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  #1  
Old 01-10-2010, 05:01 AM
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ronschreck ronschreck is offline
 
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Location: Gilbert, AZ
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Default Flat tire woes.

Yesterday I had a tire deflate in flight. The landing was uneventful but the wheel pant was severely damaged during rollout. This is the second time this has happened to me and I'm getting tired of repairing wheel pants! I mounted the pants IAW Van's instructions. If I were to do it over again, I would mount the pants higher so there would be some clearance from the ground if the tire went flat, thereby saving the wheel pant from damage. Has anyone done this? I know the race crowd (Bob) would frown on exposing more of the tire below the wheel pant, but what do the rest of you think? Comments welcome.
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  #2  
Old 01-10-2010, 05:12 AM
odlee odlee is offline
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Greensboro,NC
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Default What do you think?

First LL then you. Do the guys up in the great white north have problems with the tires losing their seal when it gets cold? It has been cold (17 degrees) for us "down south", but not really that cold. What about tire pressures? You aren't running maypops are you. Keep up posted. Hope you can find a cause.

David
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  #3  
Old 01-10-2010, 05:13 AM
David-aviator David-aviator is offline
 
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Location: Chesterfield, Missouri
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Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by ronschreck View Post
Yesterday I had a tire deflate in flight. The landing was uneventful but the wheel pant was severely damaged during rollout. This is the second time this has happened to me and I'm getting tired of repairing wheel pants! I mounted the pants IAW Van's instructions. If I were to do it over again, I would mount the pants higher so there would be some clearance from the ground if the tire went flat, thereby saving the wheel pant from damage. Has anyone done this? I know the race crowd (Bob) would frown on exposing more of the tire below the wheel pant, but what do the rest of you think? Comments welcome.
Flying off of grass, my wheel pants are always beat up even raised up a bit. I don't think you can get them high enough to avoid damage when the air is gone.

What tires and tubes are you using? The last time I changed tires, I went with some tubes that cost almost as much as the tires (from Desser) and they have held up very well. In fact they don't leak! Last year they needed service one time just before OSH.

Now that I've said that, the next flight may well end with a flat.
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  #4  
Old 01-10-2010, 05:36 AM
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Default did you examine the tube?

were you able to determine the cause? pinched tube, rubbed a hole, if not then the pressure might have been low. what else could it have been? run over FOD? hmmmm
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  #5  
Old 01-10-2010, 05:56 AM
Sid Lambert Sid Lambert is offline
 
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Location: North Atlanta
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Did you put air in it just before the flight?

I have a rule of letting the airplane sit overnight after I put air in the tire. I've had a few leak down from the valve stem core or expanding the existing leak over the years.
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  #6  
Old 01-10-2010, 06:08 AM
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pierre smith pierre smith is offline
 
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Location: Louisville, Ga
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Default It's the moon phase, Ron...

...but seriously, I don't think there's a solution. It's just like one of your valve lifters starts clicking in your brand new car.....always a mystery.

Best,
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  #7  
Old 01-10-2010, 07:07 AM
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jthocker jthocker is offline
 
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Ron,
I've been biasing my wheel pants up higher on the RV8's lately for better clearance, but don't know if they're up high enough to prevent damage due to a flat. When you raise them up, you have to put a blister on the pant to accomodate the brake caliper bottom edge.
I'd be inclined to raise them up even further next time around since we seem to fly around in a big gaggle at 130 knots most of the time!

Regards,
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  #8  
Old 01-10-2010, 07:34 AM
Terry Lutz Terry Lutz is offline
 
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It is worth the trouble to try and nail down the reason for the deflation, because given the wrong set of circumstances, it could ruin your day and ruin the day of some other folks. There are two likely sources, the valve itself, or the tube and valve stem. I had a tire go flat in flight on another type of airplane, and it was because there was a problem with the valve. Unless you check carefully when replacing the valve after a tire change, you may leave a small leak. I made a tool many years ago to check the tightness of the valve itself. Valve caps specifically for aircraft act as a double seal for the stem, just in case there is a leak at the valve. Those of us who use a stem extension to check tire pressure can't easily put a cap on, and can't easily tell if the valve is leaking (with a little spit on the top). I like the suggestion from the guy who said that he leaves the airplane overnight after checking tire pressure. Good idea, but you can't always wait. If your problem is with the with tube or valve stem, it could be caused by low initial pressure. It is prossible for the tire to rotate on the rim. Or, it could be a design problem in the tube itself. I have a car with tire pressure monitoring, and there is a big "why not" in my mind for tire pressure monitoring in our RVs.
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  #9  
Old 01-10-2010, 09:16 AM
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Ironflight Ironflight is offline
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I feel for you Ron - I've had to rebuild my right pant three times - twice due to flats. The first was clearly because I had too little clearance, and the pant cut the tire. The second is still a mystery - happened during breaking, but the tire and tube looked fine - in fact, I'm still using the tube, countless tire changes later. As a member of the "sliding down th runway on the wheel pant, leaving shards of glass behind" club, I don't think you can raise them enough to avoid damage.

I am also religious about metal tire valve caps with gaskets - I take the nose of the pant off to check tires, and with Air Stop tubes, only have to do that once or twice a year, but it is the best way I have found to make sure the caps are tight.

I guess that I have always figured that the goal is to keep the tire from going flat - as Terry said, a flat tire can really ruin your day if you get surprised, or the runway is narrow. Fixing the wheel pant is a frustrating exercise reminding me to make sure I don't blow the tire in the first place.

Paul
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  #10  
Old 01-10-2010, 09:52 AM
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ronschreck ronschreck is offline
 
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Default Update

I may have found the cause of the flat. A tiny metal chip was found inside the tire. It was not imbeded in the rubber, just sitting there lose. The tube had a small pinhole that could have been caused by that metal chip. Who knows? The first flat was caused by a defective valve. I always try to let the plane sit overnight after changeing tires or repairing a flat. That's good practice but wasn't going to help in the two incidences I have experienced. I'm willing to accept that an occasional flat is unavoidable and would just like to know if there is a way to protect the wheel pant when it happens.

FWIW: I use Michelin AirStop tubes and Goodyear Flight Special II tires. I don't scrimp on the rubber.

(Many thanks to Tad and Terry Sargent for helping me get the plane into their hangar and taking me home to make the repair. You're the best!)
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