mstull
R.I.P.
I use lots of Slime in my tires, since we have tons of thorns around west Texas.
One option I have considered... There are all different brands and models of aviation tires, that have different plies, weights and stiffnesses. I chose the cheapest, lightest ones I could find, which seemed like the obvious choice for an U/L. But I talked to an A&P, and found out that some of the heavier, high ply tires are so stiff, you can run them flat and they'll stay "up" on a light plane. It might be possible to intentionally run a very stiff tire with no tube and no pressure at all. The very stiff tires are heavy and expensive, but might not be any heavier or more expensive than a light tire, plus the expensive tube, plus the slime. And you wouldn't ever need to worry about flats or inflation pressure.
Running a tire with no tube/no pressure would be experimental. I have a couple concerns with it. If you park for a long time, the tires might tend to get a flat spot that feels like vibration when you're rolling. The tires may gradually lose their stiffness with age and flexing, creating more rolling resistance and flat-spotting. And the tires would probably have more rolling resistance all the time. It would seem like the lighter the plane, the more likely this idea would work. It would be nice to be able to feel all the different tire brands and models with your hands, to find the stiffest one at some aviation supply store.
Pneumatic tires were a huge breakthrough in rolling efficiency for cars and trucks. The idea is that when the tire first encounters a bump, it compresses and tries to slow the vehicle. But as the tire is rolling off the bump, the air in the tire pushes off the bump regaining that speed/efficiency. Even without a bump, that same process happens continuously, improving rolling efficiency. So using a stiff rubber aircraft tire with no air pressure would lose most of that advantage. I'm not sure how significant it would be in real life, whether it would make for longer take off rolls for example.
Does anyone have experience with this, or know which brand and model is the stiffest.
One option I have considered... There are all different brands and models of aviation tires, that have different plies, weights and stiffnesses. I chose the cheapest, lightest ones I could find, which seemed like the obvious choice for an U/L. But I talked to an A&P, and found out that some of the heavier, high ply tires are so stiff, you can run them flat and they'll stay "up" on a light plane. It might be possible to intentionally run a very stiff tire with no tube and no pressure at all. The very stiff tires are heavy and expensive, but might not be any heavier or more expensive than a light tire, plus the expensive tube, plus the slime. And you wouldn't ever need to worry about flats or inflation pressure.
Running a tire with no tube/no pressure would be experimental. I have a couple concerns with it. If you park for a long time, the tires might tend to get a flat spot that feels like vibration when you're rolling. The tires may gradually lose their stiffness with age and flexing, creating more rolling resistance and flat-spotting. And the tires would probably have more rolling resistance all the time. It would seem like the lighter the plane, the more likely this idea would work. It would be nice to be able to feel all the different tire brands and models with your hands, to find the stiffest one at some aviation supply store.
Pneumatic tires were a huge breakthrough in rolling efficiency for cars and trucks. The idea is that when the tire first encounters a bump, it compresses and tries to slow the vehicle. But as the tire is rolling off the bump, the air in the tire pushes off the bump regaining that speed/efficiency. Even without a bump, that same process happens continuously, improving rolling efficiency. So using a stiff rubber aircraft tire with no air pressure would lose most of that advantage. I'm not sure how significant it would be in real life, whether it would make for longer take off rolls for example.
Does anyone have experience with this, or know which brand and model is the stiffest.
