I got almost 600 hrs out of the original AirHawks that came with the kit. While I had the airplane based out of a grass strip for about 3 yrs, most of my landings including touch and goes were on pavement. I was adamant about tire pressure, rotating, and flipping the tires. I now have about a hundred hours on GY Flight Special II tires. They seem like very good tires. I haven't noticed any appreciable wear, but it's too early to tell. What I have noticed is that the rubber compound seems very different and the tires seem very grabby which would normally be a great thing for braking and wet runways. However for a taildragger, I welcomed a bit of the skidding the AirHawks provided. If I land just slightly crabbed, I can tell the difference between the tires with the AirHawks providing a smoother correction. I don't land on wet runways very often and I don't need heavy braking, so I may return to the Airhawks after these wear out in about 600 hours!
Jerry Esquenazi
RV-8 N84JE 710 hours 5 1/2 yrs flying