What Is The Best G Rated Trailer Tire? (Helpful Guide)
When it comes to towing trailers, you need the right rated tire or you could end up in a world of hurt. Tires are made for specific load weights and too light of a tire will mean it can blow out at the worst possible moment.
This is a subjective question as different tire companies make excellent G-rated tires. It is hard to say which is the best as so few RVers use them unless they are towing very heavy loads. But our money is on Michelin or Goodyear brands.
To learn more about this top-rated tire, just continue to read our article. It has the information you want to know about especially when you are towing extremely heavy trailers. Take a few minutes to see how this information can help you find the right tire for your towing situation.
G Rated Trailer Tires 101
What are G-rated trailer tires?
We reported in another article that the load range only went between B and F. That may be for trucks and cars, not trailers. For trailers, the rating can go as high as H but you will rarely need a G-rated tire and you may never need a G-rated tire.
The reason for that is that G-rated tires can hold up to 6000 pounds each approx. Some do not go that high but they are between the 4000 and 5000-pound marks. It will depend on the tire maker and how much weight they can carry.
The problem you will find when you want to upgrade to a G-rated tire is that most RVs and trailers are made for E-rated tires. There may not be room for the G-rated options.
These are the toughest tires you can buy which would make them ideal to use if they fit in the little space your axles provide. They will need to be inflated to 110 psi if you are going to benefit from all the strength and towing power they bring to your towing situation.
G-rated Tires Ply
As we just mentioned, this tire rating is the toughest tire you can buy. Whether you can use it or not is another story for another day. The G stands for 14 ply.
In other words, the amount of rubber you actually get on this tire has the strength of 14layers of rubber. There are not 14 layers on the tire but you get that toughness that allows you to tow heavier weight and longer trailers.
The rim size is 6.5 wide and 16 in diameter. This is not going to be a small tire and the tread depth, depending on the manufacturer is 12/32nds or 3/8ths of an inch.
The speed rating may shock you as most of these tires are not rated for high speeds. They are usually rated M which means their top speed is 56 mph. You are not going to get anywhere fast with these tires nor should you consider the weight they are carrying.
Because they can carry between 4000 and 6000 pounds approx., you are going to be towing very heavy weight. Plan your traveling time very carefully so you have time to reach your next destination.
How Long do G-rated Trailer Tires Last?
It is hard to say as so many different factors come into play. But generally, you should change your tires about every 10,000 to 15,000 miles on average./ Some will last longer while others may not last that long.
Some of those factors include driving over broken glass, hitting a nail, or scraping it once too often against the curb, and so on. When those situations happen, your tires may be brand new but they are gone.
You may not even have gotten 5000 miles out of them. But if you drive according to their speed rating, do not overload your trailer, and do not go down very rough roads, you may see them last over 15,000 miles.
If you want this in years, some people have said that trailer tires only last between 3 and 5 years. That will depend on how often you tow your trailer. Weather, road conditions, stop and go traffic all play their role in the longevity of your trailer tires.
Being the toughest tire for trailers does not mean that they are immune to all these factors. You just have to buy a good brand, avoid the China bombs and you should do okay.
G-rated Trailer Tires Made in America
This can be complicated as many tire companies that make tires in America are not independent companies anymore. In fact, the first 3 of 4 companies on one list are all owned by the #1 company Goodyear.
They all make tires in America but whether the G-rated option is a part of their lineup is not fully known. The ones that indicated that they make G-rated tires are-- #1 Goodyear and this is the parent company of the next 4.
Goodyear bought out Cooper Tires which owned Dick Cepek, Mickey Thompson & Max-Trac Tire Co. Inc (not on that list). Number 2 on that list is Hoosier and there is no word if it is still independent or not.
Those first 5 tire companies are all American based and have factories throughout the country. However, there are foreign tire companies that make tires in America.
Their lineup should include the G-rated tires since RVing and towing heavy loads are very popular in this country. Those foreign companies are:
-Michelin
-Yokohama
-Bridgestone
-Continental
Then Michelin owns Uniroyal, BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Tigar, and Kormoran, who could also make G-rated tires in the country. This may get confusing but there is a way to tell if the tire was made in America or not.
All tires made in America must have a DOT code on the side wall of the tire. The four final numbers of the code tell you the week of the year and the year it was made. There is some question as to if that DOT code applies to all tires sold in America not made in America.
What is The Best G-rated Trailer Tire?
This is a very subjective question as performance usually dictates how an owner rates his or her tires. Some get great performance out of tires made in China by a Chinese tire making company. Others do not.
Some owners get great performance from Michelin tires while others do not. They rate their tires according to performance and how long they owned and got to use them.
One best list carried mostly G-rated tires made in China and not made by any of the brands we listed above. Another list did the same. Transeagle was about the only brand that made both lists. Suntek made one list 3 times as did Transeagle so they should have good tires.
Gremax also made these lists and it is up to another article to see who owns these companies and where their tires are made. But do not sell Goodyear, Michelin, Yokohoma, and the other major players short. They all make great tires including the G-rated series.
Usually, you cannot go wrong with Goodyear, Goodrich, Bridgetown, Michelin, and other top tire companies’ tires. They have been in the tire making business for almost 100 years or more so they know how to make a good tire.
Hercules G-rated Trailer Tires
First, this company has been in business for about 70 years. That is the good news. The bad news is that they were and probably still are owned by Cooper Tires who is now owned by Goodyear.
In 1960 Cooper Tires was the exclusive maker of this brand of tires. However, factories are found around the world. You can find them in the following countries USA, Mexico, Krusevac, Serbia, China, and Vietnam, plus 7 more.
In total, they have 69 factories in 13 countries. This wide range of factories allows the company to keep its prices low without sacrificing any quality. It is said that you are getting one of the best tires made if you buy the Hercules brand, including G-rated tires.
But opinions differ as some owners feel that this is one of the worst tires you can buy. The word is that American Tire Distributors bought the brand back in 2014 and that is when the quality of the tire went downhill. We have not confirmed that ownership as of yet.
It is hard to say how good these tires are as there is some doubt as to the specs they were made under. According to some owners, the quality of the rubber may not be as good as it could be.
What Happens To Tires When They Get Old?
As tough as a tire can be, even G-rated ones, wear, tear and age will catch up to them at some point in time. The signs of age and wearing out are fairly visible so you will know when you should replace those great, tough tires.
From the cheapest to the most expensive, the signs of age will appear and those tires with 14-ply strength will eventually give in to age and so on. What you will see will depend on the quality of the build.
Some tires will crack from the inside and that crack will ruin the integrity of the tires. These cracks will spread throughout the tire and eventually separate the belt from the rubber.
When that happens and you keep driving on them, you can have a serious blowout which then causes a major traffic accident. Some companies use chemicals to help reduce the risk of cracking.
Those chemicals only help a little and delay the inevitable for only a short time. When it comes to trailer tires, you should never buy used ones. The price may be right but you do not know what type of damage they are already suffering from.
You may save money initially but spend more later when those great deal tires blow out and cause even more damage to your trailer. Buy new so you can have some peace of mind and some recourse if they turn out to be lemons.
How To Tell if The Tire is New or Not
You will know if a tire is made before the year 2000 because it will not have the DOT code on its sidewall. That requirement came in the year 2000 or 2001 and that code will give you a specific date for its manufacture.
It is easy to spot the DOT code as it will say DOT right before the 12 letter and number code. The last 4 digits of that code are the most important when you are looking for its age.
Numbers 9 and 10 of the code refer to the week the tire was made and numbers 11 and 12 refer to the year it was made. If the tire says 2422 in those last 4 digits, then you know that the tire was made in the 24th week of 2022.
That code gives you a pretty good idea of the age of the tire and if you can really trust it or not. The only time you have to worry about older tires is if you are buying a used trailer or RV, etc.
If those vehicles have sat around for a long time, you could end up with tires dating back to 2015, 2010, and so on.
Some Final Words
Buying G-rated tires is not for everyone. You really need to be towing a very heavy load to need them on your trailer. Those heavy loads may be the long 40 to 42-foot trailers that come with every feature imaginable inside.
Not everyone will need this very heavy-duty tire and you can get away with using E-rated options for your towing situations. When you buy a G-rated tire stick to the top brands as they make great tires that last a long time.
