Wheel Vibration at Low Speed

[istrumit]

There is a speed range, about 22-25 knots, where the main wheel on the copilot side (or, maybe both sides, its hard to tell) vibrates significantly.

I don't like to stay in this speed range during takeoff/landing/taxi because the vibration is quite pronounced.

Outside of that speed range, there is no vibration.

It seems like it must be the tire, but wow, its quite a lot of vibration for a small tire at such low speed.

Perhaps someone in the past used fix-a-flat on it ?

Any theory/input welcome.

Scott

[lr172]

My guess would be wheel balance. Several have posted their experience here and when balanced require a lot of weight, especially the cheap, stock tires. I used Dynabeads on my original tire and left them out when I went to the Wilkerson retreads (they run them through a balancer before shipping. I have no vibrations. I do have the wood dampers, but I suspect my lack of vibration is due to proper wheel balance and not the dampers.

I have some experience with very large tires on a jeep. I couldn't get a good balance on them and they would occassionally develop a very bad shudder at a specific speed (35 MPH) and only at that speed. It required hard braking to stop it.

Larry

[PerfTech]

Originally Posted by istrumit

There is a speed range, about 22-25 knots, where the main wheel on the copilot side (or, maybe both sides, its hard to tell) vibrates significantly.

I don't like to stay in this speed range during takeoff/landing/taxi because the vibration is quite pronounced.

Outside of that speed range, there is no vibration.

It seems like it must be the tire, but wow, its quite a lot of vibration for a small tire at such low speed.

Perhaps someone in the past used fix-a-flat on it ?

Any theory/input welcome.

Scott

....Three Possibilities!
#1 Most likely balance
#2 Tire out of round or flat spotted
#3 Glazed spot on brake rotor. This shake usually starts on roll out as brakes are applied.

....We can help you with any or all of these, just let me know.
Thanks, Allan...

[GalinHdz]

How about a small, but noticeable nose wheel "shimmy" just after rotation that dissapears within a few seconds. Absolutely no shimmy on landing.

[jrs14855]

I am fighting a left wheel only, very ittermittent, at times very severe vibration on my Wittman Tailwind. Balancing helped but didn't cure it. The top of the line Goodyear tire is badly out of round. I am going to try Michelin on the left side and later Lamb. Might try counterbalancing the wheel pant. After that I am out of ideas.

[jrs14855]

My problem had only been on landing and taxi until the last flight when it vibrated badly on takeoff for just a second or two. The airplane is now grounded to fix another issue. 75 hours plus of experiencing the vibration perhaps one out of 20 takeoffs and landings. The standard Tailwind gear is 3/4" at the ankle vs 7/8" on most RV's. My gear is 13/16". Most RV's gears are also longer which makes the vibration more likely to occur. I have the Michelin tubes in the Goodyear tires, the left was badly out of balance. Balancing helped but did not eliminate the problem. This is a very old issue with the Wittman round gear. The stiffner's and balancing usually cures it but not in my case.

[istrumit]

Can you take a airplane wheel to an automotive balance shop ?

If not, then where ?

[jrs14855]

Make an arbor that fits the wheel bearings along with some collars to keep the bearings snug but not tight. Static balance the assembly by trial and error using 1/4 oz stick on motorcycle balance weights. You can also spin the wheel with a rubber backup sanding disc on drill motor. Again trial and error. Chalk to mark the tire on the bottom for static balance.
On the Baron the best Goodyear tire eliminated a horrible vibration in the nose wheel. No such luck on my airplane.
I was told by the motorcycle shop that the Harbor Freight balancers are a waste of money.

[Lenny Iszak]

Scott,

Get a good quality motorcycle wheel balancer.

Here's a good one: http://www.marcparnes.com/Ducati_Mot...ancer.htm#DU42

The DU42 fits the RV-10 wheel.

Don't forget to check the breakout force on the nosewheel.

Lenny

[lr172]

Originally Posted by istrumit

Can you take a airplane wheel to an automotive balance shop ?

If not, then where ?

I have not yet balanced my tires on my 6A, however, I have read posts from others that took their wheels to a motorcycle shop for balancing. I personally like dynabeads. When I put new tires and tubes on my motorcycle, I forewent the balancing and used dynabeads. They work very well and are very popular with the motorcycle crowd. Others on this board seem to think their bad and will rip your tires up. As I mentioned, I used them on my mains for 90 hours (original tires) and they are still in my nosewheel at 150 hours.

Larry