Jetguy
Well Known Member
I recently put on my third set of main tires at 632 hrs. I thought I would
try something new and changed from the Desser Aero Classic All Weather tire to the Desser Elite retreads. I do a lot of transition training and probably go through tires more than the average Joe! My first set of tires which came with the kit lasted 308 hrs. The second set lasted 324 hrs. On both sets of tires around 170 hours into each cycle I flipped them on their rims to have even wear on them. Also because I practice the technique of Softfield Takeoff and Landings I still have the orginal Nose wheel tire on the plane. Here are a few observations I made while mounting the new tires. Vans actually has the best price on their web store for the Aero Classic tire. Being a first time builder and not wanting to mess with a good design I stayed with the exact same tires for the second set of tires. On my third set of tires I decided it was time for a change and selected Desser Elite Retreads. The Elite tire, as a result of having more tread is definitely taller or bigger in diameter by approximately 1/2 to 3/4 inch. However it is about the same width as the Aero Classic. So you will have to trim the front and back of your wheel pans. I recommend at least 1/2 inch clearance front and 1/2 clearance in the back as seen in the pic below. The Elite should last a lot longer than the Aero Classic, I wouldn't be surprised if they lasted 100 hours longer than the Aero Classics. Your mileage may very! It cost about $20 more for the Elite. You can run up to 50PSI per there web site, but above the chart on this page http://www.desser.com/pressurechart.php there is a disclaimer that says, "Always consult with your owners manual for factory recommended pressures"! At this web site under the FAQs under the title, "What Tire Pressure Do You Recommend" they go into a little more detail about tire pressures for Vans Aircraft and in the end the POH pressure will be the best. http://www.vansaircrafttires.com/pages/Articles%7B47%7DFAQ.html At the higher PSI the tire becomes very hard. I would think that on a hard landing it would send quite a shock wave up your struts into your airframe. I will be running about 25 psi per tire to soften them up a bit until I get some experience with them. Weight, the retreads are only about a pound heavier than the Aero Classic. Balancing, one tire required 3/4 ounce and the other only 1/4 ounce to balance them on the Harbor Freight Aircraft balancer. Not bad! Since we don't change tires very often you can review the procedure on EAA video link below.
http://eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=1967222618001
Here are a few pics of the tires and process and more pics in the next post!
Worn out tire, 324 hrs!
What a New Aero Classic All Weather looks Like!
What a New Desser Elite Retread Looks Like!
try something new and changed from the Desser Aero Classic All Weather tire to the Desser Elite retreads. I do a lot of transition training and probably go through tires more than the average Joe! My first set of tires which came with the kit lasted 308 hrs. The second set lasted 324 hrs. On both sets of tires around 170 hours into each cycle I flipped them on their rims to have even wear on them. Also because I practice the technique of Softfield Takeoff and Landings I still have the orginal Nose wheel tire on the plane. Here are a few observations I made while mounting the new tires. Vans actually has the best price on their web store for the Aero Classic tire. Being a first time builder and not wanting to mess with a good design I stayed with the exact same tires for the second set of tires. On my third set of tires I decided it was time for a change and selected Desser Elite Retreads. The Elite tire, as a result of having more tread is definitely taller or bigger in diameter by approximately 1/2 to 3/4 inch. However it is about the same width as the Aero Classic. So you will have to trim the front and back of your wheel pans. I recommend at least 1/2 inch clearance front and 1/2 clearance in the back as seen in the pic below. The Elite should last a lot longer than the Aero Classic, I wouldn't be surprised if they lasted 100 hours longer than the Aero Classics. Your mileage may very! It cost about $20 more for the Elite. You can run up to 50PSI per there web site, but above the chart on this page http://www.desser.com/pressurechart.php there is a disclaimer that says, "Always consult with your owners manual for factory recommended pressures"! At this web site under the FAQs under the title, "What Tire Pressure Do You Recommend" they go into a little more detail about tire pressures for Vans Aircraft and in the end the POH pressure will be the best. http://www.vansaircrafttires.com/pages/Articles%7B47%7DFAQ.html At the higher PSI the tire becomes very hard. I would think that on a hard landing it would send quite a shock wave up your struts into your airframe. I will be running about 25 psi per tire to soften them up a bit until I get some experience with them. Weight, the retreads are only about a pound heavier than the Aero Classic. Balancing, one tire required 3/4 ounce and the other only 1/4 ounce to balance them on the Harbor Freight Aircraft balancer. Not bad! Since we don't change tires very often you can review the procedure on EAA video link below.
http://eaavideo.org/video.aspx?v=1967222618001
Here are a few pics of the tires and process and more pics in the next post!
Worn out tire, 324 hrs!
What a New Aero Classic All Weather looks Like!
What a New Desser Elite Retread Looks Like!