Best Heavy Duty Trailer Tires: Real-World Testing By A Trailer Buff

Whether you’re pulling a trailer, RV or boat, having the right tires will help you avoid unwanted issues on the road. I tested and ranked the most popular option for heavy loads, and I guarantee they’ll ensure a quiet ride.

FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.

Before we begin, here's a tip. When you buy tires from Amazon, you can have them shipped to your home, work, or a selected service center. Here are my top tire picks with hands-on reviews.

1. Free Country - Set of 4 Premium Trailer Tires

Highlight: Side scuff guard.

Helpful review: I needed four new tires on my 20-foot, tandem axle ATV flatbed trailer, and I wanted to save some money, so I went to Amazon instead of the national brand store down the street. I found the Free Country Trailer Tires and could not find anything that would stop me from getting them for under four hundred bucks: yes, please!

The tires are load range E (10 ply), like my truck tires, which is great, especially for tires bouncing down back roads over rocks and tree roots. The load of ATVs is not heavy enough to need load range E tires, but the strength to survive use is where the load range E got my attention. The tread depth of eight millimeters over the standard 5.5 millimeters depth will also lend a hand against the rocks and stuff. The tried design is more open than most trailer tires, allowing them to throw out mud and snow better than other trailer tires with more strict highway tread, so that was my clincher on the decision.

This tire is also a radial tire, making more tread connections to the road. Using a wider footprint makes the trailer pull and handle much smoother. Most of the trailer tires I have used in the past have been non-radial, and the tread looks like it rounds across the top and does not fully touch as much of the road as possible. The side scuff guard is another ATV trailer tire plus. The scuff guard is also great for trailer tires that are not ATV-focused, as rubbing the curb with trailer tires is very common. The tread wraps around the tire from the road surface to the corner to make this as close to a performance trailer tire as possible.

The only hang-up with buying tires from Amazon is getting them mounted and balanced. So I did end up at the tire store so they could mount them up, and that also cost me the recycling fee, but that is the way it is everywhere I could go, so it's not a big deal. The tires mounted right on were super smooth. I think the tire busters did not have much of a fight because I left them in the sun in the back of my truck for about a week. The Utah sunshine and low humidity made them as pliable as Play-Doh, so I should have gotten a discount.

So far, the tires hold air like a champ and roll down the road smooth enough that I don’t feel the trailer for the most part. The one thing I forgot was to get some spare tires with the order as well. The spares on my ATV trailer have done nothing but sit on the spare mounts and rot in the sun, so that is the next purchase.

Get it from Amazon now: $299.99 & FREE Returns

2. Carlisle - Radial Trail HD Trailer Tire

Highlight: High-speed rating.

Helpful review: The Carlisle trailer tire has a high-speed rating, making it better at dealing with high temperatures. I have a friend who lives in southern Utah, and for half the year, that area is as hot as a baking oven, and the asphalt is even worse. After a shopping trip to Amazon, he decided on Carlisle tires. He has Carlisle tires on his UTVs, so getting more of the family involved was like putting them on his ATV trailer.

The load range for this tire is a D rating, so it has eight ply of protection, which will do for nearly all trailer uses. The side walls are made with a scuff zone of sorts; it’s the area where the raised lettering sits, so that will rub the curb first and not damage the sidewall as fast. The tread is closed, like a highway tread tire. The close tread is quiet and puts much rubber contact on the road.

From buying the ATV tires, he knew that the tires were going to be shipped from China in a compressed and smashed-together crate, so the tire shop would get some experience using all the tricks getting them mounted. We discussed using the ether-and-a-match technique and then decided to use the local tire shop technique. Leaving the tires laid out in the sun for a few days to loosen the rubber and allow some of the compression to relax will make mounting the tires on rims easier.

As expected, the tires were mounted with some cussing from the tire shop folks, and the balancing was delayed for a couple of weeks. The reason for the delay in balancing was some time spent heating the tires and allowing them to round out for a couple of weeks of hauling the trailer empty on the back road from town. After the two-week break-in period, he took the trailer back to the store, and they balanced them with no problems. Since the balance job, my buddy has nothing but good things to say about this purchase, and recommends them to everyone.

The Carslile tires pull behind the truck very smoothly and evenly. The close tread design does keep the howl at a minimum, and the extreme heat for the black top in that area of the state has had zero impact on the tires. To this date, he has not had an issue with the tires loading up with mud on the back roads and having the trailer get sideways on the trails.

Get it from Amazon now: $149.99 & FREE Returns

3. eCustomRim - Tire and Wheel Combo

Highlight: 2 tires and wheels in the set.

Helpful review: I gave my neighbor by the cabin an old flatbed trailer to haul his 4-wheeler behind his camper trailer. This old trailer was somewhat of a left; he needed it more than I needed to move stuff around it. As usual with little flatbed trailers, the tires were flat. So, like standard rednecks, we loaded up the air compressor, filled the tires, and hauled them down the road. What we found were tires that were rotted away on the side walls and off the rims. Damn, all the bad luck. So, to fix it, we looked online at the local big box store and just about lost breath on the price tag for one tire and rim combo. We took a chance, looked at the stuff on Amazon, and found the deal of a lifetime.

The little trailer wears the five-lug 13-inch tires that almost all little flatbeds have. This eCustomRim set has two mounted tires on white rims, which is the standard. They arrived in two days, delivered to the front door. The only thing that we needed to do was get them balanced at the local shop.

One thing I have to say is to check the pressure; when these mounted tires are shipped all over the place with different temperatures, elevations, etc., the pressure will be off. With the price of this pair of tires and rims less than one from the big box store, I would suggest buying two sets and keeping one on the trailer spare mount and one in the shed out of the sun. If possible, get a set of tire and wheel covers to keep the sidewalls from rotting away. I plan to order a few sets to put on the flatbed I use, then put a couple in the shed rafters to save them for later.

The 13-inch tires are rated at load range C and have six-ply of protection, which is standard for small tires. They have an M speed rating, so they will fight heat and wear like champions.

As with all the pre-mounted tire and rim sets, they are not radial tires but bias ply and will have an around tread section for ground contact. This can lead to a trailer feeling a little squirrely. If the load is light, you will not have a problem; if you need to haul heavy loads, you may want to look into radial tires for more ground contact and a smoother ride.

Get it from Amazon now: $159.97 & FREE Returns

4. Hykolity - Set of 2 Radial Trailer Tires

Highlight: 8 Ply load range D in 14-inch tires.

Helpful review: If you need trailer tires that give a retro look, this maker is right on the money. When someone says trailer tires, this is the tire that will auto-pop into your head. The tire will look like a bias ply tire, mostly due to the side walls, but they are radial tires. The radial ply is half steel and half nylon. The tires have a scuff area on the side wall as well. The tread surface is flat and will have great contact with the road.

I see most boat trailers wearing tires made this way, and many of those tires are old. This tire will last until it rots away and falls off the rim. With a nylon wrap over the radial belts that cover the entire tread area, it will fight rough roads and sharp rocks for many years.

With this super stiff design, the tires will be difficult to mount. Even when using the strap around the tread method, they will still be stiff and hard to mount. If you plan on mounting them at home, this tire is not the one to choose. Get them delivered, then take them to the store and have them use all the high-speed mounting gear.

You will need to have them balanced at that store anyway, so you may as well get the mount and balance combo deal.

Get it from Amazon now: $54.99 & FREE Returns

5. Free Country - Set of 2 Premium Trailer Tires

Highlight: Full Nylon Cap Ply for strength.

Helpful review: It's the perfect tire for a cargo trailer. After putting some Free Country on my enclosed cargo trailer, I put a set of these on my ATV trailer. The tread design is great for peeling off water after a rainstorm or melting snow, as we are good here in Utah. Also, they fight the heat from the “oven-like” summers and burn the skin off pavements around here.

The tread design is great, and Free Country always puts a scuff guard ring on the side walls. Whenever I put this trailer on the curb, I still rub the tires on the curb, even with the mirrors out, and use the curved mirrors to keep it off the curb. I never miss. It's my superpower.

The load range is rated as D, meaning this is an 8-ply tire and very tough. This time, I remembered to get one for the spare, and now I think I may need to get another one to put two spares on the ATV trailer. The roads that get hauled down will beat the hell out of tires and trailer suspension. I only wish Free Country would make some ATV tires as well. The tread style is great for highways as well as dirt roads. The side wall protection provided is one of the most valuable things I see with this tire for heavy-use trailers.

The tire has true radial construction, putting more tire tread contact with the road, and the way the trailer pulls, it is evident this is the way to go. The tire is speed rated at an M-rating, which basically means it is safe to pull the trailer at 80 mph without heating the tire and risking a blowout. Speed ratings on trailer tires are usually overlooked and can lead to some catastrophic failures at highway speeds.

Get it from Amazon now: $184.99 & FREE Returns

6. Carlisle - Sport Trail LH Bias Trailer Tire

Highlight: Compatible with Carry-On, FastTrac, E-Z Hauler, PJ, Big Tex, Lark United, Performance Trailers, Miska, Remeq, Quality Trailers, Wells Cargo, Road Force, Triple Crown, Teske, Top Hat.

Helpful review: This tire replaces the stock tires on nearly all common cargo trailers. It is a bias-ply tire made to be tough as nails, not smooth as glass, on the freeway. A bias-ply tire will be a bit “bouncy” as it pulls behind the truck.

If you are looking for affordable tires to sit under your little flatbed, which is used mostly to haul loads to the landfill, then an ATV to the trails, and later help your brother move a refrigerator, this tire choice is great. If you need new tires to haul for a distance, lots of highway miles, or with a load that needs to have as smooth a trip as possible, this may not be the choice.

I have a small flatbed trailer I keep at the cabin for doing the stuff I talked about, and this tire will work like they were sent from up on high. Each tire cost just over fifty bucks, so to outfit the trailer with two on the ground and one spare for barely over one hundred fifty bucks.

The one thing to consider when buying tires from online dealers (Amazon) is that you will need to pay a place to put them on the rim and balance them. Many folks around the cabin area do not balance their trailer tires. I understand saving money, but the wear and tear on tires without balancing will require buying new tires sooner, and that will cost more than balancing at a tire shop.

The tread pattern is designed to put as much rubber contact as possible. The pattern will not do well flinging out mud or snow to haul in bad road conditions; that is not to say they will not work as trailer tires; just be sure you look at the long-term use of the trailer and the tires you decide to put on it.

Get it from Amazon now: $51.95 & FREE Returns

7. Carlisle - Sport Trail Bias Trailer Tire

Highlight: Tough and Ready for Bad Weather.

Helpful review: This one from Carlisle is a common tire used on horse trailers around here. These tires are made for resisting abuse. The side walls are strong, the tread is tough, and they seem to resist the weather rotting better than most. In all, the two horse trailers that live around here seem to wear the same tires for what seems like decades and never have a problem.

In another trailer, many folks use this tire on their boat tires. Again, after getting submerged in water, they are hauled home to sit on the RV pad until next year. The sidewalls keep holding up and staying safe.

This tire is a bias ply tire, not great for cross-country travel, and may have an issue with prolonged temperatures from many miles and high rates of speed. The tread is designed to fight bad weather, almost like a truck tire tread; this tire will not gum up with mud and snow, so that will throw mud and stuff all over the items in the trailer, so you will want to tarp the UTV to keep the rocks from pounding it but getting an ATV covered in mud makes it look cool on the way home.

For the price and toughness of this tire, get a bunch of them, then get a bunch of rims, or use the ones on the trailer now.

You should be set for nearly a lifetime, avoid the rotted tires and take a chance pulling the trailer somewhere, get a new set, put them on, and go safely to play in the backcountry.