Cobra Trailer Tires (US)

The tires on my Cobra trailer from the factory are marked
185R14C8PF (102/100N)LT

They appear to be GT Radial Max Miler X
Load Range D 1875 lb at 450KPA 65# cold

They need to be replaced, and the local tire stores seem to be having
an issue identifying the correct replacement. A brief web search has
also been unsuccessful.

Any advice on the correct replacement, or where to find the code for
reading the markings would be appreciated.

John

On Jul 22, 6:24*am, RN wrote:
The tires on my Cobra trailer from the factory are marked
185R14C8PF (102/100N)LT

They appear to be GT Radial Max Miler X
Load Range D 1875 lb at 450KPA 65# cold

They need to be replaced, and the local tire stores seem to be having
an issue identifying the correct replacement. A brief web search has
also been unsuccessful.

Any advice on the correct replacement, or where to find the code for
reading the markings would be appreciated.

John

Assuming you're in the US and looking for an exact replacement in the
US, you might have to special order.

GT Radials get good marks in OZ and are made in Indonesia AFAICT. I'd
recommend contacting www.tiresavings.com to see if you can get them.
They carry the brand, but not that size.

Others will probably pop up with their replacements.

On Jul 22, 8:24 am, RN wrote:
I've been looking into this subject as well. My trailer is a 1983, and
uses 13 inch wheels. For it, the proper tire appears to be
ST175/80R13. Six ply is preferred, and if you want bias ply substitute
a D for the R. The most important letters are the ST, as this
specifies Special Trailer.

As to the make of tire, my research has shown that customers in the
USA recommended the Duro, Maxxis, and Denman. Goodyear Marathons have
variable reviews, and Carlisle (which also makes Titan) are NOT
recommended.

I also wanted to replace the wheels, as they are old and rusty.
Unfortunately they have an offset, and the 13" wheels I've found have
zero offset. Spindleberger says they use a number of different wheels
with different specifications, and so far I don't have a definitive
answer as to the wheel specs used on my trailer. I did find a local
shop that will bead blast the wheels, check for cracks, and then
powder coat them - that's probably what I'll do come the end of flying
season.

-John

The tires on my Cobra trailer from the factory are marked
185R14C8PF (102/100N)LT

They appear to be GT Radial Max Miler X
Load Range D 1875 lb at 450KPA 65# cold

They need to be replaced, and the local tire stores seem to be having
an issue identifying the correct replacement. A brief web search has
also been unsuccessful.

Any advice on the correct replacement, or where to find the code for
reading the markings would be appreciated.

John

On Jul 22, 9:16�am, jcarlyle wrote:
On Jul 22, 8:24 am, RN wrote:
I've been looking into this subject as well. My trailer is a 1983, and
uses 13 inch wheels. For it, the proper tire appears to be
ST175/80R13. Six ply is preferred, and if you want bias ply substitute
a D for the R. The most important letters are the ST, as this
specifies Special Trailer.

As to the make of tire, my research has shown that customers in the
USA recommended the Duro, Maxxis, and Denman. Goodyear Marathons have
variable reviews, and Carlisle (which also makes Titan) are NOT
recommended.

I also wanted to replace the wheels, as they are old and rusty.
Unfortunately they have an offset, and the 13" wheels I've found have
zero offset. Spindleberger says they use a number of different wheels
with different specifications, and so far I don't have a definitive
answer as to the wheel specs used on my trailer. I did find a local
shop that will bead blast the wheels, check for cracks, and then
powder coat them - that's probably what I'll do come the end of flying
season.

-John



The tires on my Cobra trailer from the factory are marked
185R14C8PF (102/100N)LT

They appear to be GT Radial Max Miler X
Load Range D 1875 lb at 450KPA 65# cold

They need to be replaced, and the local tire stores seem to be having
an issue identifying the correct replacement. A brief web search has
also been unsuccessful.

Any advice on the correct replacement, or where to find the code for
reading the markings would be appreciated.

John- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

John,

I too have been investigating possible replacement tires . One
possibility I have identified may be Goodyear Wrangler HT 185R14 . I'm
not certain of the load bearing capacity tho .

ZA.

On Jul 22, 6:16 am, jcarlyle wrote:
On Jul 22, 8:24 am, RN wrote:
I've been looking into this subject as well. My trailer is a 1983, and
uses 13 inch wheels. For it, the proper tire appears to be
ST175/80R13. Six ply is preferred, and if you want bias ply substitute
a D for the R. The most important letters are the ST, as this
specifies Special Trailer.

As to the make of tire, my research has shown that customers in the
USA recommended the Duro, Maxxis, and Denman. Goodyear Marathons have
variable reviews, and Carlisle (which also makes Titan) are NOT
recommended.

I also wanted to replace the wheels, as they are old and rusty.
Unfortunately they have an offset, and the 13" wheels I've found have
zero offset. Spindleberger says they use a number of different wheels
with different specifications, and so far I don't have a definitive
answer as to the wheel specs used on my trailer. I did find a local
shop that will bead blast the wheels, check for cracks, and then
powder coat them - that's probably what I'll do come the end of flying
season.

-John

The tires on my Cobra trailer from the factory are marked
185R14C8PF (102/100N)LT

They appear to be GT Radial Max Miler X
Load Range D 1875 lb at 450KPA 65# cold

They need to be replaced, and the local tire stores seem to be having
an issue identifying the correct replacement. A brief web search has
also been unsuccessful.

Any advice on the correct replacement, or where to find the code for
reading the markings would be appreciated.

John

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

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

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

Hi John

You are confusing wheel/rolling diameter and rim diameter.

Bigger rim with lower profile tyre might give you the same axle height as long as you keep to the same tread width. Less
sidewall height will improve swaying, and stability at the expense of transmitting more vibration, and being less
suitable to rough roads. If you do decide to change, I suggest you talk to a specialist - There are an amazing number of
permutations possible.

Bruce

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

Hi, Bruce,

No, I wasn't really confusing tire rolling diameter and wheel rim
diameter. With trailer tires you don't get the range of profile
choices like with cars or trucks, so once you pick a wheel rim
diameter you effectively get only one tire rolling diameter.

Now this assumes that you stick with using ST tires on your trailer.
According to my research, ST rated tires are optimized for load
carrying, and an ST tire of given dimensions will carry more load
while running cooler than an LT or a P rated tire of the same
dimensions. Running cool is the key to tire longevity and preventing
blowouts and tread separation.

By the way, radial tires run cooler than bias ply tires, and they also
provide a softer ride for the load, so they are often chosen over bias
ply tires. However, some trailer designs tend to sway when radials are
used, so you've got to be careful when you make your selection.

-John

On Jul 23, 1:58 am, Bruce wrote:
Hi John

You are confusing wheel/rolling diameter and rim diameter.

Bigger rim with lower profile tyre might give you the same axle height as long as you keep to the same tread width. Less
sidewall height will improve swaying, and stability at the expense of transmitting more vibration, and being less
suitable to rough roads. If you do decide to change, I suggest you talk to a specialist - There are an amazing number of
permutations possible.

On Jul 22, 5:24*am, RN wrote:
The tires on my Cobra trailer from the factory are marked
185R14C8PF (102/100N)LT

They appear to be GT Radial Max Miler X
Load Range D 1875 lb at 450KPA 65# cold

They need to be replaced, and the local tire stores seem to be having
an issue identifying the correct replacement. A brief web search has
also been unsuccessful.

Any advice on the correct replacement, or where to find the code for
reading the markings would be appreciated.

John

I'm using Yokohama 185R-14 steel belted radial light truck tires. The
model is Y356. I drive too fast for ST tires and these have worked
well for 3 years.
Discount tire sells them for about $100/ea.