HEAVY-DUTY HAULIN'

We put the Kenda Karrier Loadstar radial trailer tire to the test

- Jason Gonderman

Trailer tires are the unsung heroes of the tire world. They are not as glamorous as, say, a meaty extra-large mud terrain, but they are truly among the hardest-working tires a person can own. Trailer tires are often neglected and abused. And nothing hurts worse than having a trailer tire, or two, fail while hauling a load. For that reason, it’s important to stay on top of trailer tire maintenance, a big part of which is replacing your trailer’s tires when they get old.

We had good luck with the last set of tires on our heavy-duty, eight-lug car hauler trailer. We never had a flat (knock on wood), and the treadwear was fantastic. However, the tires had surpassed six years old, which is on the ragged edge of a trailer tire’s life span. So, it was time to replace them. We knew we wanted to retain a radial tire, and while there are several good options in the space, for this tire change we went with Kenda’s Karrier KR03 ST radial trailer tire.

The Kenda Karrier radial trailer tire is one of the best radial trailer tires on the market today. The Karrier features double steel belts and full nylon plies for heavy-duty applications and extended life. These tires are designed for improved handling in both wet and dry conditions and exceed DOT requirements for the segment.

For our trailer, we opted for the highest load rating available in the line. Sporting a 235/80R16 size with a 10-ply rating, each of the tires can handle up to 3,500 pounds. At 14,000 pounds of combined load ability, the Karrier tires have a weight rating that exceeds both that of our aluminum wheels and the trailer itself, which is important for maintaining a long and happy tire life.