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Thread: "Tundra Tires"?

  1. #101
    Senior Member jiott's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Tundra Tires"?

    Here's some other ideas: the source of the problem is the tire bead slipping on the rim. Most off road motorcycles have rim locks to prevent this very thing; as Josh said, and old motorcycle trick (before rim locks were standard equipment) was to use short screws thru the rim and into the tire bead. This probably could be done on an aircraft wheel if you don't mind drilling your wheel rims. But I also noticed on my Honda XR500 dirt bike that the inside of the rim where it contacts the tire bead was somewhat serrated to provide a rough surface to prevent slipping under torque. Maybe this could be done to an aircraft rim with a Dremel or something.

    On second thought John, I don't think your idea of eliminating the talc would help much, since it would only ensure the tube moves with the tire, which is NOT what you want. You want the tube with its valve stem to stay put exactly where the valve stem hole is in the rim. The only way to do this is to prevent the tire from slipping on the rim. I doubt very much that the small valve stem has enough strength without tearing the rubber to hold itself in place if the tire slips, even if you put massive amounts of talc inside as Josh was wondering.

    Bottom line for me would be: no talc or rubber lube on the bead/rim area, roughen up the rim bead area on the wheel, and be reasonable in lowering the inflation pressure too much. As part of my preflight, I always look at the tire valve stems to see if they are starting to tip sideways.
    Jim Ott
    Portland, OR
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  2. #102
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    Default Re: "Tundra Tires"?

    I recently switched to the Desser 850 Tundras and I am very happy with them. I too was worried about the $ 90 tube valve stem shearing , so I started out with 18 PSI in them but have since come down to 14 PSI and will probably stay there. I also marked the stem location on the tire and rim and make it part of every preflight to check for any slippage. So far no slippage is evident. These tires handle well on grass or blacktop and I have noticed quite a difference from my old treaded 8.00's. Plus they look cool-apparently size does matter! Bruce N199CL

  3. #103
    Senior Member jrevens's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Tundra Tires"?

    Thanks to all of you guys. I clearly wasn't analyzing the issue very well... think I'll start with 14 or 15 psi, and mark & monitor the tire/rim position. I'm gonna' stay away from adding screws or doing any machining on my magnesium wheels for now!
    John Evens
    Arvada, CO
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  4. #104
    Super Moderator Av8r3400's Avatar
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    Default Re: "Tundra Tires"?

    John, you are on the right track. If the tire (and tube) are properly inflated they will not turn on the rim. This only is possible if they are under inflated.

    If you need your tires so soft that they must be under inflated, I would suggest doing what I did and run them tubeless. I ran mine 8-12 psi for several years this way. This does not allow you to run them at 5 psi, like a bushwheel however. Aircraft wheels do not have a safety bead like an ATV or automotive wheel. THey need some pressure to hold them in place.
    Av8r3400
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  5. #105
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    Default Re: "Tundra Tires"?

    also very important to keep a tire gauge at the hangar and check pressure with temperature changes (especially decreasing temp) Bruce N199CL

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