Car tires for a Scamp....???

[Spencer]

I am thinking about putting a set of (Michelin) car tires on my 13' Scamp..

Anyone ever heard of car tires for a Scamp? Every tried it?

[Dan Meyer]

I would only do this in an emergency situation where a trailer tire was not available. If you are replacing your trailer tires, get tires made for trailers.

-- Dan Meyer

[BCDave]

Originally Posted by Dan Meyer

I would only do this in an emergency situation where a trailer tire was not available. If you are replacing your trailer tires, get tires made for trailers.

-- Dan Meyer

I agree completely. One should NEVER try to replace tires that are only good for 65 mph and which disintegrate regularly anyway (such as trailer tires) with ones like car tires that are reliable, long-lasting and which have less rolling resistance. After all, we would not want to be safe or get good mpg, would we?

If I could find a dealer who would install light truck tires on my trailer, I'd do it in an instant. I have run both in the past on my older trailer. The LT tires lasted 10 years, never had a flat and pulled a LOT easier, getting much better mpg than the ST (Trailer-rated) tires which replaced them, which seemed to be good for about 1,000 miles or so before beginning the series of massive damaging blow-outs again.

[Alistair Camelford]

Been running auto tires on the 73 Trill for the last 8 years. It came with auto tires (bias ply) and I switched to passenger radials. I only keep them for 3 years and then put new ones on. I always run with nitrogen- fill (cooler, no leakage, always at 35psi).
I am well within the weight per tire load limits. I have towed to California once, East coast twice, Florida six times...all trouble free. I have read all the discussions in the past several years, but - like BC Dave- I have no qualms about using tires that fit, say, a Dodge Neon.
Handling is fine. I can afford to change tires often...no waiting for UV checking to compromise sidewalls...and I have my "hitch guy" check the inside walls when he does my annual pre-Florida inspection. All in all, a satisfactory arrangement!
Al & Inge towing the Road Toad

[Byron Kinnaman]

Shoot, I anit never used a seat belt. I've been driving for 60+ years and aint dead. So why should I use a seat belt. Everybody knows if you need to get out of your vehicle a seat will hinder that escape.

[Alistair Camelford]

Ouch

[Darwin Maring]

BCDave,

The wrath of the engineer.
Shame on you.

[Darwin Maring]

Just exactly what makes Trailer Tires different than Truck tires?

[Darwin Maring]

2 Posts from other sites:

what size trailer? I run 15" LT tires on my trailer that weighs 5800 lbs on the axles. tires rated for 2000 each so there is plenty of capacity. I have about 50,000 on these with no problems. But I bought a heavier trailer, 32 feet, and could not find any LT 15" tires that gave me enough capacity with some safety margin, so I went with the ST tires.


Originally Posted by Top
Jerry,
I have a '72 Ambassador with #7,100 gvwr. When I buy new tires I am putting onthese.

I think trailer tires are a better bet due to the stiffer sidewalls to cut down on sway!

TIRE SPECIFICATIONS

Proper wheel selection is a very important component of your trailer gear system. When replacing your trailer tires and trailer rims it is critical that the proper size and load range be selected in order to match the load requirements of the trailer. The following characteristics are extremely important and should be thoroughly checked when replacing trailer tires.
• TIRE CONSTRUCTION TYPE - Bias Ply vs. Radial
• TIRE APPLICATION TYPE - (ST) Special Trailer vs. (P) Passenger Car
• TIRE SIZE - % of section height / section width Refereed to as 'Aspect Ratio'
• TIRE LOAD RANGE - Load carrying capacity and air pressure rating
• RIM SIZE - Diameter and width must match tire
• RIM BOLT CIRCLE - Diameter of bolt circle must match hub
Quite often consumers are uncertain how to read or interpret specifications on a tire side wall. This problem is compounded by the Trailer Tire Industry's use of three different size identification systems on trailer tires. The following are examples and explanations of tire code.
• THE NUMERIC SYSTEM - (4.80 X 8) mostly used on smaller trailer tires, indicates the tire section width (4.80"), and the rim diameter (8")
• THE ALPHA NUMERIC SYSTEM - (B78 X 13 C) common on 13"-15" trailer tires, indicates air chamber size (, the 'Aspect Ratio' (78), the rim diameter (13"), and the load range (C)
• THE METRIC SYSTEM - (ST205 75D 15) currently being phased in by trailer tire manufacturers, indicated the tire application type (ST-special trailer), the section width (205mm), the 'Aspect Ratio' (75), the construction type (D= bias ply), and rim dia.(15")
Proper trailer rim selection is also important to assure replacement wheels will match your existing trailer hardware. Be certain to match your wheel 'bolt circle' pattern to the axle hub. The bolt circle is determined as follows:


Tire 'load range', or the maximum weight each tire can safely support, must be considered when selecting the proper size tire for your application. The load range and maximum weight capacity are indicated on the tire side wall.
• LOAD RANGE B = OLD 4 PLY RATING
• LOAD RANGE C = OLD 6 PLY RATING
• LOAD RANGE D = OLD 8 PLY RATING
WHY SPECIAL TRAILER 'ST' TIRES?

Eastern Marine carries a full line of nylon bias ply trailer tires. These 'Special Trailer' (ST) tires have been constructed for better high speed durability and bruise resistance under heavy loads. Trailer tire construction varies substantially from automotive tires, therefore it is essential to choose the correct tire for your towing application. In general, trailer tires have the same load range (or ply) from bead to bead and are bias ply construction. This allows for a stiffer side wall which provides safer towing by helping to reduce trailer sway problems. The use of 'Passenger Car' (P) tires a on a trailer is not recommended because their construction, usually radial or bias belted, allows for more flexible side walls. This could lead to increased trailer sway and loss of control.
Tire 'inflation pressure' is also an important factor in proper handling as well as tire life. Maximum inflation pressure is indicated on the tire side wall and should always be checked when the tire is cold before operation.
Finally, an important safety procedure is to apply and maintain proper 'lug torque' on trailer rims. Too little torque may cause the wheel to wobble or fall off. Wheel nuts/bolts should be torqued after each wheel removal, retorque after 50 miles and frequently thereafter. Follow the manufacturers recommended torque pattern:
Use 60 cone angle zinc plated nuts or lug bolts initially tighten to 12-20 ft. lbs. using a cross tightening sequence (1,3,2,4 or 1,3,2,5,4). Finish torquing to 70-80 ft. lbs. (NOTE: Nuts and studs should be clean, dry and not lubricated.) Retorque after 50 miles of use and frequently thereafter.

[floyd]

Let me preface this by saying that I religiously run trailer tires on my Scamp and run them at moderate speeds....
We raced SCCA roadracing for 15 years and virtually every small open car trailer at every track was running low profile P-rated radials.
My driver (who happened to be a tire dealer) did the same, and I can tell you that there was never a time when we held up traffic when towing our trailer carrying the car with spares, and that we never had a single tire related incident on our trailer.
Of course, when we switched to a larger and heavier enclosed trailer, we used trailer tires.
This is merely a conveyance of facts, and not an endorsement of any kind.
Whatever equipment, including tires, that you choose to use when towing, it must be said that pretrip inspection of carefully chosen,adequate and roadworthy equipment, is superior to repairs along a dark and rainy highway anytime!

[Darrell O]

Passenger bias ply passenger car tires were original equipment on our 13' (1975 Ventura) trailer. Did dedicated trailer tires even exist in 13" back then?

We've towed for thousands of miles on a pair of passenger radials, load rated at 1125 lbs if I recall with no flats or handling issues. Maybe the tire issue isn't all that significant with our lightweight trailers.

Having said all that, I've just ordered new ST (also radial) C-rated tires because the present tires we've been using are quite ancient.

Our upcoming coast-to-coast trip may be close to 10,000 miles - I hope ST trailer tires won't be a disappointment.

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by floyd

Whatever equipment, including tires, that you choose to use when towing, it must be said that pretrip inspection of carefully chosen,adequate and roadworthy equipment, is superior to repairs along a dark and rainy highway anytime!

ABSOLUTELY CORRECT! And I'm SHOUTING.

[Carol H]

Found this from Goodyear Tire Company

"Trailer tires are designed for heavy-duty, free-rolling applications with emphasis on tread wear, rolling resistance, stability and ease of towing. They normally have a heavier construction than passenger tires in order to meet the additional load-carrying requirements of trailer applications. Passenger tires are designed for passenger car applications and may not meet all the service requirements of trailer tires."
__________________

this topic was also covered here last month

[Thomas G.]

Originally Posted by Carol H

Found this from Goodyear Tire Company...........................this topic was also covered here last month

Oh sure, what does Goodyear know about tires?

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by BCDave

I agree completely. One should NEVER try to replace tires that are only good for 65 mph and which disintegrate regularly anyway (such as trailer tires) with ones like car tires that are reliable, long-lasting and which have less rolling resistance. After all, we would not want to be safe or get good mpg, would we?

If I could find a dealer who would install light truck tires on my trailer, I'd do it in an instant. I have run both in the past on my older trailer. The LT tires lasted 10 years, never had a flat and pulled a LOT easier, getting much better mpg than the ST (Trailer-rated) tires which replaced them, which seemed to be good for about 1,000 miles or so before beginning the series of massive damaging blow-outs again.

Dave wasnt it you who last week pointed out if one pushes on their car they will see the car move sideways and how important it was to properly inflate your trailer tires to stop the side to side movement of the sidewalls which can contribute to sway??

As a side note to that my understanding is that ST tires are of a heavier construction so as to reduce the side to side movement as well. Thus reducing sway.

I got well over 1000 miles of life out of the last set of ST tires on my trailer - closer to 8000. The life on ST tires has more to do with age than miles - the closer to 4 years of age they get the higher the likelihood of failure. Or at least that's been my experience which according the fellow at the tire shop I purchased my last tires at is the norm and to be expected. The tread on the tires may look really good at 4 years of age but they tend to rot from the inside out (due to the amount of time trailers sit vs moving) which you will not know about until they fail on a dark road in the middle of know where.

[fmaynarich]

According to Scamp the 13 foot trailer is safe for passenger tires, we used them and have driven over 1000 miles without issues.

[Donna D.]

Hi Frank, welcome to FiberglassRV. I'm not joining this discussion, but wanted to welcome you to the forum.

[fmaynarich]

Thank you donna, there is a lot of good information on the Scamp.

[floyd]

Originally Posted by Carol H

Dave wasnt it you who last week pointed out if one pushes on their car they will see the car move sideways and how important it was to properly inflate your trailer tires to stop the side to side movement of the sidewalls which can contribute to sway??

As a side note to that my understanding is that ST tires are of a heavier construction so as to reduce the side to side movement as well. Thus reducing sway.

I got well over 1000 miles of life out of the last set of ST tires on my trailer - closer to 8000. The life on ST tires has more to do with age than miles - the closer to 4 years of age they get the higher the likelihood of failure. Or at least that's been my experience which according the fellow at the tire shop I purchased my last tires at is the norm and to be expected. The tread on the tires may look really good at 4 years of age but they tend to rot from the inside out (due to the amount of time trailers sit vs moving) which you will not know about until they fail on a dark road in the middle of know where.

Sidewall stiffness is not directly a function of tire type, I put a set of Yokahama DOT track tires (P-metrics) on my daughter's Festiva, She ran over something leaving a dime sized whole in one of the rear tires,she did not know it was flat and drove home from school. The tire stayed on the rim and barely appeared low. Squishy sidewalls are pretty much a thing of the past, especially in good quality performance street tires.

Of course, tire pressure affects Squishiness as well, I'm still using BFG Radial T/As on my Ranger(good, cheap, tire but ancient tech) I can actually feel a pressure loss of 5-7 pounds in a single tire when cornering.

[841K9]

Originally Posted by floyd

Sidewall stiffness is not directly a function of tire type, I put a set of Yokahama DOT track tires (P-metrics) on my daughter's Festiva, She ran over something leaving a dime sized whole in one of the rear tires,she did not know it was flat and drove home from school. The tire stayed on the rim and barely appeared low. Squishy sidewalls are pretty much a thing of the past, especially in good quality performance street tires.

I don't know..

A Scamp 13 might just weigh more than that Festiva.