Tire observation
 

Just replaced my original tires at 355 hours. Might still look new for Vlad, but after a couple of rotations, it was time. Both are Aero Classic 5.00-5s from Van's.

The used tire, is actually a little bigger than the new one when its placed side by side. Clearly the used one has less rubber, but I guess being under pressure for three years or so, weaken's them and they permanently stretch out some? Anyhow, might not be news, but something I hadn't seen before.

Here is something I did: I took one of my similarly-used tires and cut out a cross-section of the tread. This will give you a good idea of how much tread you have to work with and where it is located with respect to the cord. Of course, different tire brands/ratings may have different tread construction characteristics.

Great idea. Hey Brett, wanna fire up the hacksaw and report?

Had a guy bring in a -6 once for annual condition inspection with quite a bit of cord showing. I cut the tire to show him how close to "air" he was.
He now changes tires before the cord shows.
He thought "6-ply rating" meant 6 plies. Not so! Many 6-ply rated tires have only 2 plies.

They do grow as they wear. Airplanes with retractable gear need to account for "throw and grown" tires in the wheel wells. Some times it is listed on the tire spec or it can be calculated. See page 21 in the Goodyear Catalog

OK, I'll bite. How does a 6-ply tire get its name if it only has 2 plies?:confused:

My recollection is that originally, Plies were defined for their individual strength. As the materials got stronger, the ply strength ratings were maintaining while the layers were reduced- Always maintaining the same strength.

That's correct. Unfortunately it gives many people a false sense of security.
They may wear through to the second ply thinking they have 4 more to go when actually they"re on the last one.

The other tire "gotcha" which recently "got" me was tire growth in the other dimension... width. In this instance it is a nose wheel tire which has zero flight hours but several years sitting on the aircraft, supporting the engine etc. Over time it has grown in width to the point where I have to replace it because it is too wide for the nose wheel fork. It has grown close to 1/2" in width!

Seems a shame to be replacing this tire while it is essentially brand new and still has the little rubber nibs on it. Oh well, far better to pay for a new tire than to risk a nose wheel tire failure!

Desser Tire
 

While not helping with tire wear, you can get a 9/32 "monster" retread from Desser Tire to provide a little extra rubber with a slightly harder compound : Desser Tire 5.00-5-6 ply Monster Retread

I've had great success with Desser retreads; they have a great price and free shipping.

Hey Brent don't throw away those and don't cut them. They could be regrooved and reused :D