Funny
 

This is funny and everyone missed it! It wouldn't be a flat if it had air pressure.

I think what Walt was trying to say was that running a tire underinflated causes the sidewalls to flex and distort excessively, which causes the tube to chafe or tear, and therefor "causes" the flat.

I think that 90 percent of my landings are above my personal mean :)

Only 50% are above the median though...

Just like 99% of humans have more than the mean number of legs.

Ahh, but what about the mode of your landings? :p

FYI... I have been using 40 to 45 on the nose, and 35 to 40 seems to be the best range for the main tires that I have experienced. It seems that although a higher pressure (more than 40) is okay for the mains, I've noticed that higher than 40 will wear the outside of the main tires too quickly (I have Flight Custom III tires).

Also, I had the Anti-Splat "nose wheel bearing mod" done to my nose wheel and tire about 1 year ago... I've not experienced any nose wheel shimmy since!! I highly recommend the nose wheel bearing mod...

Victor

I'm in the 45-50 camp--but what I'd really like to know is how you guys get the bird in and out of the hanger with 25-30 psi in the tires? Let mine get that low once in winter, and I couldn't move it. Felt like all 3 tires were flat. Just wonderin'.

I would be curious how much the tire heats up on landing. If it heats up quickly and a lot, with higher initial inflation you could be in for some serious high pressure in the tire when it gets hot. We keep our RV8 at 32 although I would prefer around 36 but my partner insists on keeping it lower and it isn't worth the battle.

http://www.desser.com/content/pressure_chart.asp

I found the above linked chart at Desser's website. Keep in mind the pressures listed are unloaded maximum pressure, not recommended operating pressure. You will have to figure out what pressure works best for your actual setup.

Regarding tire heat: I would think that rolling resistance would be a big contributor to friction/heat and that the lower the tire pressure the greater the rolling resistance. My guess is that with the higher inflation values you have lower rolling resistance and less sidewall flexing. I know I am ommitting many other variables and look forward to someone who knows a lot more about tires to chime in:)

O.K. I just went and found this:
http://www.goodyearaviation.com/reso...irdatabook.pdf

In it it says that, for the type III tires which I assume the flight custom III tires are, the rated inflation is 50psi. It also says rated inflation is unloaded and you add 4% when inflating under load which according to my musician level, jet lagged math is 52psi. Later on in the document it talks about the risks of heat and refers to "improper inflation". I just assumed that this meant under-inflation.

Ultimately I'm surprised at how high the recommended 52psi is but that's what the manufacturer wants and has tested.