Tire Mounting
Tire Mounting
The valve stem should be aligned with the red dot or triangle on the tire, which indicates the circumferential location of the light spot on the tire.
Goodyear tubes are marked with a yellow stripe to indicate the heavy spot; if there is no yellow spot, then the valve is considered the heavy spot.
Tire Inflation
Due to the properties of the materials from which they are constructed, aircraft tires will expand for up to 12 hours after initial inflation. As the volume of the tire increase, the effective pressure will decrease.
Therefore the inflation pressure of newly mounted tires should be checked after a minimum of 12 hours and re-inflated to the required pressure. Consequently, tires should not be placed in service until they have been inflated a minimum of 12 hours, pressure rechecked, and tires re-inflated if necessary. Within the next 24 hours, if the pressure decreases more than five percent, it could be caused by trapped air between the tire and tube, valve-core leakage, or a damaged tube.
It's really important to maintain proper inflation, as this affects the tire life (from wear and heat) as well as performance, from hydroplaning to wheel shimmy. (Of course improper maintenance and wear can also cause similar performance problems.)
