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Originally Posted by Wildwoods22
Is it worth the cost to get new 15" rims and range D tires in order to have more of a cushion on weight capacity?
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First step is to determine how much room you have in the trailer wheel wells for bigger tires. If you can have bigger tires without rubbing on the top of the wheel well when you cross a bump or ditch, and without the tire treads touching when mounted on a tandem-axle trailer, then it depends on how much bigger you can go.
My current small tandem-axle TT came with size ST205/75R14C. Not enough wiggle room for 15" tires, so I went up one size to ST215/75R14. That gained me a decent cushion of weight capacity.
Earlier on a smaller 5er that came with ST205/75R15, there was barely enough room in the wheel wells for ST225/75R15D with rubbing on the top of the wheel well for severe bumps. But the bigger tires required wider wheels. So I bought the right wheels from SouthWest Wheel, then bought the new tires from Discount Tire. No more trailer tire problems.
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Will I need to adjust the tire profile to keep the same diameter?
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Probably no choice for trailer tires. They don't offer various profiles the way car tires do. So you're probably stuck with a 75 profile in 14" or 15" trailer tires. And
DO NOT put car or LT tires on a trailer unless the tires are commercial tires rated for all positions (steer, drive and trailer positions). LT tires rated for trailer use are few and far between, and I haven't found any in sizes less than 16" diameter.
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And finally are the Goodyear tires worth $40 extra per tire over the Carlisles?
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Carlisle trailer tires are also called "China Bombs". Along with almost all other brands of trailer tires made in China or the Far East. Goodyear Marathon tires were no better in my experience. But Goodyear tired of the pings fom selling lousy trailer tires so they developed new specs for their trailer tires and changed the name to Endurance, The Endurance tires have gained a very good reoutation as being a very good trailer tire.
So if you buy new trailer tires, the Endurance is probably a good choice. Here is the ST215/75R14 in case that's what you need:
https://simpletire.com/goodyear-215-...8N%20724865519
Before the Endurance was available, my go-to trailer tire was the Maxxis. Most of my trailers have 15" tires, and Maxxis makes an ST225/75R15 in load range E (so-called 10 ply) that are much more reliable than the old Goodyear Marathon. So that's what I now have on my cargo trailer and two of my utility trailers.
Maxxis is a premium-priced trailer tire, but a bit less expensive than an Endurance in the same size: Here's the ST215/75R14 you may need:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0087PR080..._t4_B00NFLJF48
In my opinion, both the Endurance an the Maxxis are worth the premium price compared to any China Bombs.
If you have room in the wheel wells for bigger than ST215/75R14 tires, both Endurance and Maxxis make several 15" sizes in load range D and even E. But be sure your new wheels are rated for the PSI, width, and weight capacity of the new tires.