Getting an education on trailer tires - Bias-Ply vs. Radial

I have been agonizing about the issues with my trailer and quite frankly I am still very much inclined to hand it back to the dealer.

On Tuesday a customer service representative from the manufacturer called me in response to the message I posted on their website. He informed me that the tire blowouts were due to my trailer having the wrong tires. WTF?? The tires were installed by you guys! That did not make me happy, and I quite bluntly told him so.

Turns out the manufacturer installed bias-ply tires on the trailers, IMO quite certainly to save on costs. It seems that they had quite a lot of customer complaints about tire blowouts, and now decided to switch to radial tires. Of course, the idea of informing the dealers about the issue apparently didn’t cross anybody’s mind, or if it did, it was squashed. Keep in mind the tire issue is just the top of the iceberg, before that it was faulty axles on our trailer.

So, our trailer got another complete inspection, and a set of five radial* tires is apparently on its way from Oklahoma to Michigan. Once the tires are installed at the dealer’s JP has to do another four hour round trip to pick up our trailer.

Quite frankly, the whole issue caused a lot of friction between the two of us. I think the trailer is a safety hazard, and I much rather just trade it in (it’s barely two years old). I am seriously wondering where else the manufacturer tried to cut corners to save money?

Of course, the dealer doesn’t want to go for a trade in, and JP is convinced that 1) it is now fixed and 2) I’m overreacting.

This is one of the very few times where I wish for JP to be right. And I think JP fervently wishes that, too. After all, if one more thing happens with the trailer he has to move into it - and then we can discuss "overreacting"..

* The main difference between bias ply and radial ply tire is how the tire is constructed. The cords underneath the tire are run in different directions. On a bias tire, the cords run at a 32 degree angle from the direction of travel and on a radial tire, the cords will run at 90 degrees from direction of travel, or across the tire from wheel lip to wheel lip.

Because of the construction of a radial tire, the tire has more flex and will allow for more ground contact. That will improve traction and better treadwear. It also gives the radial tire better stability. 

A bias tire will have a stiffer sidewall and shoulder, which will increase heat buildup in the tire. The radial tire will run cooler which will help the tire last longer, especially when the tire is under a load.