Is that what you are saying?

Yes, I am "over tired" on my trailer. Airstreams suffer from harsh rides. My system allows me to run a tire with a little give in it but at the same time can handle the load. Works for me over 9 years and more than 40K miles.

[Grit_dog]

^If you're already grossly over "tired" for the weight you're carrying, idk why you'd continue to raise the pressures, and espeiclly when hot. 70psi cold tires will get well over 75 maybe to 80 all on their own just from the heat of the road/sun and friction.
You're prolly in the 85-90 range when hot.

[aftermath]

SweetLou, Glad to know you will be getting new tires. When you said that you were not overloaded because the trailer was matched to the boat, you neglected the most important factor, the tires. I don't care what the boat/trailer combination is, the tires are the most important factor here.

To do this right, weight the boat/trailer combination. Find tires that will cover this weight and put them on. Most small trailers come from the factory with tires that just barely cover the gross weight of the trailer. In such cases it is imperative to air up the tire to the max pressure allowed. If 35 is the max and you run them at 30 you probably are underinflated for your weight. Underinflation causes excessive flexing of the tire which produces the heat you felt. Let alone this heat will ruin a tire. It is a falacy to think under inflating a tire will somehow protect it in the heat. Exactly the opposite happens.

I run LRE tires with a max inflation of 80PSI. I run 70 PSI because at this pressure I am still way above the weight of my trailer. On hot trip I will inflate to 75. If it is extremely hot, I will run 80.

[routeforty]

Ron3rd: I know they're supposed to be bowed. But mine was bowed the opposite way that it was supposed to be-like a smile 🙂 instead of a frown 😞 Gary

[Lynnmor]

I wonder if the low pressure tires are actually lawn mower tires.

[All_I_could_aff]

Who knows if the tires were replaced at some point with a lesser load range, or maybe even a car tire

[wnjj]

SweetLou wrote:

marcsbigfoot20b27 wrote:
Like people have said.....
They were underinflated at 30 psi.
They should be at max which would be 50 psi for load range C.
Guy at discount tire said to always run max sidewall pressure on trailer tires, less heat generated that way.

checked the side wall and it says max @ 35. I put 30

If the trailer is matched to the weight of the boat, it may require all of the load rating of the tires. That max rating only happens at max psi. I think the tires will flex more and create more heat with less than max pressure and that’s more likely to cause a failure in an old tire than too much pressure inside.

5 psi is a significant percentage of 35.

[richclover]

SweetLou wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
Mkirsh, but of misinfo on your part. Yes plenty of boats get shipped with no trailers, but most runabout to cuddly size boats that are targeted for day trippers and hauling to the lake come straight from the factory on a ......... Trailer.
35psi tires is a small boat/trailer/axle, so 30psi is still reasonable. My mistake, but get some new tires anyway.

Oh with out a doubt that is what I am going to do. I plan to get the weight first then get appropriate tires.

SweetLou, just put on a set of load range E tires, pump ‘em to 70 psi and drive on!