which tire?

[hangarb7]

Greetings, I have 20 year old tires and the mechanic wants me to put new ones on, although they look OK to me with no cracks or anything.

So these are McCreary 600X6 8-ply.

Do I need 8 plys? I see there are 4 ply and 6 ply. I see one tire for $70 (Air Trac) and another with comparable description for $129 each (Goodyear). So I am betting the Goodyear is USA made....

Can anyone give some opinion?

I will probably not keep the airplane longer than another two years at most.

Thanks,

JackD
N44057
'46 BC12-D

[3Dreaming]

Re: which tire?

8 ply is to much. I would use 4 ply if were me. I like Condor for a balance between cost and quality. If you are worried about weight I think the Air Trac will be the lightest. Unless you are doing lots of take offs and landings most of the tires will need to be replace due to age instead of wear.

Something else to consider is that only 2 ply and 4 ply are approved for the airplane, and I don't think you can find 2 ply any more.

[Robert Lees]

Re: which tire?

I agree with 3Dreaming.

Personally I use Condor because of the relative cheapness of them against other makes, but I do a lot of touch-and-goes on hard surface. My tyres last about 4-6 years for the left and 6-8 years for the right. But the aeroplane does about 60 hours per annum, mostly with me hammering circuits.

Further, if your mechanic suggests replacing them after 20 years, I'd agree with him, whatever the visual condition!

Rob

[Robert Lees]

Re: which tire?

Oh, I forgot.

The 800-6 8ply is the same as the nosewheel on a Cessna210 (I used their cast-offs for a while). The point being that the load on a C210 nose is a LOT more than a Taylorcraft mainwheel, so no need for 8-ply.

Rob

[Bird]

Re: which tire?

They have them for sale on Ebay.
Bird

[hangarb7]

Re: which tire?

Is there an Ebay store where you buy them? I tried multiple searches using different words but all I can find is a single used Condor tire for sale.

Aircraft Spruce, Desser and Chief aircraft have them but just about the same price as the Goodyears at Wag Aero.

Thanks,

JackD

[Edwin Otha]

Re: which tire?

I use Desser Tires "Monster" retreads. About 30% more tread and wear like a hogs nose. They also have Aero Trainer tires that are a good value. Sometime they offer free tubes wit the tire purchase.
EO

[fearofpavement]

Re: which tire?

We've typically utilized "take offs" of 6 or 8 ply tires that have come off a heavier aircraft due to tread wear. The tcraft is a very light aircraft with a pretty forgiving gear and just doesn't wear tires much. (especially if not using pavement regularly) And furthermore, the brakes aren't good enough to skid flat spots on the tires which causes the death of a lot of tires. The "ply rating" is an oft understood thing and many "8 ply rated" tires are actually 4 ply so if you were trying to stick to the letter of the law, you would be fine.

[astjp2]

Re: which tire?

Desser 4 ply tires are all you need....and meet the TCDS..oh wait you have 800.6, then its what ever is listed on your 337.