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I don't worry about tread depth because I rarely fly off a wet runway. When the tread wears off of the contact patch I consider that an indication that the cords can't be far below the rubber and it is time to stop depending on that portion of the tire to be the contact patch. But because my RV-6 only wears tires on the outside third of the tire I have safely used tires since 1999 that have little tread on the inside third of the tire. I just don't see the need to toss a tire that still has half of its service life remaining. The key is to be familiar with the operational characteristics of our particular aircraft and maintain it accordingly. This is a case where one size does not necessarily fit all. :) |
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Again, can anyone present a study of tread wear vs incidence of flats? |
Tires
I was told that there is a Goodyear document detailing how much cord can be showing and the tire is still airworthy.
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Tires
Disregard my previous post. I found the Goodyear document online. It allows very limited exposure of cord at bottom of a groove but does not allow flat spotting that exposes cord. Very detailed and interesting article. They call for tire replacement for any wear to bottom of groove.
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Tires
For many years there were surplus aircraft tires available that probably dated to WWII. A lot of these were smooth tires. On homebuilt airplanes they were commonly run until cord showed. This is in accordance with the Goodyear document and there is absolutely nothing unsafe about it. 500 x 4 wheels tires and brakes were used on the Culver drones and were widely available.
awheels was late Nick D'Appuzzo, designer of the PJ260/Senior Aero Sport Biplanes. He sold surplus Culver wheels probably well into the 70's. In the 60's they were under $100 a set and I think this included tires and tubes. The brakes were Goodrich Cub style and not very good. Smooth tires. |
Goodyear Aviation Tire Care Document
Here is Goodyear Aviation's Tire Care Document. Includes pictures and a clear discussion of tread wear limits including when to flip the tire.
https://www.goodyearaviation.com/res...are_3_2017.pdf |
Tire Wear II
One "what if" that hasn't been addressed during this interesting thread- What if the wear was uniform across the whole tread? No advantage then to flipping. At what point would you replace the tire?
I would run it down to just before the tread grooves disappear. By flipping, I'm doing essentially the same thing. |
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I thought this was a valid question. The OP was asking at what point tires become less safe, not "how long can I get away with being a cheapskate". Replacing something more than necessary doesn't make you any safer, and in the case of maintenance-induced-failures, can actually have the opposite effect. Sure, changing tires is a simple, low-risk procedure, but it is another chance to pinch a tube, improperly torque the wheel, etc. Chris |
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In principals, I am in agreement with Walt.
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