A quality tire not only contributes to prolonging the trailer’s lifespan but also ensures the safety of your trips.
I once searched for hours to find the best horse trailer tires for me, and finally came up with the Hercules Power STR 235/85R16 128L. As I experienced, this product is truly worth its reputation – the best tire on the market.
So, I want to share with you my reviews of this tire. Hope you will no longer spend too much time digging for information as I used to.
Hercules Power STR 235/85R16 Trailer Tires Review
Size
The size of this tire is 235/85R16 128L. It has a 235mm surface width, with a tire thickness of 85% compared to the width. Besides, it fits the wheels whose diameter is 16 inches.
Moreover, the maximum payload that this tire can load is 3968 pounds at 95 PSI.
Material
This tire consists of two main materials synthetic rubber and steel. In particular, synthetic rubber accounts for the majority of tires, and steel is used to produce the inside steel belts to support the tire.
Rubber is an extremely elastic material that helps reduce shock and increase adhesion to the road surface when using vehicles. Besides, the durable stainless steel helps maximize support and extend the tire life.
Design
Structurally, since this is a radial steel-belted tire, it has steel straps running in the direction perpendicular to the centerline of the tire.
These steel belts work to strengthen the wheel, thereby balancing the tire’s pressure with the vehicle weight that the wheel can load.
Next, the tread pattern on the outside of the tire is symmetric style, in which the centerline of the tire is the symmetrical center, and the two sides look like reflecting each other.
This tread pattern is quite popular because of its flexibility. It’s also called a “multi-directional” pattern because when you change or rotate in different directions, it still keeps the wheel stable.
Features
As mentioned above, the proper materials and special designs create outstanding features for the tire itself.
One of the features that we can’t ignore is versatility. Besides the flexibility in changing direction, this tire can be used under many different weather conditions.
It can hold onto the road surfaces no matter whether they’re dry or wet. At the same time, extreme weather conditions such as the cold air in winter can’t challenge this tire.
Moreover, Hercules Power STR 235 / 85R16 is quiet and enduring. It won’t distract you while driving just because of the annoying sounds.
PROS
- Flexibility
- Adaptable to weather conditions
- Quiet and stable operation
- Durable and sturdy
CONS
- Not at a low price
Who Should Use It?
Obviously, it’s suitable for anyone who has a trailer!
If you are looking for a tire with characteristics such as flexibility, durability, and quiet operation, this is the product you shouldn’t miss!
The Alternatives
The only disadvantage that I found in the Hercules tire is its price, which is a bit costly. So, here are some alternatives which somehow have the same quality and features but the price is a bit lower. My friends tried these and almost had no complaints.
1. Maxxis M8008 ST Radial Trailer Tire 225/75R15 BSW
This is also a popular tire due to its good quality and typical features. Thanks to the proper amount of compound in the rubber mixture, this tire reduces the drag exceptionally well, contributing to saving fuel for your trailers.
Furthermore, this tire has an effective damping mechanism, which balances and stabilizes the vehicle during the trips as well as ensures the efficiency of outstanding overload handling.
PROS
- Reduce rolling resistance
- Stable and durable
- Shock absorption
- Different sizes to choose
CONS
- Not in the low price range
2. Carlisle Radial Trail HD Trailer Tire ST235/80R16 124L
Carlisle radial trailer tire has the advantage of flexibility in moving. Because its symmetrical tread pattern ensures the performance of the vehicle even when rotating or changing direction.
Also, the synthetic rubber components that make up this tire are studied to reduce the impact of heat on the tires, thereby extending the life and use time.
PROS
- Flexibility in moving
- Reduce the impact of heat
- Suitable for long-time use
- Cheaper than 2 previous tire
CONS
- Maybe a bit hard to assemble
3. Grande Ride Premium Trailer Tire ST235/80R16
This product is more advanced than the others as it has a nylon coating covering the entire tread area to increase durability and minimize impact from the outside.
In addition to the must-have features such as shock absorber, balancing, etc. the Grande Ride trailer tire won’t take much of your time to mount because this task is effortless.
PROS
- Nylon cover
- Quiet and stable
- Bargain price
- Easy to mount
CONS
- The bulging out sidewall
FAQs
1. Is Hercules Power STR 235/85R16 Steel-belted Or Ply?
Hercules Power STR 235 / 85R16 128L is a radical steel-belted tire. The design of this type will help the tire balance the inside pressure and outside weight to have safe journeys and ensure durability for the trailers.
2. Is It Suitable For Car/Truck?
You can assemble this tire for a car/truck, and your vehicles may work. However, I recommend you shouldn’t do that.
Each type of tire for different vehicles will have particular designs to support your car, truck, etc. optimally. If you don’t use the right type of vehicle, it’s easy to affect their durabilities adversely, and most importantly, it’s dangerous when you’re on trips.
3. How Should I Preserve It?
First, when the tires aren’t in use, it’s best to keep them or your trailers in storage as the UV ray from the sun is one of the leading causes of tire damage. At the same time, this also helps reduce the negative impact of cold airflow in winter.
Also, you should use the cover when storing the tires to increase their protectability.
Secondly, If possible, use the jack under the trailer to lift the tires off the ground a bit. This way helps minimize wear and tear effectively.
Next, always keep the inside pressure of the tire at the standard. Excessive pumping and insufficient pressure will do the same will cause it to wear out quickly.
4. Do I Need To Balance All The Tires?
The answer is yes.
Balancing the tires will help your vehicles to operate more stably and safely. Besides, the evenly distributed gravity on the wheels will limit one of them is wear out before the others.
Last but not least, I recommend using one type of tire for all wheels, particularly not combining Radical and Bias tires.
Verdict
I hope that my Hercules trailer tires review has given you the most useful information about Hercules Power STR 235/85R16 128L.
Overall, this is a product with all the advantages of becoming the best horse trailer tires, such as being durable, flexible in moving, quiet in operating, and so on.
If you are looking for a product that’s worth buying and budget isn’t your problem, don’t miss it!