Trailer Tires in Buford, GA
Trailer tires are built to a different standard than the tires on your truck, and the number that matters most on one is the date code, not the tread depth. Unlimited Tire & Service sells and installs ST-rated trailer tires in Buford, GA for boat, utility and work trailers. Call (770) 670-3672 with the size off the sidewall and the load range letter.
Buford, GA · Mon–Fri 9–5 · All makes & models
What makes a trailer tire different from a car tire?
Look at the sidewall. A trailer tire's size starts with ST, for Special Trailer. A passenger tire starts with P. A light truck tire starts with LT. Those letters are not branding. They describe how the tire was engineered and what job it was built to do.
A car tire has to steer, put power to the ground and help stop the vehicle. A trailer tire does none of that. It carries vertical load and it fights sway. So an ST tire gets a stiffer sidewall, a higher load rating for its size, and a much higher cold inflation pressure. Put a passenger tire in that spot and the sidewall flexes more than it was designed to, heat builds up inside the tire, and the trailer starts to wander behind the truck at highway speed.
- ST tires typically run 50 to 65 psi cold. Most passenger tires run 32 to 36.
- The stiff sidewall is what keeps a loaded trailer tracking straight instead of swaying.
- ST tires carry a speed rating that is often lower than a car tire's. Read it before you assume.
- Load range (C, D, E and up) sets the capacity. Match it to the trailer's axle rating, not to whatever looks close.
Why does trailer tire age matter more than tread depth?
Because trailers sit. A boat trailer might cover a few hundred miles in a season and then park in the sun for eight months. The tread never wears down, so the tire looks fine. The rubber ages the whole time though, and Georgia sun and humidity push that along. What ends most trailer tires is not mileage. It is time and heat.
You can date any tire yourself. Find the DOT code on the sidewall and read the last four digits. The first two are the week, the last two are the year. 2721 means the 27th week of 2021. Once a trailer tire is past five years or so, treat it as a wear item no matter how deep the tread looks. Start inspecting it closely at three.
What you are looking for is fine cracking in the tread grooves and at the base of the sidewall, a dull chalky surface where the rubber used to be dark, flat spots from sitting loaded in one position, and any bulge at all. A bulge means the belts underneath have separated. That tire is finished and it will not get better.
Boat, utility and work trailers around Lake Lanier
Lake Lanier boat trailers live an odd life. They sit parked most of the year, then get run hot down to a ramp and backed straight into cold water while the tires and hubs are still up to temperature. That cycling is hard on old rubber. If the trailer has been parked since last summer, check the tires before the first launch instead of after.
Utility and landscape trailers have the opposite problem. They work every day, they are usually loaded heavier than the owner thinks, and the load almost never sits centered. That shows up as one tire wearing faster than the other three, or a single tire that always runs hotter than the rest. Both are worth catching before they turn into a blowout on GA-20 with a mower on the back.
Then there is the spare. Plenty of trailers have none at all, or one that has been strapped to the tongue since the trailer was new. A ten year old spare is decoration. If yours is that old, replace it with the rest and put it on a wheel that fits the hub.
What size and load range does your trailer need?
Start with the placard on the tongue or the front of the frame. It lists the tire size and the cold pressure the trailer was built around. If it is faded or gone, the old sidewall and the axle rating will get you there.
Read the size the way it is molded in. ST205/75R15 means a Special Trailer tire, 205 millimeters wide, with a sidewall height 75 percent of that width, radial construction, on a 15 inch wheel. Change any of those numbers and you change the ride height, the fender clearance and the load the tire is rated to carry. Next to the size is a load range letter. C, D and E are the common ones, and each step up means more strength in the casing and a higher rated pressure. Two axles rated at 3,500 pounds each add up to 7,000 pounds. The four tires under that trailer need to add up to at least as much, judged with the trailer loaded, not empty.
Three more things worth checking. Bias ply and radial tires should not be mixed on the same trailer, because they flex differently under load and it will not track straight. The bolt pattern has to match the hub exactly, and 5 on 4.5 and 5 on 5 look nearly identical in a parking lot. Trailer lug nuts back off more than car lugs do, so they should be torqued to spec and rechecked after the first 50 miles.
Labor starts at $120 an hour. The final number depends on the trailer, the tire size and what turns up once the wheel is off.
What about the truck doing the towing?
The trailer is half the job. Towing works the brakes, the cooling system and the rear suspension harder than anything else that truck does, and stop-and-go traffic on I-985 with a loaded trailer behind you eats pads faster than open highway miles. A soft pedal, a squat on one corner, or an A/C system that gives up in August are all worth handling before you hitch up.
This is a full-service shop for all makes and models, so the tow vehicle gets the same attention the trailer does. Full-service oil changes start at $100 and vary by vehicle, oil and filter. Tire rotation is free with service. Oversized fitments are not a problem either, including wide setups like a 33x12.5 that some shops turn away. The shop is rated 5.0 on Google.
Common questions
How often should trailer tires be replaced?
Replace them by age, not by tread. Most trailer tires are done somewhere between five and seven years from the date code on the sidewall, and you should start inspecting them closely at three. A trailer that sits outside in the Georgia sun ages faster than one kept covered. If the tread still looks deep at year seven, the tire is still old.
Can I put regular car tires on my utility trailer?
Not a good idea. Passenger tires are built with softer sidewalls for ride quality and steering feel, which is the opposite of what a trailer axle needs. On a trailer they flex more, run hotter and carry less load safely, and the trailer sways more at highway speed. Stay with an ST tire in the correct size and load range.
How do I read a trailer tire size?
Read it straight off the sidewall. ST205/75R15 means a Special Trailer tire, 205 millimeters wide, a sidewall 75 percent of that width, radial construction, on a 15 inch wheel. The load range letter next to it, usually C, D or E, sets the capacity. Match that to the trailer's axle rating so the four tires together cover the loaded weight.
What pressure should trailer tires run?
Use the cold pressure on the trailer's placard, and if that is missing or unreadable, the maximum cold pressure molded into the tire sidewall. Trailer tires are meant to run near that number, usually 50 to 65 psi, unlike the car in your driveway. Check them cold before a trip. Heat swings pressure several psi between a cool morning and a hot afternoon.
When are you open, and what should I have ready when I call?
Open Monday through Friday, 9 to 5, closed weekends, at 5022 B U Bowman Dr, Ste 500 in Buford. Before you call, read the full size off the sidewall, something like ST205/75R15, plus the load range letter and the last four digits of the DOT code. That tells us what you are running and how old it is.
Also at the shop
Have the tire size and the DOT date code handy when you call.
Call or text (770) 670-3672. 5022 B U Bowman Dr, Ste 500, Buford, GA 30518.