Tire inflation pressures for nosedraggers

[avi8tor50]

Hi all-
I know this has been discussed in the past but was looking for some current info. Was wondering what inflation pressures folks were using for the nose and mains for nosedraggers, especially 9A.
Also, has anyone found a better quality replacement tire/tube for the nose?

Peter K
9A in the paintshop!

[vic syracuse]

I've been using 50 psi for the mains and nose on my RV-7 for over 200 hours now. Works great. No shimmy, and it's easy to push around by hand. I did balance all wheels with a motorcycle wheel balancer.

Vic

[zilik]

42 The answer to everything, and what I carry in my mains and nose.

[plehrke]

I use 35 all the way around. no issues.

[Geico266]

25 PSI all around on the -12 seems to work so far.

[AlexPeterson]

There is strong evidence that lower nose wheel pressures lead to "cracks" in the sidewall of the tube (see previous threads). I keep a minimum of 35, starting with 45 in mine. A good rule of thumb for preflight checks is that when the corner of the nose tire's tread just makes contact, the tire needs air. This will differ with different nose weights, but give it a try to see where that point is on your own plane.

I think it is better to chase shimmy with break out torque than with lower air pressure.

[LarryT]

That is for rated load = 1250 lbs.

While it is true that inflation pressure can be reduced for lower loads, there is a risk of excessive sidewall deflection at low inflation pressure. As the tire rolls this creates a lot of heat in the sidewalls. Heat and UV are enemies of rubber compounds. An archive search might yield information that I have shared in the past.

Here is another way to look at it. The tires on your car typically have a rated inflation pressure of 35 psi and one typically operates one's car well below the gross axle weight rating that the tires have to be sized for. How long do you think they would last if they were routinely inflated to only 17 psi?

The saving grace here is that our aircraft tires don't get "driven" very far. How many miles do you travel on the ground to make 300 - 500 landings? On the other hand, nylon bias ply tires are sure going to "flat spot" at low inflation pressures while the plane is in the hangar, which makes it difficult to pull the plane out of the hangar and will certainly give one a "hoppy" taxi out to the runway. Perhaps in this case one actually wants a lengthy taxi so the tires are actually round before the take-off roll!

Larry

[db1yg]

I have tried a number of combinations and have also settled on 40 in the mains and 40-45 in the nose. I use the Goodyear FC III tires and airstop tubes in the mains. I also wish there was a better quality option for the nose gear tire--haven't found one yet!!

Cheers,

db

[flyboy1963]

I try to keep the mains at 35-40 and the nose at no less than 30, cold.
no shimmy problem, just want to have proper contact, and not end up on my nose if the worst happens.!

[Steve]

I put 35 psi in my 9A front tire.