Poll: Matching trailer tire size to vehicle tire size

[old_man]

My original offroad teardrop trailer build included 31" with 5x4.5 lug spacing tires trailer tires. I got a lot of comments on the size of the tires. The problem for me is that the Jeep has 35" tires with 5x5.5 lug spacing. It was always a hassle lugging two spares around. I finally swapped out the trailer brakes/hubs to match the 5x5.5" lugs and I am now running 35's on the trailer as well. I designed my trailer with 3500# axles, so it was no big deal to find the matching pattern. I was wondering what size tires everybody is running and what luck you have had with them. How are you handling the spare issue. Do yours match?

 

[smritte]

On my M-100, it was 5x5.5 and 35's which matched my CJ. When I built the CJ with 40's it also went to an 8 lug. Didn't have a spot for a spare so, had to throw one on top of my gear. Changed it to 5X4.5 when I got my TJ.
My tear drop match's my Cruiser but has its own spare. The sizes are close enough that I wouldn't have an issue swapping spares.

 

[Mustang03]

While we do not currently have a trailer behind our rig, in every discussion we've had about getting one a basic consideration is make the trailer tire size match the truck tire size. it only makes sense.

 

[armyRN]

While we do not currently have a trailer behind our rig, in every discussion we've had about getting one a basic consideration is make the trailer tire size match the truck tire size. it only makes sense.

Kinda.

My primary tow rig is a Jeep TJ with the 2.5/five-speed, 4.88 gears, 33" tires (heavy 285/75/16"). Pulling my trailer is a bit of work for my TJ. TJ has a bolt pattern of 5 on 4.5". Current TJ tires are Mickey Thompson Baja Boss AT ("E" rated tire with three ply sidewalls - heavy tire).

My trailer has the same bolt pattern as the TJ, but the tires are an LT235/75/15" tire. I carry a spare for the trailer on the back of the trailer. They are a much lighter (and less expensive!) tire than what the Jeep's running. The axle under the trailer is mounted under the springs, and it rides level. And I've got quite a few more inches of clearance under the trailer's axle (3500lb axle) than I do under the TJ's rear Dana 44 pumpkin. I could put the trailer's spare on the TJ if I had to, but there's not enough clearance on the trailer for me to mount the TJ's spare on the trailer (axle isn't wide enough, and it would be close with fender clearance even if it was).



My other two tow vehicles:

1. 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4. Same size 285/75/16" tires as the TJ (different brand though now - Kuhmo AT 51's). And different bolt pattern (5 on 5.5").



2. 1946 Willys CJ2A. 31x10.5x15" tires. And a different bolt pattern than the trailer (5 on 5.5" for the Willys).



So for me, it is easier on the TJ and Willys to carry a dedicated spare on the trailer so no matter what's pulling it, I've got a matching spare for the trailer. The truck hardly knows the trailer's back there.

 

[grubworm]

my truck and camper currently do not share the same rims...but i definitely want to get around to that one day. its a great idea

 

[Anak]

It certainly has its benefits, and can make good sense if you have one tow vehicle and one trailer. But it needs to stay within that sort of limited scope.

I would go nuts if I tried to get all my trailers and tow vehicles to match. I have 4 or 5 tow vehicles. I have 5 trailers at home and 2 more out at my folks' place. Two of the trailers use the same size tires, but those don't match any of the tow vehicles. I think only one of the trailers stands a chance of using the same size tire as any of the tow vehicles. And of course the vehicle with which I tow the most is my dually, and the rim design for the dually does not lend itself to any of my trailer designs.

I appreciate the value of common parts. I aim for it whenever reasonable. If I were to build a trailer to go along with a specific vehicle I would try to match the tires/rims. But I sure am not going to try for that across the board.

 

[MOAK]

My wheels and tires match. In the worst case scenario I can leave the trailer behind and have 3 spares for the tow vehicle. Going really long distance I’ll get an additional spare for 8 tires total.

 

[El-Dracho]

I don't have an offroad trailer at the moment, but I always had the idea to build one. Same tire, rim size and identical bolt pattern would then stand with at the top of the wish list. This makes it in my eyes not only easier, but - as some have already written here - it increases the reliability, since the wheels between trailer and towing vehicle can be easily exchanged.

By the way, I see pictures of some awesome trailers in this topic. Now I want one again - hehe.

 

[Robert OB 33/48]

I have the same rims as the jeep on my trailer. However, the jeep has a slightly different pattern as the trailer. But the difference was within the specs of the sliding bolts.
So I didnt had to change anything except for the bolts. Very cheap and very easy.
so from 5x114,3 to 5x112 was no problem. And completely legal in the Netherlands/EU

 

[TomInOregon]

Tire sizes match, but I would have to completely swap the Timbren axle-less suspension to go to 8 lugs to have the wheels match. I do have a spare wheel/tire for the truck and another for the trailer, though.

 

[Bat21]

I wanted my tires and wheels to match for both looks and functionality. My trailer came with a spare as does my jeep, so I'm still carrying around 2 spares. In the unlikely event I blow 3 tires, I'll still be able to get myself to civilization.

 

[tjZ06]

When I had my SoCal Teardrop I set it up with matching wheels/tires (including an additional spare) for both my WJ, then later my WK2 Trailhawk. With the WJ that meant I had 2 spares, or for shorter trips I wouldn't take the one for the trailer, and would just have the 1 on my WJ's tire-swing that would work for either WJ or trailer. The WK2 I didn't have an onboard matching spare (the plan was to get a matching diameter/rollout skinny tire that'd fit in the stock spare location, but sold it before I got there) so having the correct matching spare on the trailer was a must-have so I at least had 1 proper spare. I figured worst-case if I got a 2nd flat I could rotate the miss-matched spare to the trailer to keep all the tires on the Jeep matched (crucial w/ the complicated 4wd system on that thing).






And a couple pics during the 1 trip before my matching WK2 Trailhawk setup arrived for the trailer, this was not ideal since it meant I really didn't have a properly usable spare for the Jeep (the factory spare was about 1" smaller in diameter):






Short version: if it's possible to match 'em, then match 'em.

-TJ

 

[OcoeeG]

I see the allure in having the same size trailer and vehicle tires, but I honestly thing there are 3 factor involved. Convenience (same size thus swap-ability), 4 wheeling ability, and COOLNESS FACTOR (trailers with big tires just look cool). For me it did not make $en$e for me to go that far on our trailer, it would have meant an axle swap and buying big ol' expensive tires. I would rather save that money and buy a 12v fridge! I am not planning on wheeling this thing, mostly just forest service roads. And I am cool enough, I don't need any more coolness. . So it is 13 inchers for me! If I put much bigger tires on the trailer I would lose my aerodynamics and lose MPG.

 

[9Mike2]

A spare would be cheap Insurance for the trailer, but having all the same tire/size is pretty nice, and extra Insurance...

 

[old_man]

Actually, I carried an adapter from 5x4.5" to 5x5.5" so my vehicle spare could be used on the trailer, but it just never sat right with me doing it that way.

 

[AggieOE]

I see the allure in having the same size trailer and vehicle tires, but I honestly thing there are 3 factor involved. Convenience (same size thus swap-ability), 4 wheeling ability, and COOLNESS FACTOR (trailers with big tires just look cool). For me it did not make $en$e for me to go that far on our trailer, it would have meant an axle swap and buying big ol' expensive tires. I would rather save that money and buy a 12v fridge! I am not planning on wheeling this thing, mostly just forest service roads. And I am cool enough, I don't need any more coolness. . So it is 13 inchers for me! If I put much bigger tires on the trailer I would lose my aerodynamics and lose MPG.

I'll second this. My jeep will get 35s this year when these 34s wear out but my 4Runner will retain its 265/70/17s (31.5"). Both are our camping/traveling vehicles.
Trying to match is just simply not worth it for us. Although I already have extra Rubicon wheels (x4), I'd still need to buy a new axle or 4" spacers/bolt pattern adapters to make them work.
So instead, I just installed new three 235/75/15s (29") on my little 4x6 trailer build. Honestly, the price point of 235/75/15 tires WITH wheels is way less than other sizes, especially since I need three. That part is the part that I think is key to making this argument.

If your trailer has a spare, the wheels/tires do NOT need to be interchangeable. Yeah it looks cool but not enough to warrant such a price difference.

I'm taking a trip next week with my buddy and his Bronco on 35s and his trailer with 29" tires on a 5x4.5 pattern. We're also taking both our families to Colorado this summer. Keeping our trailer tires interchangeable, to me, makes way more sense than matching one vehicle. That and also most trailers run 5x4.5 bolt patterns so help is never far away.

 

[tjZ06]

If your trailer has a spare, the wheels/tires do NOT need to be interchangeable. Yeah it looks cool but not enough to warrant such a price difference.

I suppose I agree with if your tow rig and your trailer both have matching (size, not necessarily style) spares then you do not "need" the trailer and tow rig to match.

However, if you follow the "two is one, one is none" philosophy you have two vehicles with unique spares carrying one each (so, two that fall into "one is none"). Once you get one flat on either the rig, or the trailer and have to swap a spare on you literally have none and should call the trip off and head directly to civilization the shortest way possible. Not idea, IMHO. Matching the rig/trailer wheels/tires and carrying a spare on each goes way beyond "looks cool" by allowing you to safely continue a journey once one spare has been used. Also, there is the use case where the rig doesn't have a great place for a full size spare, so the trailer's spare serves as the spare for both. I don't "love" this strategy, but have had to do it myself for one trip. It's better than nothing, and if the trailer hadn't matched I would have had no viable option.

-TJ

 

[KonzaLander]

No. My trailer tires/wheels do NOT match my tow rig. The trailer has it's own spare as does the tow rig.

Why? I have two different vehicles that can pull the trailer; a 100 Series Land Cruiser and a Jeep TJ. There is nothing alike between the two.

I selected my trailer tire size [235/75R15] so that the trailer axle would have as much clearance as the bottom of my lowest tow rig's differential (which is the 100 series) and tire size availability (just in case).

 

[lhoffm4]

I really like your line of thought. I looked (scanned) through the posts on this thread and may have missed it by someone else, but figured I'd share how I addressed it... Wheel hub spacer/lug pattern conversion.

My tow vehicle is a 3/4 ton Silverado. My trailer is a Ford 3/4 ton long bed-trailer. I went to Ebay and found wheel spacers that would convert the F250 lug pattern to the 3/4 ton Chevy bolt pattern. Cost was around $125 but I didn't have to swap or buy a new axle either, it was plug and play. I found a full set of take-off steel rims and tires for the Silverado with like 80% tread on 10-ply tires, the same as my truck. I found them on Marketplace for $200. I now have three matching spares that fit my truck and trailer. I had a full size truck spare already when I got the deal on the full set. I had retrofitted electric brakes to my trailer already, so didn't need an entire new axle.

It pays to have buddies that like to 4x4 and modify their own rigs and play with welders...

 

[old_man]

I actually only had to swap the brake drums since they were integral with hub. The cost was around $100 and it took 10 minutes to swap them over. I am running 3500# axles so the drums were fairly readily available in my new lug pattern. This may not be true with the smaller axles. As for the cost of the tires, I am using the take off's from my rig when I bought new tires. I watched on Craigslist and found a matching set of rims for $40.