Trailer tires or usually marked as “ST” to differ from “LT”-light truck tires are known for being industrial. It outshines common truck tires by certain features only made for heavy trailers.
But for that special usage, will trailer tires manage to endure for longer?
And how could we know when to replace trailer tires while trailing is not an every-day job?
How long do trailer tires last?
What do trailer tires differ from common tires?
Special Tires
Truck tires are quite strong and durable but trailer tires are more than that. It’s marked as “special tires” as an especially fixed for heavy hauling by trailers.
Considering the work of trailering, we can expect trailer tires to have supportive features.
For example, a sudden break happens sometimes and with heavy loads, a much higher pressure will be put on tires. Turning abuse is also seen the same. Therefore, trailer tires always appear with big sidewalls and huge threads. Inside, polyester cords in this rubber wheels are bulkier to handle high stress without cracking.
Besides, trailing is not daily so we won’t expect to run the tire on the road every day. As far as we know about maintaining tires, they last for longer on the roads than in garages.
Weather stands
To be more durable even in inconsistent use, trailer tires are made of more chemical compounds that support in standing against ozone or weather exposure.
What affects trailer tires’ lifespan?
However, no matter what manufacturers have done to expand tires' lifespan, it's inevitable that these rubber rounds will break someday. That process is the result of both using and storing. The long or short life cycle depends on how we treat them.
Length of storage
It’s unchanged theories that tires need to be on the road otherwise, they break down really fast. It’s no exception about trailer tires no matter how specially people made them.
So, if you put a trailer tire in the garage for too long, don't expect it last longer or meet the same lifespan as new ones.
Speed
When we drive a vehicle, what we expect is satisfaction in speed. In hauling jobs, speed is money. But with trailing, speed kills tires. Tires are the closet part on the ground. It links the whole vehicle with the road and among this space, it's the part that takes up the most pressure.
Therefore, high speed will wear the tires out much faster by all pressure or fraction when breaks. Additionally, high-speed causes heat and it impacts wearing the tires out.
Weather exposure
All tires can's stand weather exposure, including trailer ones. Conditions such as moistures, UV, ozone exposure can ruin tires quite fast. We, humans, can do much against it but we can keep the tires in the best condition as possible.
How long do trailer tires last generally?
So, come back to the first question, how long trailer tires can last?
Speaking of trailer tires that spend time indoor as relatively much as outdoor, we want to mention two categories.
In years
If you want to know exactly how much time left you to have with newly purchased tires, this's the information you need. Counting on the date of manufacture, trailer tires could last from 3 to 5 years, depending on manufacturers. Some of them can even be in good condition for up to 8 years.
However, most manufacturers advise
But if you keep them inside for quite a time, don't expect them to keep exactly the same long life. That’s why when you purchase one, you should look carefully at the date of production.
In mileage
If you run the tires on the road respectively and you want to know when you should replace them, we will say after 5000 to 12000 miles. That’s a wide range to consider so usually, trailer drivers need to have tires checked frequently.
How to maintain a longer life cycle for trailer tires?
Is it possible to lengthen tires’ lifespan?
Yes, possible, by keeping them away from damaging factors such as:
In storage
For more than 6 months, you should keep tires in specific blocks. It can effectively stop them from developing flat spots.
If the storage time is less than 6 months, you don't need a block but storing should be dry and dark. Water and light can crack up tires as well as degrade them while we have no idea about it.
In operation
If possible, no high speed is recommended.
Besides, you always need to make sure parallel alignment in all wheels and go rotating tires frequently.
Conclusions
We believe that you now have the number you wanted to know. But the number is quite vague. It’s a huge range and you can do quite something to keep your tires last longer than they’re supposed to.