Thread: Another tire question

I'm sure this has been answered before, but I can't seem to find it. I'm partial to Goodyear Flight Custom III tires. I've had them on ALL of my planes and, when mated to the butyl leak-free tubes, are bullet proof. I noticed on Aircraft Spruce's site that they have a 6.00x6 tire with 6 and 8 ply. When my original tires give up the ghost, could I substitute these? I know they're very expensive, but I really like them and think they're worth it... (and yes, I know about the Desser Monster tires also)

John

John, unless your plane was switched to the tundra tires you will have to stick to the 6.00x4 non-aircraft type tires.

Originally Posted by 3Dreaming

John, unless your plane was switched to the tundra tires you will have to stick to the 6.00x4 non-aircraft type tires.

Not true. Aero Classic has the 400-6 in 6 ply, and are bringing out an 8 ply in August.

Links here http://shop.desser.com/IW_Products.m...TI_ITEM_SUBMIT and here http://shop.desser.com/IW_Products.m...TI_ITEM_SUBMIT

I just received my delivery of new tires from Desser as I was typing this. It includes one of the 6 ply ones for my nose wheel, so I can get rid of the Sava tire that is there now.

Desser has an LSA tire that is a 400-6 6 ply. Several of us use it on our front tires for the tundra nose wheel and you can use it on the mains for the standard 400-6 wheels.

Thought someone may be interested in the gear leg jack/stand I fabricated. I made it after frustration in getting something lightweight and small to carry with me for use when a hydraulic jack is not available.
It separates into 3 sections and stows easily with a weight of approx 1.2 lbs.
Construction is from 1/4" ply (doubled up where needed) with 3/4" X 1 1/4" spruce reinforcement. The pin is made from an 8" long 1/2" diam stainless steel bolt with the head and thread cut off before welding to the bracket that holds it to the ply centre piece. A reinforcing web is in place between the bolt and the plate. 1/4" stainless bolts with wing nuts hold the stand together.
Lift the aircraft by the wingtip until the wheel is off the ground, then have someone slide it into the hole in the gear leg. Plenty of room to work and it is very stable. Wouldn't leave home without it as we fly into some pretty rough strips here in Ozz.

Thought I had best qualify something in the original post... the 1/2" bolt passes through the stainless plate and uses the thread on the back using Nyloc nut to hold it in place. Hope this makes it clear..

Ok, I know everybody said to get the Tundra tire option, but my plane was already built when I bought it. Is it possible to upgrade to that after you've already received the plane and how much? Is there a compromise with half of the parts? I probably would like to go with Matco brakes eventually so if it could be done at the same time? The reason I'm asking is I flew into a very well maintained Lighted grass strip at an airpark last weekend to do a young eagles thing and the tires seem to sink into the grass a little much. Not bad, but just noticed having to add extra power just to get it to move. So did all the other pilots because it was a little wet.

John

Hi John,

You could swap tires. The main wheels can take the standard 400-6 or the 600-6 tire. It is a 6" rim. You would need to call FD and get a price on the larger wheel pants. The front tire would need a new nose fork, fairing and tire. The tundra front tire size is a 400-6. There are one or two people here that have made the swap and maybe they will chime in.

Originally Posted by Roger Lee

Hi John,

You could swap tires. The main wheels can take the standard 400-6 or the 600-6 tire. It is a 6" rim. You would need to call FD and get a price on the larger wheel pants. The front tire would need a new nose fork, fairing and tire. The tundra front tire size is a 400-6. There are one or two people here that have made the swap and maybe they will chime in.

The LS already has the 400x6 nose tire.

Roger Lee was a huge help to me with advice when upgrading our wheels and tires. The original 4" tires were next to useless in the dirt strips we were flying into. It was like landing on "tram tracks". Roger suggested the upgrade to Matco rims/brakes (best money I've ever spent) and while we were at it we went for a larger tire, but we fitted 15 X 6.00 X 6 Airhawk tires from Desser. This gave us the extra width without the extra diameter the Tundra tires such as the "Monster treads" give (only about 1" larger than the 4" tire in diam).
As a result... no more tram tracking, fantastic braking if you need it without fade. Guess the fact that FD now fit Matco as standard says it all.
Presently working on fitting the original spats to the new tires and looks feasible without too much effort. Will keep you posted when and if the job is done. We kept the original 4" nosewhell as it can be held up out of the way anyway on both take-off and landing. Hope this info helps you.