Tire Wear

[sierrasplitter]

I bought these Goodyear Aircraft Rib 8.5x6 tires used. I have had them on a year now and I just wanted to ask how much more use I have left in them . Not bad wear but a couple of spots where its thinner. new to planes I have no Idea what life is left

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Thanks

[Steve Pierce]

I run them till cords start to show. Look at how many plys they are, probably 4 or 6 sets of cords.

[Stephen]

Rotate them and go until your first cord shows or send them in for recaps now.

[dgapilot]

You can go to the Goodyear site and get their book on tire maintenance. Basic rule of thumb for light aircraft tires - as long as no chord shows, they are airworthy. Once chord shows, they are no longer eligible to be recapped. Recapped tires last about twice what new ones do and generally cost less than new. Desser and Wilkerson do recaps, there may be others, but I’ve used both of these vendors with good results.


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[thebeerdedpilot]

This my be a dumb question, but I've rented airplanes from flight schools that had an in house maintenance staff and never really came across tires that were worn, cracked, etc. What do you all think about my tire? There is a slice on the sidewall, but there doesn't appear to be any of the casing showing. Is this still usable or would you replace it?

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[walt.buskey]

Wow, I'd definitely keep an eye on that. If you enlarge the pic, you can see what looks like several same-shape scratches emanating from the deep one you've circled, and in a line toward 2 o'clock... looks like that tire was definitely pushed up against something (repeatedly), and that cut looks to be fairly deep. Or maybe...was that tire ever left to go completely flat while the plane was parked?

It also appears that there's already a slight bulge/bubble in the rubber at that "cut" -- or maybe it's just the camera?

No, I'm not an A&P, but I've spent a lot of time with tires.

A flat on landing could definitely ruin your day!

PS: NOT a dumb question.

[thebeerdedpilot]

Wow, I'd definitely keep an eye on that. If you enlarge the pic, you can see what looks like several same-shape scratches emanating from the deep one you've circled, and in a line toward 2 o'clock... looks like that tire was definitely pushed up against something (repeatedly), and that cut looks to be fairly deep. Was that tire ever left to go completely flat while the plane was parked?

A flat on landing could definitely ruin your day!

PS: NOT a dumb question.

I'm not sure, I just bought the bird a few months ago. Had to repair one of the wheel pants and noticed it after removing it. I bought a new tire and tube anyway, but wanted to get some thoughts from the pros here. Thanks for your input!!!

[Subsonic]

Replace it! Ask yourself what a ground loop costs to fix.

[Steve Pierce]

The structural part of the tire is the casing/cords. Can you see them through the cut? Is it bulging?

[thebeerdedpilot]

The structural part of the tire is the casing/cords. Can you see them through the cut? Is it bulging?

I'd have to double check when I go out there, but I don't recall seeing the casing/cords at all through the cut.