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Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums

General Sailing Forum

Trailer Tire Pressure

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Russ.Johnson
Commodore

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USA
859 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/20/2006 : 21:30:04

I was wondering what tire pressure you recommend?
I have a C250WB with the TrailRite trailer and original tires.
The rating on the tire is 50psi max.
That seems pretty high so I used 40psi cold.

Russ (C250WB #793)

Russ Johnson
2005 C250WB Hull 793

Edited by - on

Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2006 : 21:49:30

The rating printed on the sidewall is the recommended cold pressure. When you've been driving for a while, the pressure will be higher--that's expected and part of the rating. (I.e., don't measure pressure right after drivig for 100 miles.) Lower pressures lead to more heat buildup in highway driving, becuase the tires flex more. I'd go with the rated pressure for highway driving. If you're just driving 30 mph for 5 miles from a ramp to your house, you can get away with a lower pressure to help cushion the boat.

Edited by - Dave Bristle on 10/20/2006 21:52:04

Russ.Johnson
Commodore

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USA
859 Posts

Response Posted - 10/20/2006 : 23:15:01

Thanks Dave,
I'll use 50psi cold the next time I trailer.
Russ (#793)

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Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 10/21/2006 : 20:28:01

We just towed our C250WK 2,000 miles. Inflate the boat tires to their max for best performance.

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At Ease
Admiral

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672 Posts

Response Posted - 10/22/2006 : 13:34:25

The TP should be adjusted for the weight of the load the tires are carrying. The TP on the side of the tire is for max weight...if towing at max weight, that's what you should use. If towing less, TP should be less.

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Heartbeat
Navigator

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USA
161 Posts

Response Posted - 10/24/2006 : 15:09:17

My tires say 50psi. I have ran 35, 45, 50, 55 and 60psi.

35 psi is waaay too low. The trailer manufacturer set the tire pressures, and soon as the boat sat on it I saw that wasn't enough.

45-50psi works fine.

55 and 60 psi did help with stability when I was running an undersized tow vehicle (my old 81 305 V-8 1/2 ton pickup with 175k.) A friend who has done a bunch of heavy towing recommended pushing the tire pressure a bit. I was going a fairly short distance (30 miles) and I figured it wouldn't hurt. It did help, but ideally I would prefer to have a tow vehicle rated for the load and back the pressure down to 50. Towing with that old truck turned out to be a bad idea, and that's why it's gone.

-Matt

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At Ease
Admiral

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672 Posts

Response Posted - 10/25/2006 : 12:44:36

I tow a 14k fifth wheel and there are lots of discussions on that forum re tire pressure. The tire gurus say to never ever put more air pressure in the tires than listed as max pressure on the side wall.

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Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 10/26/2006 : 07:13:21

A slight divergent, I've lost several tires while trailering my boat... all of them right rear with all tires inflated to the max. I'm wondering if the back axle is getting a greater percentage of the load or if the tire losses are simple coincidence.

I've heard some advocate lowering the aft axle 5 lbs less than front to assist with trailer stability and wonder if doing so balances the load better.

Any one else suffer more aft axle tire failures or have any thoughts on running aft axle slightly lower than forward?

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ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts

Response Posted - 10/26/2006 : 09:04:50

>"I've lost several tires while trailering my boat... all of them right rear "

I wouldn't lower the pressure. Lower pressure = more heat and heat is the primary cause of tire failure.

Trailer sitting level on the hitch?
Axle equalizer working properly?
Bent or out of alignment axle?

In the USA, trailer tires take a little more load on the right due to being on the 'downhill' side of the road crown.

What brand of tires are you running? There are reports on the web of a formerly reputable brand now having lot of failures after moving production to China.

Edited by - on

Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 10/26/2006 : 10:16:21

My flat the other day was right rear. Do rears scrub more in turns?

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Dave Bristle
Master Marine Consultant

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Djibouti
10005 Posts

Response Posted - 10/26/2006 : 11:20:18

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by fhopper@mac.com
 Do rears scrub more in turns?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
Here's an idle theory... Turns will scrub tires on double-axle trailers, since the tires don't align with curve... Right turns are sharper than left turns, so will cause more scrubbing... The inside tires will scrub more on a turn than the outside, due to the shorter radius... The rear tire will scrub more than the front because the weight is biased toward the front, so the front tire acts as a pivot point. Thus, the right rear tire it toast!

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At Ease
Admiral

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672 Posts

Response Posted - 10/26/2006 : 13:17:37

Are the tires either ST or LT? They are the only ones that should be used on trailers. Others are not built to handle the side stressed noted above.

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Frank Hopper
Past Commodore

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Pitcairn Island
6776 Posts

Response Posted - 10/26/2006 : 13:34:36

In modern speak that would be load range C or D, I bought Ds. Carlisles and Goodyear Marathons are the only real trailer tires I am aware of.

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Arlyn Stewart
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2980 Posts

Response Posted - 10/26/2006 : 17:25:52

Yes, all of the tires I've lost were STs. Of the three, two were bias ply and one radial.

I'd wondered if the road shoulder ridge causes undo strain but hadn't given consideration to scuffing during turns... that might be a serious strain on the chords.

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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.