Tire opinions?

[[email protected]]

Hey, all... as usual, I figured I'd try to get some opinions on
a new purchase for the Cherokee. Mains are worn out, and I am leaning
towards some McCreary AirHawks. Any thoughts? The plane sits outside,
but has been getting lots of flying in of late. I find it hard to believe
that a tire that costs 2x as much will actually last 2x as long. Any
knowledge here?

Thanks,
-Cory

--
************************************************** ***********************
* The prime directive of Linux: *
* - learn what you don't know, *
* - teach what you do. *
* (Just my 20 USm$) *
************************************************** ***********************

[G.R. Patterson III]

wrote:
>
> Hey, all... as usual, I figured I'd try to get some opinions on
> a new purchase for the Cherokee. Mains are worn out, and I am leaning
> towards some McCreary AirHawks. Any thoughts?

My plane came with McCrearys. They lasted over five years. I still had tread
left when I replaced them, but I had cracks between the treads going down to
the belts. I replaced them with Condors. Three years later, they still look
nearly new. At three years old, I had to reverse the McCrearys to equalize
tread wear, but they probably had more hours on them than the Condors do now.
For me, the Condors were worth the extra money. I think they look prettier, too.

George Patterson
God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the
good fortune to run into the ones I like, and the eyesight to tell the
difference.

[Jay Honeck]

We've been very happy with re-treaded tires on our Cherokee Pathfinder. They
appear to have a lot more rubber on them than new tires, and my A&P swears
by them...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

> wrote in message
...
> Hey, all... as usual, I figured I'd try to get some opinions on
> a new purchase for the Cherokee. Mains are worn out, and I am leaning
> towards some McCreary AirHawks. Any thoughts? The plane sits outside,
> but has been getting lots of flying in of late. I find it hard to believe
> that a tire that costs 2x as much will actually last 2x as long. Any
> knowledge here?
>
> Thanks,
> -Cory
>
> --
> ************************************************** ***********************
> * The prime directive of Linux: *
> * - learn what you don't know, *
> * - teach what you do. *
> * (Just my 20 USm$) *
> ************************************************** ***********************
>

[John Galban]

wrote in message >...
> Hey, all... as usual, I figured I'd try to get some opinions on
> a new purchase for the Cherokee. Mains are worn out, and I am leaning
> towards some McCreary AirHawks. Any thoughts? The plane sits outside,
> but has been getting lots of flying in of late. I find it hard to believe
> that a tire that costs 2x as much will actually last 2x as long. Any
> knowledge here?
>
I use Condors exclusively. They're cheaper than average, but they
last a long time. I just replaced my 1st one. Bought it 6 yrs. and
800 hrs ago. It still had some tread on it, but was beginning to get
some sidewall checking. I park outside in Phoenix and that's the 1st
tire I've ever owned that went 6 years. Most of the others lost their
tread or sidewalls after 3 or 4 yrs. in this environment.

John Galban=====>N4BQ (PA28-180)

[JDupre5762]

>We've been very happy with re-treaded tires on our Cherokee Pathfinder. They
>appear to have a lot more rubber on them than new tires, and my A&P swears
>by them...

They don't appear to have more tread, they actually do. There is a requirement
for specific tread depth on a new tire but there is not one for retreads so
retreads can have a thicker tread depth than new and consequently will take
more landings. Probably one of the better values in aviation.

John Dupre'

[Dave Stadt]

"Jay Honeck" > wrote in message
news:X_meb.646405$uu5.104922@sccrnsc04...
> We've been very happy with re-treaded tires on our Cherokee Pathfinder.
They
> appear to have a lot more rubber on them than new tires, and my A&P swears
> by them...
> --
> Jay Honeck
> Iowa City, IA
> Pathfinder N56993
> www.AlexisParkInn.com
> "Your Aviation Destination"

I am definately going with retreads next time around. I talked to the tire
people at OSH and looked at the retreads they had there and the choice
became obvious.

>
> > wrote in message
> ...
> > Hey, all... as usual, I figured I'd try to get some opinions on
> > a new purchase for the Cherokee. Mains are worn out, and I am leaning
> > towards some McCreary AirHawks. Any thoughts? The plane sits outside,
> > but has been getting lots of flying in of late. I find it hard to
believe
> > that a tire that costs 2x as much will actually last 2x as long. Any
> > knowledge here?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > -Cory
> >
> > --
> >
************************************************** ***********************
> > * The prime directive of Linux: *
> > * - learn what you don't know, *
> > * - teach what you do. *
> > * (Just my 20 USm$) *
> >
************************************************** ***********************
> >
>
>

[Neal]

Have a look at the Monster Retreads from Desser
(http://www.desser.com/monster.html)

I put McCreary AirHawks on my Cherokee last year and I'm *very* happy
with them. Lots of folks at my airport swear by Condors too, they just
cost a wee bit more than the AirHawks when I bought tires last year,
so I'm a cheapskate and bought the AirHawks. Our airport owner uses
nothing but Desser's retreads on his C180 and he flies so much that he
actually wears out a set of tires almost every year, so it makes good
financial sense for him.

[Tom S.]

"John Galban" > wrote in message
om...
> I use Condors exclusively. They're cheaper than average, but they
> last a long time. I just replaced my 1st one. Bought it 6 yrs. and
> 800 hrs ago.

How many landings/takeoff cycles?

> It still had some tread on it, but was beginning to get
> some sidewall checking. I park outside in Phoenix and that's the 1st
> tire I've ever owned that went 6 years. Most of the others lost their
> tread or sidewalls after 3 or 4 yrs. in this environment.

Phoenix is a killer for tires, batteries, interiors, hair....

Tom
--
"Democrats who complained that Bush was too slow to act on
doubtful intelligence re 9/11 now profess to be horrified that he
was too quick to act on doubtful intelligence re Iraq. This is not
a serious party." - Mark Steyn

[Michelle P]

Cory,

My airplane came with McCreary's When they wore out I replace them with
Goodyear Flight Custom II. They lasted about three years. I am hard on
tires. Short landing and landing on rough fields. The Goodyear's appear
to be built a little better.

Michelle (a die hard Goodyear fan; car, plane, tractor)

wrote:

> Hey, all... as usual, I figured I'd try to get some opinions on
>a new purchase for the Cherokee. Mains are worn out, and I am leaning
>towards some McCreary AirHawks. Any thoughts? The plane sits outside,
>but has been getting lots of flying in of late. I find it hard to believe
>that a tire that costs 2x as much will actually last 2x as long. Any
>knowledge here?
>
>Thanks,
>-Cory
>
>
>

--

Michelle P ATP-ASEL, CP-AMEL, and AMT-A&P

"Elisabeth" a Maule M-7-235B (no two are alike)

Volunteer Pilot, Angel Flight Mid-Atlantic

Volunteer Builder, Habitat for Humanity

[Mike Culver]

Maybe not for your Cherokee, but certainly for many other planes ot
there are some retro tires from Desser. See the photo at the bottom of
http://www.popav.com/luscombe/ListTechArticleDtl.asp?id=38 to see what
I mean. Ordered these online for cheap.

The single best way to make your tires last forever is to land on
grass. Virtually stops the wear...

Mike

wrote in message >...
> Hey, all... as usual, I figured I'd try to get some opinions on
> a new purchase for the Cherokee. Mains are worn out, and I am leaning
> towards some McCreary AirHawks. Any thoughts? The plane sits outside,
> but has been getting lots of flying in of late. I find it hard to believe
> that a tire that costs 2x as much will actually last 2x as long. Any
> knowledge here?
>
> Thanks,
> -Cory

[Orval Fairbairn]

In article >,
(Mike Culver) wrote:

> Maybe not for your Cherokee, but certainly for many other planes ot
> there are some retro tires from Desser. See the photo at the bottom of
> http://www.popav.com/luscombe/ListTechArticleDtl.asp?id=38 to see what
> I mean. Ordered these online for cheap.
>
> The single best way to make your tires last forever is to land on
> grass. Virtually stops the wear...
>
> Mike
>
> wrote in message
> >...
> > Hey, all... as usual, I figured I'd try to get some opinions on
> > a new purchase for the Cherokee. Mains are worn out, and I am leaning
> > towards some McCreary AirHawks. Any thoughts? The plane sits outside,
> > but has been getting lots of flying in of late. I find it hard to believe
> > that a tire that costs 2x as much will actually last 2x as long. Any
> > knowledge here?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > -Cory

I have used Condors for the past 8 years and have found them to be as
good as Goodyear FC IIs and MUCH better than McCrearys. The McCrearys do
not have as consistent shape and diameter as the Condors.

[[email protected]]

Hrm... it's sounding like retreads are a pretty popular choice. I
can believe that a retread with a good compound can be the same price as a
cheaper compound new. I think that the stigma associated with retreads is
from truck retreads that tend to sluff off rubber shrapnel on the freeway.
I would hope that a certified aircraft tire wouldn't do such a thing.

Any trouble on the size of retread tires and fitting in wheel
pants?

-Cory

JDupre5762 > wrote:
:>We've been very happy with re-treaded tires on our Cherokee Pathfinder. They
:>appear to have a lot more rubber on them than new tires, and my A&P swears
:>by them...

: They don't appear to have more tread, they actually do. There is a requirement
: for specific tread depth on a new tire but there is not one for retreads so
: retreads can have a thicker tread depth than new and consequently will take
: more landings. Probably one of the better values in aviation.

: John Dupre'


--
************************************************** ***********************
* The prime directive of Linux: *
* - learn what you don't know, *
* - teach what you do. *
* (Just my 20 USm$) *
************************************************** ***********************

[Jay Honeck]

> Any trouble on the size of retread tires and fitting in wheel
> pants?

None noted.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Hankal]

>Have a look at the Monster Retreads from Desser

I use Michelin tire and tube for my front tire.
Have it balanced at a motorcycle shop.
AirHawk for the mains.
C172 with the Avcon conversion.
Hank
N1441P

[John Galban]

"Tom S." > wrote in message >...
> "John Galban" > wrote in message
> om...
> > I use Condors exclusively. They're cheaper than average, but they
> > last a long time. I just replaced my 1st one. Bought it 6 yrs. and
> > 800 hrs ago.
>
> How many landings/takeoff cycles?

Well, I didn't actually count them, but I fly almost every week and
average 3 or 4 takeoffs and landings.

John Galban=====>N4BQ (PA28-180)

[Orval Fairbairn]

In article >,
wrote:

> Hrm... it's sounding like retreads are a pretty popular choice. I
> can believe that a retread with a good compound can be the same price as a
> cheaper compound new. I think that the stigma associated with retreads is
> from truck retreads that tend to sluff off rubber shrapnel on the freeway.
> I would hope that a certified aircraft tire wouldn't do such a thing.
>
> Any trouble on the size of retread tires and fitting in wheel
> pants?
>

I had some retreads awhile back -- Goodyear and McCreary casings. The
Goodyears were fine, but the McCrearys didn't fit into my wheelwells, so
I gave them away. IIRC, I had problems fitting the McCrearys originally
-- one wouldn't fit into one well but went into the other OK, so I used
them that way.

I have had no problems with Condors and have used 3 sets of them.

ALWAYS do a retraction test when you mount new tires!

[JDupre5762]

>Any trouble on the size of retread tires and fitting in wheel
>> pants?
>>
>
>I had some retreads awhile back -- Goodyear and McCreary casings. The
>Goodyears were fine, but the McCrearys didn't fit into my

>wheelwells,

> so
>I gave them away. IIRC, I had problems fitting the McCrearys originally
>-- one wouldn't fit into one well but went into the other OK, so I used
>them that way.

>I have had no problems with Condors and have used 3 sets of them.
>
>ALWAYS do a retraction test when you mount new tires!

I have never seen problems with retreads mounted with wheelpants. I have seen
problems with underinflated tires hitting the sides of wheel pants but that is
another isusue.

As for retractables it makes good sense to always check that new tires will fit
and especially retreads. Some of the retract Cessnas use specially designed
low profile tires to begin with and some of the retreaders will not recap those
because they will jam in the wheel well afterward and are not used on many
fixed gear aircraft.

John Dupre'

[[email protected]]

Orval Fairbairn > wrote:
: ALWAYS do a retraction test when you mount new tires!

I'll make sure to do that on my Cherokee 180... ;-)

-Cory
--
************************************************** ***********************
* The prime directive of Linux: *
* - learn what you don't know, *
* - teach what you do. *
* (Just my 20 USm$) *
************************************************** ***********************

[G.R. Patterson III]

wrote:
>
> Any trouble on the size of retread tires and fitting in wheel
> pants?

I've read about some problems with them fitting in wheel wells on retracts,
but never heard on any problems with fairings. One of the nice things about
retreads is that it is possible to get better quality rubber on the tread
part. The rubber on new tires is sort of a compromise. Sport Aviation had an
article on tires several months back. If you're an EAA member, you might want
to look for that.

George Patterson
God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the
good fortune to run into the ones I like, and the eyesight to tell the
difference.

[Dan Thomas]

Orval Fairbairn > wrote in message >...
>
> I have used Condors for the past 8 years and have found them to be as
> good as Goodyear FC IIs and MUCH better than McCrearys. The McCrearys do
> not have as consistent shape and diameter as the Condors.


Condors have a thicker tread section than the McCrearys and
seem to have a tougher rubber. We used to use McCrearys on our flight
school airplanes, but life was short and students easily ground
through to the cords. The Condor is heavier and lasts longer. It's
built by Michelin.
Goodyears are great if you can afford them.

Dan