Different size trailer tires

[Fritz Maurer]

I'm pretty sure that the worst thing that will happen is that your trailer speedometer may give incorrect indication of speed!

Not REALLY related but your comment made me wonder... on large and one small on a truck axle: will the truck go slower, faster, or will the differential make up the difference between the two and stay the same speed?

 

[JMOR]

It will just drive in a big circle.

 

[ss55]

Not REALLY related but your comment made me wonder... on large and one small on a truck axle: will the truck go slower, faster, or will the differential make up the difference between the two and stay the same speed?

A non powered trailer axle might handle differently than a powered axle.

Banked track race cars run different diameter tires on the powered axle.

 

[used red MN]

Not REALLY related but your comment made me wonder... on large and one small on a truck axle: will the truck go slower, faster, or will the differential make up the difference between the two and stay the same speed?

A speedometer is designed by calculations to give the correct speed for the vehicle with the manufacturers specified tire size. Ideally with tires worn equally going down a straight road the differential(spider) gears should not be turning. Assuming we are talking about a vehicle that reads driveshaft revolutions to indicate speed. Once you install one tire that is smaller than original size (circumference) tire the vehicle goes slower than the speedometer shows. The opposite when you install a larger tire then specified, the vehicle goes faster than the speedometer shows. In both of these cases on a straight road the differential gears now have to turn slowly to compensate for the size differences. Per your question if one side has a tire with smaller than specified circumference and the other a larger than specified circumference, in loose terms the differences would cancel out each other and your speedometer would give you roughly the correct speed.