What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Beringer RV-7A nose wheel reviews

alcladrv

Well Known Member
I'm asking for reviews of the Beringer RV-7A nose wheel that you installed the past 3 or 4 years. Quality? Value? Performance? Would you install it again? What nose wheel did you replace?
 
Last edited:
I'm using the standard Vans nose wheel with the Matco axle (but not flying yet). This axle allows taper roller bearing adjustment independent of the tightness of the mounting thru bolt. The Beringer wheels are beautifully made, but when I compared the weight of the nose wheel, tire and tube with the standard Vans nose wheel, there was not enough difference (ounces if I remember correctly) to justify the additional cost. The ability to mount the tire as tubeless may be a worthwhile advantage.
 
send your tires and rims to Anti Splat Aero and have them do the bearing mod, no more tapered bearings to pack and grease each year and it makes a big difference on the nose gear tire, I believe they have a good video of the advantages on their website.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I 'm hoping that anyone who is specifically using the Beringer RV-7A nose wheel would respond. The other various nose wheel options have been discussed many times. Thanks.
 
Been flying with mine now for around 7-8 years I guess, have installed many on customers aircraft. They are super high quality and with the tubeless tire design it makes it a no brainer for me.
I have a couple of "modified" wheels laying around that I've removed, not a fan.
 
Walt,

I thought I saw a post from you about installing the Beringer nose wheel, but I couldn't find while searching. The ACS site has 2 kits listed for the 11x4.00-5" wheel and the SRV02A says it's for the Vans 2 seat A models. The descriptions are somewhat lacking. Do you know the difference between the kits? The description doesn't mention wheel bearings. Are wheel bearings included with the kit? Does the tubeless tire have less air leakage over time than the tube in the oem tire? As an 8 ply tubeless tire, are the sidewalls more resistant to flexing that might reduce wheel fairing clearance over bumps?

Thanks, Mike
 
Last edited:
Been flying with mine now for around 7-8 years I guess, have installed many on customers aircraft. They are super high quality and with the tubeless tire design it makes it a no brainer for me.

Hi Walt, what is the advantage to a tubeless tire over a tube type? Are they easier to repair if you have a flat?

-Marc
 
Walt,

I thought I saw a post from you about installing the Beringer nose wheel, but I couldn't find while searching. The ACS site has 2 kits listed for the 11x4.00-5" wheel and the SRV02A says it's for the Vans 2 seat A models. The descriptions are somewhat lacking. Do you know the difference between the kits? The description doesn't mention wheel bearings. Are wheel bearings included with the kit? Does the tubeless tire have less air leakage over time than the tube in the oem tire? As an 8 ply tubeless tire, are the sidewalls more resistant to flexing that might reduce wheel fairing clearance over bumps?

Thanks, Mike

The SRV02A kit includes everything you need (wheel/tire/bearing/axle), bolt on replacement.
The tubes for the 11.00 tires are ****, but you still have to add air occasionally like any tire.


Hi Walt, what is the advantage to a tubeless tire over a tube type? Are they easier to repair if you have a flat?

-Marc

Every flat I've ever fixed is due to low tire pressure causing the tube to fail, eliminating the tube helps eliminates 99% of flats.
 
Been running a Beringer nose wheel since 2014 on a range of runway surfaces including travels through outback Australia. Very happy with it and I like being tubeless. If Beringer made an equivalent bolt on replacement for the mains I wouldn’t hesitate to buy them.
 
Every flat I've ever fixed is due to low tire pressure causing the tube to fail, eliminating the tube helps eliminates 99% of flats.
I think that is a powerful statement. I am going to buy the Beringer nosewheel before I fly. I have a Grove now but I don't like or trust the tubes, at all.
 
I think that is a powerful statement. I am going to buy the Beringer nosewheel before I fly. I have a Grove now but I don't like or trust the tubes, at all.

With over 2000 hours and decades of flying I've had 2 flat tires. The first was in a C-172 rental that had flat spot in the tire from (presumably) a flight-school pilot who skidded the tire. The second was my RV-10 nose gear which went flat after a sharp turn. I believe it was low at the time. I still trust tubes but I take much better care of them now.

-Marc
 
Nice, Lightweight, Sailplane wheel...but...

I'm asking for reviews of the Beringer RV-7A nose wheel that you installed the past 3 or 4 years. Quality? Value? Performance? Would you install it again? What nose wheel did you replace?

I put 600 hours on my Beringer nosewheel and had no issues. Very lightweight, high-quality, and it has a sealed bearing. No issues at all. Torqueing is not an issue, unlike Van's standard nosewheels.

Changing a tire on the Beringer wheel looks to be a hassle, and special tools are required.
See: https://www.beringer-aero.pl/wp-con...-and-brakes-maintenance-manual-2014-02-26.pdf
That makes a field repair/replacement hard to do. Fortunately, I changed to a Grove sealed bearing wheel before a tire change was necessary. Plus, the red wheel clashed with my new paint job.

Note: If anyone wants to buy my Beringer nosewheel (with a worn tire), I'll make you a heck of a good deal.
 
Changing a tire on the Beringer wheel looks to be a hassle, and special tools are required. .

It’s true the manual does make the tyre change procedure look like a hassle because special tools and a replacement seal kit are recommended.

However I’ve managed to change the tyre on the Beringer wheel twice without special tools - just a 5mm Allen key. A go kart style of bead breaker would help, but I got by without it.

Reassembly does require some care to get the three pieces of the wheel correctly aligned, but I think the design may have been improved in this area.

Some soapy water on the beads and loctite 242 on the bolts should be used for reassembly and although I have the replacement seal kit on hand, it hasn’t been needed as the tyre still holds air pressure after reusing the seals.

I think a field repair on this wheel would be quite a bit easier than the other brands.
 
Last edited:
I've changed the tire a few times on mine and customers and have never used the tool even though I have one. The newer wheels are 2 piece instead of 3 piece, the 3 piece were a little more challenging but the 2 piece is a piece of cake to change with no special tools other than a metric allen wrench. I do like to use new O rings when changing the tire but in the field you could reuse the old ones if needed.
 
I had my first pinch flat yesterday on my 6A and I think I'm going to go with the Beringer nose wheel now as well. The tube vs tubeless debate on cost and ease of repair is the same here as what it is in the cycling world. I went tubeless on my road and mountain bike a long time ago and have never looked back. It's definitely a bit pricey but well worth the money in my opinion.
 
Delivery expected today on the Beringer nosewheel. After a few shimmies and lots of shakes, going with Beringer to minimize shimmy. Anyone have torque specs on the axle bolt?

RV6-A bought flying 6/21
 
Delivery expected today on the Beringer nosewheel. After a few shimmies and lots of shakes, going with Beringer to minimize shimmy. Anyone have torque specs on the axle bolt?

RV6-A bought flying 6/21

Std torgue for a 3/8 AN bolt with fine threads is 160-190" lbs
 
Back
Top