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Old July 22nd 08, 10:27 PM posted to rec.aviation.soaring
chipsoars
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Posts: 90
Default Cobra Trailer Tires (US)

On Jul 22, 1:52*pm, jcarlyle wrote:
Paul, that's a good suggestion, but I can't easily do it. If I get
bigger wheels the rear of the trailer will be too far in the air for
the tail gate to "lock" onto the ground when I remove the glider. I'm
also pretty sure that bigger wheels would interfere with the inside of
the fenders. Yeah, I could re-do the hitch and replace the fenders,
but since I can make the 13" wheels work without too much trouble, why
not?. Thanks anyway!

-John

On Jul 22, 11:00 am, sisu1a wrote:



If your getting new rims too, ditch the finicky European 13" setup
that you can't find the correct size of and UPGRADE to a 14" or 15"
that has PLENTY of tire selection and is more robust. If you don't
live near a big city etc, order new rims online if you need to, but
you should be able to find good 14"-15" trailer tires (stiffer
sidewalls than car tires, but 6-ply truck tires are good too) locally.


-Paul- Hide quoted text -


- Show quoted text -


When I replaced my 'four year old' (how long in storage) tires from
our 2003 Cobra because of sidewall cracks, the tire shop I went to
(local with several shops), which deals with several quality
manufacturers in sizes from scooters to earth moving equipment, was
unable to find a trailer tire to fit whatever 14" rim was on the
trailer. This was after calling around to every other distributor
within driving distance. Not to say I may not have found something on-
line, but time was of the essence.

I opted for a passenger tire (Delta IIRC) which had more sidewall and
tread plies than the OEM which was from a manufacturer in eastern
Europe I've not surpisingly never heard of. The replacements were not
a cheap tire and we've had no problem towing and have logged about 5k
miles without any swaying issues or wear at something over the
expressway speed limits. Of course, the trailer is stowed inside
reducing UV exposure, but you can be sure they will be gone at 5
years. One thing I don't go cheap on are tires on vehicles and
bicycles.

One thing not mentioned in addition to pressure - which ought to be
done before every trip, is to make sure these are properly balanced.
I think a lot of people hook and book without preflighting, but then I
learned the Army way driving HET"s with M60's.

Chip F