Main Tires for '74F

[aerobat95]

Question for you guys....I am needing new tires and was wondering what to get?  There seems to be a million different types and ply rating?  What are good brands?  Condor 6ply for 108.95?  Goodyear Flight special II 6 ply for 119.00?  What about tubes?

[jetdriven]

Desser retreads on Goodyear FC-Iii cores. 70$.  N Michelin air stop tubes.  We're gonna get 600-1000 landings from our set. Do not use the desser tubes. 

Edited September 28, 2015 by jetdriven

[Dale Logsdon]

I would not buy the Flight Speicals but the Condors are good.

 

[aerobat95]

where do you get the retreads?  Aircraft Spruce?

 

[TTaylor]

Last set I put on was 8-ply Condors, after over three years I don't see wear.  I went for extra safety margin, a blown tire will ruin your day.

[jetdriven]

where do you get the retreads?  Aircraft Spruce?

 

Desser tire 

[Shadrach]

where do you get the retreads?  Aircraft Spruce?

 

if you're on the East Coast, try Wilkerson in Crewe VA. I'm a repeat customer. Great tires that always balance. I just replaced all 3 tires this year. I've not used their tubes. I use Michelin Airstop tubes as well.  The Michelin tubes have gotten expensive and cost  more than the tires...

wilkersonaircrafttires.com

[anthonydesmet]

I felt I needed to chime in here because I believe the universe works in ways we can't understand.....I just swapped out a Desser retread when I walked into my hanger Monday and saw my left main mount at parade rest....I also noticed the day prior when I took off from Florida to va beach my takeoff roll was exceptionally longer than usual....no noticeable difference in tire pressure on pre flight. What had happened was the inside of the retread had created an internal bubble that was rubbing against my tube. Little pull left on landing that day but thought it was the 20-30 wind gusts hitting the stab....after my mech and I pulled the tire Monday we found the bubble on the inside that created a hole in the tube with the friction due to the retread coming apart underneath the retread itself. Thus creating a "slow" (thank god) leak and not a deflate which would have been a different story coming back from Florida. My humble opinion being this my 2nd airplane ownership and 25 years of Navy flying and handful of emergencies....don't skimp on anything airframe or engine maintenance related....not annuals, overhauls, etc. if you think you want to save a little on this next annual, tire or found a "reasonable" prop overhaul to have some money left over for that nice GX/S - whatever upgrade then your thought process is all wrong......just my opinion......standing by for arrow....

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[anthonydesmet]

I probably needed to add a little more of my mechanics discussion which I agree with....retreads probably great for fixed gear but think about it for a retract......if the tread starts to come a part on your next takeoff roll....the tire will most likely swell a little in that already confined wheel well space thus possibly not extending....us mooney guys that force the gear down may have a better chance than a free falling gear airplane but why test it....and during your pre-flight how many of us really get down on our bellies and trace the outline of each of our treads on all three both sides...an behind the speed mod doors.....again my opinion, a solid reputable new tire gives me one less thing to worry about now while I am waiting for "that guy"

To get away from the pump.....

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[slowflyin]

if you're on the East Coast, try Wilkerson in Crewe VA. I'm a repeat customer. Great tires that always balance. I just replaced all 3 tires this year. I've not used their tubes. I use Michelin Airstop tubes as well.  The Michelin tubes have gotten expensive and cost  more than the tires...

wilkersonaircrafttires.com

I've used Wilkerson tires for years on many different aircraft without incident.    Great product and a fine family run business!

[Yetti]

75 landings and 3 months on a set of Air Hawks.   I would think you would have to do paperwork for an 8 ply tire since the Type Data Sheet says  6 Ply for an F.

Type III  6 ply   front and mains

 

Might even have to update the weight and balance for an 8 ply.

 

Even an 20S uses a 6 ply tire

Edited September 28, 2015 by Yetti

[Hank]

I have Flite Custom main tires and a Condor nose tire, all with Air $top tube$. Love how the tubes work! Ruled out Flight Custom III as the only difference I could see was the speed rating [equal to my cruise speed] and the much higher price. In eight years, I've replaced the nose tire twice, and the mains once [in Dec '13]. Nose tires seem to last about six years; I'll see how this one does, it went on a year before the mains.

[Shadrach]

I felt I needed to chime in here because I believe the universe works in ways we can't understand.....My humble opinion being this my 2nd airplane ownership and 25 years of Navy flying and handful of emergencies....don't skimp on anything airframe or engine maintenance related....

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No arrow. I'm just curious if you're aware that the Navy uses/mandates retreads? You've likely been landing on them for 25 years.  Why didn't you just call Desser and tell them what happened? They'd have likely made you whole and also opened a QC investigation to find out what happened.

NAVAIR 04-10-506 

1-8. RETREAD AIRCRAFT TIRES. Most military and commercial aircraft tires are designed to be retreaded. Retreading an existing casing can provide more landings per tire at a lower cost per tread giving a significantly lower overall cost. Data shows that a retreaded tire gives service comparable to a new tire. The General Accounting Office and the Department of Defense policy mandates aircraft tires will be retreaded in all cases where economics can be realized without affecting safety of personnel and/or equipment. The Tri-Services have established a retreading criteria consistent with the recent advances in tire technology and service experience. By this carefully engineered approach, functionally sound tire carcasses are returned to qualified contractors for retreading. In conjunction with these procedures, the Aircraft Tire FST monitors production of retread tires to assure that the fleet receives a satisfactory product. During construction, retreaded tires are subjected to quality control procedures far more stringent than those imposed on new tires. Each high-speed/high performance retreaded tire receives final nondestructive inspection by laser beam optical holographic or shearographic methods. This procedure detects separations, voids, and multiple cord fractures within the casing. Tires containing discrepancies are rejected, thus preventing a failure in the fleet. 

Edited September 28, 2015 by Shadrach

[Marauder]

I switched to AirHawks this past annual as well. Seem to be holding up well.

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[anthonydesmet]

Yea, really wasn't talking about Navy tires.....you kind of missed the point..... just highlighting on past experience what my own personal tolerance has developed to on how I view what I would personally do in the situation.

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[jetdriven]

The good years are 1/2" out of round. The condors are so soft that a really firm landing allows the gear door to hit the ground and get bent. It happened to us.

  Choose your poison.  I like the retreads, they last longer and the carcass already made it one cycle.  Being a third of the cost is nice too.