Trailer Wheels

Trailer wheels are load-rated hardware, not styling parts, and they are the one category where you should never round down. A trailer wheel has to be rated for the load on that wheel position at the trailer gross weight, and unlike a tow vehicle there is no suspension sophistication to soften what the wheel sees. Undersized trailer wheels fail suddenly and at speed.Trailer wheels also use different bolt patterns than passenger vehicles. Common trailer patterns are 5x4.5 for light utility trailers, 5x5 and 6x5.5 for mid-size, and 8x6.5 for heavy equipment and larger boat trailers. Many of these are specified in inches rather than millimeters, which is a good reminder that they come from a different standards family than car wheels.Steel trailer wheels are cheaper, heavier and easy to repair. Aluminum trailer wheels shed weight, resist corrosion much better around saltwater, and are the usual choice for boat trailers. Whichever you choose, pair the wheel with a proper ST rated trailer tire rather than a passenger tire.