Custom III or Special II tires?

[Lood]

The choice I have at my AME, for new tires, is limited to either the Good Year Flight Custom III or Good Year Flight Special II.

From what I gather on the internet, the Custom III is superior in construction, but also substantially more expensive and about 2lbs heavier, per tire.

 

I'm waiting for a quote on their respective prices, but which would you choose? Thanks in advance.

[rbridges]

I ended up going with Custom III on the main.  After asking some questions here, I think I'm going to go with the Flight Special II for the nose since it shouldn't take as much abuse as the mains.  Fantom said something about clearance issues with Customs on the nose, so that was another reason to go with the Special.

[Releew]

I just went through this same Q&A......  I purchased the Flight Special II's for all gear.  Why?..... they had "more than enough" of a technical specification for Mooney's and were reasonably priced. And... I knew for sure there was no clearance issues.   They have been on the plane for a month now and I have no regrets.  I do recommend going with a good tube to limit the constant attention to tire pressure.

 

More than the tires is the pilot landing the plane.  Stay off the breaks and its amazing how long a set of tires will last!

 

Rick

[jetdriven]

Desser retreads on fc-iii cores. They last longer and the price is right, around 65$ vs 160$ or so.

[PTK]

There have been instances of retreads jamming up in the wells and bent pushrods on gear retraction.

The danger of a gear up is real if this happens.

Not worth the risk IMO.

[M20F]

I don't do retreads but buy the cheapest tires I can. They dry rot before they wear and if they aren't odds are you need to not land with your feet on the brakes or land so fast you need to even really use the brakes. I have lost pretty much everything from cylinders to engines to whatever while flying over the years, have yet to ever blow a tire out. They are easy to visually inspect prior to flight to where you shouldn't ever have the issue. My opinion only though which doesn't make it right :-)

I just don't see the point in the big dollar tires.

[helitim]

Byron,

Tried to Pm this but the server said you couldn't receive new messages. Do you fly Desser's on your plane?

Thanks,

Tim

[Guest]

A customer of mine swears his plane is faster as a result of Flight special II tires which have a rounder profile. The theory being with the amount that tire stick out of the wheel well, round edges are lower drag.

Clarence

[Andy95W]

There have been instances of retreads jamming up in the wells and bent pushrods on gear retraction.

The danger of a gear up is real if this happens.

Not worth the risk IMO.

This maybe used to be the case, but I doubt that it is anymore. Aviation Consumer has done a few reviews on tires in the past 10-12 years. They researched the issue of retread tires being oversized and could find no evidence of it in modern times. They reported that retread tires must meet the same TSO as original- which means the same diameter, amongst other things.

[jetdriven]

Byron,

Tried to Pm this but the server said you couldn't receive new messages. Do you fly Desser's on your plane?

Thanks,

Tim

Yes , fc-lll retreads on the mains. I was super skeptical about them but after 2 years and ~400 landings it's cool. The gap between the tire and the inboard skin is 1/2", I was careful to measure, U always should on a retract. It's the same as the 2002 ovation that also got new fc-iiis but they were new good years. I measured them too. I'd like to see real evidence of a tso tire jamming in the wheel well.

[aaronk25]

That settles it I'm sending the spare worn set I have in hanger out to get re-treaded.

What about the nose wheel Byron? Can that be a re-tread too?

[jetdriven]

Sure, no prohibition on it, but some owners have problems with clearance and the fc-ii 5.00x5 is only 110$ so I just got a new original one from spruce. Get new tubes too but I'd pass on the desser tubes they both failed.

Also, I didn't have cores, I just called them and specified fc-iii cores and they said ok. I also have a pair of first run cores off that ovation I'll send in next time cause I know their history. But it's nice not a must have.

[aaronk25]

That's great Byron. I screwed up this beautiful set of new fc-IIIs when I was a rookie in the mooney. To fast, not enough weight on the mains and YEP hit the brakes...smoked them....bump bump bump ...ah darn. 2nd that...don't touch the brakes!

[rbridges]

That's great Byron. I screwed up this beautiful set of new fc-IIIs when I was a rookie in the mooney. To fast, not enough weight on the mains and YEP hit the brakes...smoked them....bump bump bump ...ah darn. 2nd that...don't touch the brakes!

 

at least you didn't need chocks to park your plane after that.