czechsix
Well Known Member
After flying and maintaining my RV-8A for almost a decade I have developed a great appreciation for anything that increases reliability and reduces time spent on maintenance tasks. To that end when I decided to build an RV-14A I started thinking about improvements that could be made during the construction process that will make my life easier once the airplane is flying. Wheels and brakes are one of the most time consuming repetitive maintenance headaches (second only to oil changes), and a flat tire away from home is a major inconvenience at best. So I spent some time researching Beringer’s wheel and brake products. Beringer has been around for over 30 years, getting their start in the motorcycle industry and began making aircraft wheels and brakes in 2002. They have developed a number of improvements and benefits compared to the traditional designs (Cleveland, Matco, and Grove) that Vans supplies with the stock kit. Here’s a list I compiled:
Up until now Beringer has already offered wheel & brake kits for most of the RV series, but did not yet have a kit specifically for the -14A. I worked with Vans and Beringer to figure out all the parts that are needed (as well as which parts to omit from the Fuselage and Finish kit orders so you don’t take delivery of the Matco and Grove components that you won’t be using). The Beringer RV-14A kits are now available and I received mine this past week. Here’s a picture of what it looked like out of the box:
Parts shown above comprise the Fuselage kit with pilot & copilot master cylinders (p/n SRVFU05), Finishing kit with main gear wheels & brake calipers (SRVFI04), Nosewheel kit (SRVFI01), and metric tool kit which consists of a few metric hex bits (OHT02). There are several notable differences compared to the kits for the rest of the 2-seat RV series, including:
Beringer also offers some options that I did not purchase, including:
If you order any of the above options there will be different/additional fittings needed to connect them. Also, if you have an RV-14 (taildragger) and want to use Beringer products, you’ll need to work with Beringer to get the correct parts. Most of the parts will be the same (excepting the nosewheel of course) but the brake line lengths may be different and the firewall pass-through fittings will also be different.
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• Tubeless tires – getting rid of the inner tube eliminates the most common source of leaks and flat tires. There’s a reason cars, motorcycles, and large aircraft quit using inner tubes decades ago. I had a flat caused by a tube failure in my -8A and of course it happened away from home and was a major pain to deal with.
• Sealed wheel bearings – eliminates the messy task of cleaning and regreasing the bearings.
• Lighter Weight – it’s difficult to get an exact weight comparison for the entire Beringer system vs the stock Matco & Grove components (including all fittings, brake lines, etc) but I estimate 6-10 lb weight savings based on the published data I could find. It’s evident when holding and inspecting the Beringer parts that each component has been designed to eliminate as much weight as possible.
• Better quality brake pads and better braking power than the stock brakes from Vans – this should translate into longer brake pad life. As an interesting side note, when I spoke with Grove they told me they recommended a more powerful brake set than what Vans decided to include in the kit. I expect the stock brake setup on the -14A is adequate most of the time, but I once experienced significantly reduced braking performance in my -8A when they got really hot after multiple Young Eagle flights, so there are times when the stock brake performance may be marginal.
• Better master cylinder design – there have been issues with the Matco & Cleveland master cylinders in RVs because a side load is applied when the brake pedals are pressed. The Beringer master cylinders use rod end bearings on both ends which eliminates any binding/side load. As an added bonus the rod ends allows the brake pedal geometry to be adjusted according to individual preference.
• Anodized aluminum parts not only look nicer but are more corrosion resistant than the magnesium parts in the stock kit from Vans.
• Stainless steel braided brake hose comes standard in the Beringer kits
• Tapered axle makes removal and installation of the wheel much easier…no more banging on the wheel while the airplane is up on jacks, hoping it doesn’t fall off...
• Cotter pin is outside of the axle nut on the Beringer design, making it much easier to remove and reinstall. No need to align the nut just perfectly while trying to get the cotter pin back in.
• Axle and roller bearing design allows the axle nut to be tightened without putting excessive preload on the bearings. This is especially relevant in the nosewheel where Beringer includes an axle spacer that resolves the well-documented drawbacks of Vans’ stock setup.
• You can put the nosewheel valve cap on without interfering with the nosewheel fork.
• The Beringer main wheels can be removed without unbolting & separating the brake caliper assembly, making tire changes easier.
• The Michelin Aviator tires come already mounted and inflated, and the tires are better quality (should wear better and last longer) than the stock tires from Vans.
• Sealed wheel bearings – eliminates the messy task of cleaning and regreasing the bearings.
• Lighter Weight – it’s difficult to get an exact weight comparison for the entire Beringer system vs the stock Matco & Grove components (including all fittings, brake lines, etc) but I estimate 6-10 lb weight savings based on the published data I could find. It’s evident when holding and inspecting the Beringer parts that each component has been designed to eliminate as much weight as possible.
• Better quality brake pads and better braking power than the stock brakes from Vans – this should translate into longer brake pad life. As an interesting side note, when I spoke with Grove they told me they recommended a more powerful brake set than what Vans decided to include in the kit. I expect the stock brake setup on the -14A is adequate most of the time, but I once experienced significantly reduced braking performance in my -8A when they got really hot after multiple Young Eagle flights, so there are times when the stock brake performance may be marginal.
• Better master cylinder design – there have been issues with the Matco & Cleveland master cylinders in RVs because a side load is applied when the brake pedals are pressed. The Beringer master cylinders use rod end bearings on both ends which eliminates any binding/side load. As an added bonus the rod ends allows the brake pedal geometry to be adjusted according to individual preference.
• Anodized aluminum parts not only look nicer but are more corrosion resistant than the magnesium parts in the stock kit from Vans.
• Stainless steel braided brake hose comes standard in the Beringer kits
• Tapered axle makes removal and installation of the wheel much easier…no more banging on the wheel while the airplane is up on jacks, hoping it doesn’t fall off...
• Cotter pin is outside of the axle nut on the Beringer design, making it much easier to remove and reinstall. No need to align the nut just perfectly while trying to get the cotter pin back in.
• Axle and roller bearing design allows the axle nut to be tightened without putting excessive preload on the bearings. This is especially relevant in the nosewheel where Beringer includes an axle spacer that resolves the well-documented drawbacks of Vans’ stock setup.
• You can put the nosewheel valve cap on without interfering with the nosewheel fork.
• The Beringer main wheels can be removed without unbolting & separating the brake caliper assembly, making tire changes easier.
• The Michelin Aviator tires come already mounted and inflated, and the tires are better quality (should wear better and last longer) than the stock tires from Vans.
Up until now Beringer has already offered wheel & brake kits for most of the RV series, but did not yet have a kit specifically for the -14A. I worked with Vans and Beringer to figure out all the parts that are needed (as well as which parts to omit from the Fuselage and Finish kit orders so you don’t take delivery of the Matco and Grove components that you won’t be using). The Beringer RV-14A kits are now available and I received mine this past week. Here’s a picture of what it looked like out of the box:
Parts shown above comprise the Fuselage kit with pilot & copilot master cylinders (p/n SRVFU05), Finishing kit with main gear wheels & brake calipers (SRVFI04), Nosewheel kit (SRVFI01), and metric tool kit which consists of a few metric hex bits (OHT02). There are several notable differences compared to the kits for the rest of the 2-seat RV series, including:
• A new tapered axle specific to the -14A that includes the extension to support the outboard wheel pant bracket. Beringer used Vans’ 3D drawings of the stock axle so the new one should be a perfect bolt-on replacement. Note that there is a Beringer wheel available that will fit the stock Vans axle, but it is heavier and more expensive. Using the new Beringer tapered axle saves weight, allows a less expensive wheel to be used, and has maintenance benefits as I mentioned above.
• Some different AN fittings due to the different brake line fuselage pass-through design of the -14A.
• The lower fittings on the master cylinders use banjo fittings with a 20 deg sideways bend to provide better routing of the brake hoses (see picture below).
• The nosewheel kit is identical to that of the RV-10 that Vans carries (p/n U-00012 in Vans catalog).
• Some different AN fittings due to the different brake line fuselage pass-through design of the -14A.
• The lower fittings on the master cylinders use banjo fittings with a 20 deg sideways bend to provide better routing of the brake hoses (see picture below).
• The nosewheel kit is identical to that of the RV-10 that Vans carries (p/n U-00012 in Vans catalog).
Beringer also offers some options that I did not purchase, including:
• Parking brake (never needed one on my RV-8A)
• ALIR anti-skid system
• Brake reservoirs that can be mounted directly on the master cylinders (I much prefer to use Vans reservoir on the firewall as it’s easier to inspect and refill, not to mention less expensive)
• ALIR anti-skid system
• Brake reservoirs that can be mounted directly on the master cylinders (I much prefer to use Vans reservoir on the firewall as it’s easier to inspect and refill, not to mention less expensive)
If you order any of the above options there will be different/additional fittings needed to connect them. Also, if you have an RV-14 (taildragger) and want to use Beringer products, you’ll need to work with Beringer to get the correct parts. Most of the parts will be the same (excepting the nosewheel of course) but the brake line lengths may be different and the firewall pass-through fittings will also be different.
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