LANCECASPER Posted November 12, 2018 Report Posted November 12, 2018 I was looking over my logbooks and noticed that my nose wheel tire is 14 years old, my left main is 15 years old and my right main is 10 years old. Two of the three (nose wheel and right main) looked pretty good but I am still putting 3 new Michelin Condors and Michelin Airstop tubes on since I have to add air every few weeks, so I don't trust the tubes. Also I would rather change them at home rather than being forced to change them on a trip. Of course one thing leads to another. Since the wheels are off I am changing brake linings and replacing o-rings in the brake calipers. 2 Quote
Yetti Posted November 12, 2018 Report Posted November 12, 2018 My grandfather and dad would be proud of you. Pretty sure some of the few people outside the tire world that know what the codes on a tire mean. Quote
larryb Posted November 12, 2018 Report Posted November 12, 2018 Yes. Last year I was driving my boat to the mountains. 10 year old tires on the trailer. Probably less than 5000 miles. Tire blew and debris all over the place. Lesson learned. 1 Quote
Rwsavory Posted November 12, 2018 Report Posted November 12, 2018 According to Goodyear: “Age is not an indicator of tire serviceability. Goodyear aircraft tires or tubes have no “expiration date” as long as all service criteria (Section 4 of this manual), visual criteria (Section 5), or individual customer-imposed restrictions are met.” https://www.goodyearaviation.com/resources/pdf/aviation_tire_care_3_2017.pdf 1 Quote
LANCECASPER Posted November 12, 2018 Author Report Posted November 12, 2018 On 11/12/2018 at 9:06 AM, Rwsavory said: According to Goodyear: “Age is not an indicator of tire serviceability. Goodyear aircraft tires or tubes have no “expiration date” as long as all service criteria (Section 4 of this manual), visual criteria (Section 5), or individual customer-imposed restrictions are met.” https://www.goodyearaviation.com/resources/pdf/aviation_tire_care_3_2017.pdf The above link is under the heading Tire and Tube Storage. It mentions temperatures and other conditions appropriate for storage. Having them on the airplane obviously puts them in a much more harsh environment. After taking my tires off there was some noticeable minor cracking and I was planning on changing the tubes soon because of the frequent loss of air pressure. So, for me, it just made sense to start with a known quantity: new tubes, new tires, new brake linings, o-rings, brake lines and fluid. 2 Quote
Rwsavory Posted November 12, 2018 Report Posted November 12, 2018 On 11/12/2018 at 9:37 AM, LANCECASPER said: The above link is under the heading Tire and Tube Storage. It mentions temperatures and other conditions appropriate for storage. Having them on the airplane obviously puts them in a much more harsh environment. After taking my tires off there was some noticeable minor cracking and I was planning on changing the tubes soon because of the frequent loss of air pressure. So, for me, it just made sense to start with a known quantity: new tubes, new tires, new brake linings, o-rings, brake lines and fluid. Point taken, but in the manual there is no criteria for replacement based on time-in-service, only based on actual tire condition. Quote
orionflt Posted November 12, 2018 Report Posted November 12, 2018 I'm just finishing up an annual on a 172 that doesn't fly much. It is stored in a heated hanger so the tires are not being subjected to a lot of environmental variables. the mains are being replaced because of wear, but the nose tire has most of it's tread even though it is old. then you look at the side wall of the tire and you can see tiny little cracks all along it. there was also a bigger deeper crack on one side. Most pilots only look at the tread when evaluating the condition of their tires, there is a lot more to look at including how the tire is wearing and if it has been flown under or over inflated for extended periods of time. do you know what the red dot is for on the tire, and how to use it to see if the tire has slipped on the rim? Here is some good info Desser has on their site. https://www.desser.com/content/tire_mounting_info.asp 1 Quote
jaylw314 Posted November 12, 2018 Report Posted November 12, 2018 UV exposure and ozone are the biggest issues. AFAIK, tire rubbers contain carbon and waxy antioxidants to protect the rubber, but they do eventually get used up and then the rubber oxidizes and degrades. Inside a hangar, there shouldn't be much exposure to either, but outside it's a whole other ballgame... Quote
INA201 Posted November 12, 2018 Report Posted November 12, 2018 All I can say is you are a great pilot! I seem to flat spot mine and knock at least one tire out in less than five years or so. Fifteen years is something to work toward. Quote
LANCECASPER Posted November 12, 2018 Author Report Posted November 12, 2018 2 hours ago, INA201 said: All I can say is you are a great pilot! I seem to flat spot mine and knock at least one tire out in less than five years or so. Fifteen years is something to work toward. Haha I wish that was true! The previous owner had health issues, so it wasn't flown a lot from 2008 - 2015 when I bought it. I've put a flat spot or two on the mains of Mooneys before. 2 Quote
Bravoman Posted November 12, 2018 Report Posted November 12, 2018 Changing them out is a no brainer based on those ages. I put it in the cheap insurance against having a bad day category. 2 Quote
Hank Posted November 13, 2018 Report Posted November 13, 2018 8 hours ago, INA201 said: All I can say is you are a great pilot! I seem to flat spot mine and knock at least one tire out in less than five years or so. Fifteen years is something to work toward. 8 hours ago, LANCECASPER said: Haha I wish that was true! The previous owner had health issues, so it wasn't flown a lot from 2008 - 2015 when I bought it. I've put a flat spot or two on the mains of Mooneys before. Wow, you guys make me feel better. I bought my C in 2007, replaced the nose tire in 2009; all three in 2012; and the nose tire again this past Jan. I expect my nose tires to start lasting longer now that I'm based at a field with a taxiway and don't backtaxi and make a full-rudder U-turn on a 75' wide runway on every flight . . . . 1 Quote
carusoam Posted November 13, 2018 Report Posted November 13, 2018 You guys have cover most of the topics of rubber vs atmosphere... One of the nice things about the modern tire tubes is their ability to keep air for a few seasons..... tubes don’t usually see UV light or harsh chemicals... The cracks in the sidewalls aren’t too terrible as the strength of the tire is delivered by all the threads you are looking at as the rubber peals away.... Basic rule of Tire health... If you are seeing the threads... the tire is worn out... of course they meant the threads at the bottom of the treads.... these threads get shredded pretty quickly and start to really show the wear... they have no resistance to abrasion once the rubber is gone... Flat spotting tires happens really quickly... especially if you don’t recognize that you have locked up the brakes... this is always a by-product of a fast approach, floating, landing long, running out of runway, still going 65kias, and touching the brakes.... Brakes are easy to lock when the wing is still producing some lift... What speed is best to use for maximum braking? Under 50kias? Or 50mias for a short body? When you are new to plane ownership... you learn a lot about being nice to things that can save some dough... avoiding flat spotting tires is one of those things... land slow enough to not use brakes was the other... Best regards, -a- 1 Quote
INA201 Posted November 13, 2018 Report Posted November 13, 2018 While we are at it, how often do you guys replace tubes? Quote
Hank Posted November 13, 2018 Report Posted November 13, 2018 2 hours ago, INA201 said: While we are at it, how often do you guys replace tubes? Every time I replace a tire, it gets a new tube. Other than that, none so far, but it's only been 11 years. Quote
Andy95W Posted November 13, 2018 Report Posted November 13, 2018 4 hours ago, INA201 said: While we are at it, how often do you guys replace tubes? If it needs a new tube, it gets replaced. If not, then not. Of course, that mentality comes from working as an A&P at flight schools and for CB owners. On my own airplane, where the tires only get replaced every 15 years or so, I'll let you know in a couple of years... Quote
MARZ Posted November 13, 2018 Report Posted November 13, 2018 23 hours ago, INA201 said: All I can say is you are a great pilot! I seem to flat spot mine and knock at least one tire out in less than five years or so. Fifteen years is something to work toward. Those aren't flat spots - they are tactile speed feed back indicators. 4 2 Quote
thinwing Posted November 21, 2018 Report Posted November 21, 2018 I get 4/5 years max out of my tires Quote
orionflt Posted November 21, 2018 Report Posted November 21, 2018 9 hours ago, thinwing said: I get 4/5 years max out of my tires I must not fly enough! Quote
Raptor05121 Posted November 21, 2018 Report Posted November 21, 2018 On 11/12/2018 at 10:25 PM, Hank said: Wow, you guys make me feel better. I bought my C in 2007, replaced the nose tire in 2009; all three in 2012; and the nose tire again this past Jan. I expect my nose tires to start lasting longer now that I'm based at a field with a taxiway and don't backtaxi and make a full-rudder U-turn on a 75' wide runway on every flight . . . . My home base is 2000x25 and I have to do a U-turn on that to backtaxi 1 Quote
jaylw314 Posted November 21, 2018 Report Posted November 21, 2018 1 hour ago, Raptor05121 said: My home base is 2000x25 and I have to do a U-turn on that to backtaxi Yikes. How often have you had to replace brake pads and rotors?? Quote
Mooneymite Posted November 21, 2018 Report Posted November 21, 2018 Want you tires to last forever? Operate off of grass. Quote
rbridges Posted November 21, 2018 Report Posted November 21, 2018 I've had my plane for 7 years, and I've had to replace every tire at least once. Asphalt wears 'em down. Quote
jaylw314 Posted November 21, 2018 Report Posted November 21, 2018 Does anyone know if tires wear down faster if you touch down firmly or gently? Intuitively, I'd think firm touchdowns would produce less wear, since there'd be less sliding before the wheel spins up, but that's based on no data or knowledge whatsoever... Quote
carusoam Posted November 21, 2018 Report Posted November 21, 2018 The wear will be spread out differently... hard enough landing, the wear will be spread to other parts of the plane... Best regards, -a- 1 Quote
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