The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts semi-trailer tires on truck

Found a deal on 6 tires for my truck, but they're off a trailer. Is there a difference between truck tires and trailer tires? They are the same size, 8.25 x 20, on the same Dayton rims. Brand is Kumho. They would be for the rear, not the front.

Hy ScottGMC40001964, I don't know for sure, but trailer tires may not be designed to transmit torque to the road, maybe someone who knows more about tires than I do will let us know.

Shouldn't be a problem, trailer tires are generally straight ribbed but can be used on the trucks back axle. You just won't have the traction as lug tires. Don't pass on a good deal just because they are trailer tires.

James

I'm no tire expert but all the tires I have on my firetruck came from a cancelled navy contract to build portable electrical generator trailers. I'm talking about huge trailers if that helps. The tires are all 8.25x20R.

I've seen no problems in two years of use.

Thanks for the replies. This is more a play truck than a working truck and would rarely be used to haul anything, and even then no more than a ton. I'll contact them tomorrow. Looks like shipping will be in the $300-400 range, so if the tires/wheels are cheap enough it could be a good deal.

Just because they came off a trailer doesn't mean they were designed as trailer tires. I 'm not sure if anyone makes a trailer tire in 20" any more. It is common practice to move tires from a tractor to a trailer. I would worry about age of the tires more than anything else.

One thing you need to be careful of is if they are retreads, and trailer tires can be retreaded up to 5-6 times, they can not be used as steer tires on the front axle. They can only be used a drive tires on the rear axle. The scrubbing of the rubber on the ground can cause the caps to come off the casing. Not to mention that running caps on the steer axle is illegal. Just be safe.

Crenwelge makes a good point about tire age. Old tires wear quickly and blow out at the worst of times. For an occasional use truck (light use) try to keep the rear tires at 10 years or less and the front steer at 5 years. Keep your tire pressures correct, also.

James