which tyres, radial or crossply?

Have managed to get a used mini wheel complete with radial car tyre to act as a spare for my 1986 4/5 dandy. The dandy is currently fitted with 2 good cross ply tyres. As I'm aware you can't mix and match these, my question is, do I buy a new pair of radial tyres or 1 new crossply(cost is about the same). Which is best for the trailer?

First thing to ask is how old are the tyres,the date they where made will be on them,mine are radial but they are trailer tyres not car tyres.

Adding this to help members read and understand dates on tyres


As part of the DOT code (G in the tyre marking above), there is a tyre manufacture date stamped on the sidewall. Oddly this code is sometimes only one one sidewall so you might need to get under your car and look at the inward-facing side of the tyre. Take a look at yours - there will be a three- or four-digit code. This code denotes when the tyre was manufactured, and as a rule-of-thumb, you should never use tyres more than 6 years old. The rubber in tyres degrades over time, irrespective of whether the tyre is being used or not. When you get a tyre change, if you can, see if the tyre place will allow you to inspect the new tyres first. It's not uncommon for these shops to have stuff in stock which is more than 6 years old. The tyre might look brand new, but it will delaminate or have some other failure within weeks of being put on a vehicle.
Reading the code. The code is pretty simple. The three-digit code was used for tyres manufactured before 2000. So for example 1 7 6 means it was manufactured in the 17th week of 6th year of the decade. In this case it means 1986. For tyres manufactured in the 90's, the same code holds true but there is a little triangle after the DOT code. So for this example, a tyre manufactured in the 17th week of 1996 would have the code 176triangle
After 2000, the code was switched to a 4-digit code. Same rules apply, so for example 3 0 0 3 means the tyre was manufactured in the 30th week of 2003.

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They're all only a couple of years old so that's not an issue It's just that they are incompatible as a set.

Well as i say mine are radial but that wasn't choice it was just what the tyre company recommended,ive heard people say radial are less bouncy but cross ply roll easier but dont have any facts to back that up,i guess the natural thought is radial are better for grip but it would be nice to see some facts on this.

our 2005 Dandy had Radial Mini tyres from new,we replaced them with new Radial tyres as these were same spec as Riva/Dandy fit to their trailers.
The main thing to check for is tyre loading

Thanks mike. Just wondered if there was a reason why they put "old technology" tyres on trailers. It's certainly not for economy! (I spoke to 2 trailer parts suppliers who both told me that cross ply are very old and that I wouldn't get them anymore but my local camping store sell them brand new on rims so that doesn't make sense.)

We bought some imperial measurement tyres for ours as it's a classic trailer and they will look better with the classic car. I seem to think they look like cross plys, but are some how different in their make up, unfortunately I can't remember exactly what I read or where I read it.

Also cross plys can produce a flat spot when stood for a while, I'm not sure if our tyres will do this, but as the Dandy is always being moved I don't think we will find out.

Is this post actually helpful?

Radials versus Cross Plys or not quite cross plys. Bias Belted is the term you will generally see used. As far as I understand bias belted is like cross ply but with an additional radial ply.
If you had an early green Dandy you might want bias belted tyres because of the profile and the cosmetic effect of the cross ply look.
Though an eighties Dandy would have had radials as original fitment bias belted does have advantages as far as I can ascertain.
The fact that they deform makes a softer more sprung ride. Now the deformation reduces the braking grip but I don't know if that's OK because less force is required or if it will cause skip. You need someone who knows more about the dynamics of trailer braking than me if the n^th degree of braking performance is the goal.
Though mixing crossplys and radials on the same axle is illegal on cars is illegal I'm not certain it is on trailers, I'm not certain it isn't just not certain it is. They have different diameters so it would be a little lob sided.
Tyre age I always thought the tyre didn't start to degrade till they went out of storage and were exposed to UV. Mikes guide says otherwise. I'm concerned it's part of the litigious cover all world read [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] by uniroyal and their in the business of selling tyres. Mike's guide may be American with all that implies, Mike?
Of course if you buy 4 year old tyres and sell the Dandy on in two years time how the buyer doesn't know the tyres been in service for six years??????

Mike new tyre markings from November. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

And Michelins version of when to replace tyres [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Cazz bias belted? Flat spots are bias beted more prone to flat spots? I thought it was any tyre and a factor of been stood especially if under inflated.
Mike is always concious of load ratings having a six, Lazydayz is on standard 550Kg suspension so should be OK on standard tyres but as always check the load indices.

Tow Itch wrote: Cazz bias belted? Flat spots are bias beted more prone to flat spots? I thought it was any tyre and a factor of been stood especially if under inflated.

When we spoke to Vintage Tyres about cross plys, he said they are more prone to flat spots, and if they occurred you would feel a bump bump bump down the road until they wore out.

I agree it's not good for any tyre to stand for a long time, that's one of the reasons why we keep the classic running in the winter.

Don't tyres deteriorate from the inside, like gas hose does?

And as trailer tyres fall under the same laws as vehicle tyres, I would say it's illegal to mix the different types on a trailer.


The next subject is speed limits for a panel van?

When we changed our Dandy tyres we also had the spare changed even though it hadn't been used it was old and at £35 each considering we get five years out of them it was worth doing.