Inner Tubes

[RST Engineering]

I understand there is a new class of inner tubes that do not leak as
severely as the old
"TSO'd crap" natural rubber that we've used since Wilbur put them on the
Flyer.

Anybody got a lead on who has them for relatively few AMUs for common sizes
like 600-6 and so on?

Jim

[Rip]

RST Engineering wrote:
> I understand there is a new class of inner tubes that do not leak as
> severely as the old
> "TSO'd crap" natural rubber that we've used since Wilbur put them on the
> Flyer.
>
> Anybody got a lead on who has them for relatively few AMUs for common sizes
> like 600-6 and so on?
>
> Jim
>
>
Michelin sells them as AirStop tubes. Chief Aircraft carries them.

Rip

[Kyle Boatright]

"Rip" > wrote in message
. ..
> RST Engineering wrote:
>> I understand there is a new class of inner tubes that do not leak as
>> severely as the old
>> "TSO'd crap" natural rubber that we've used since Wilbur put them on the
>> Flyer.
>>
>> Anybody got a lead on who has them for relatively few AMUs for common
>> sizes like 600-6 and so on?
>>
>> Jim
> Michelin sells them as AirStop tubes. Chief Aircraft carries them.
>
> Rip

And they are not cheap. I believe Goodyear has come out with a version too.

Desser carries both brands.

IIRC, my 5" x 5" airstop tubes were $30+ each. New tires were $50/ea. It
hurt paying almost as much for the tubes as the tires. Still, only having
to air the tires 3 or 4 times a year is nice.

KB

KB

[Jim Burns]

I can confirm that both the Mich. Airstops are top notch. We've had
Airstops in our Aztec for several years, they go month after month , even in
the winter, without loosing a single lb of pressure. I just helped install
Goodyear Flight Mate Butyl tubes in a new set of Flight Custom III's on a
Piper Lance, I'll stay in touch with the owners. Desser is good source for
each.
Jim

"RST Engineering" > wrote in message
...
>I understand there is a new class of inner tubes that do not leak as
>severely as the old
> "TSO'd crap" natural rubber that we've used since Wilbur put them on the
> Flyer.
>
> Anybody got a lead on who has them for relatively few AMUs for common
> sizes like 600-6 and so on?
>
> Jim
>

[Doug Vetter]

RST Engineering wrote:
> Anybody got a lead on who has them for relatively few AMUs for common sizes
> like 600-6 and so on?

Both my mechanic and Desser recommended the Aero-Classic LeakGuard
tubes. We installed them a couple years ago and I can't remember the
last time I filled them. Definitely more expensive than a regular tube,
but worth it.

-Doug

--
--------------------
Doug Vetter, ATP/CFI

http://www.dvatp.com
--------------------

[Jay Honeck]

> Both my mechanic and Desser recommended the Aero-Classic LeakGuard
> tubes. We installed them a couple years ago and I can't remember the
> last time I filled them. Definitely more expensive than a regular tube,
> but worth it.

Now that is high praise.

Mary and I fill the tires at least twice a month. It's her least
favorite task, since -- thanks to our Fancy Pants -- it's a real bitch
to do.

(Me? I just stand there and push -- or pull -- till things are lined
up properly... :-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Mike Murdock]

Where else but in aviation do you have to pay extra to get inner tubes that
don't leak? You gotta love it.

-Mike

"Kyle Boatright" > wrote:
....
> And they are not cheap. I believe Goodyear has come out with a version
> too.
>
> Desser carries both brands.
>
> IIRC, my 5" x 5" airstop tubes were $30+ each. New tires were $50/ea. It
> hurt paying almost as much for the tubes as the tires. Still, only having
> to air the tires 3 or 4 times a year is nice.
>
> KB

[John Clear]

In article >,
Mike Murdock > wrote:
> Where else but in aviation do you have to pay extra to get inner tubes that
>don't leak? You gotta love it.
>

Bicycling has the same issue. I lose ~40psi a week out of the
tires on my bike. Of course, I'm starting at a much higher pressure.
The tires on my road bike have a recommended pressure of 100psi.
I have upgraded tubes for when I need to replace the existing ones,
but it is easy enough to add air that it isn't worth trashing good
but leaky tubes.

John
--
John Clear - http://www.clear-prop.org/

[Roger (K8RI)]

On Sun, 13 May 2007 06:49:14 -0400, Doug Vetter >
wrote:

>RST Engineering wrote:
>> Anybody got a lead on who has them for relatively few AMUs for common sizes
>> like 600-6 and so on?
>
>Both my mechanic and Desser recommended the Aero-Classic LeakGuard
>tubes. We installed them a couple years ago and I can't remember the
>last time I filled them. Definitely more expensive than a regular tube,
>but worth it.

I put them on the Deb nigh onto two years ago? Been quite a while any
way. It's been over a year since I put air in them. Late this past
winter I checked them and they were still right where I had put them.
Yes, they cost a bit more, but as I recall they weren't all that much
more and I heartily agree, they are worth it.

>
>-Doug

[john smith[_2_]]

In article . com>,
Jay Honeck > wrote:

> Mary and I fill the tires at least twice a month. It's her least
> favorite task, since -- thanks to our Fancy Pants -- it's a real bitch
> to do.

Hmm... I would have reworded that sentence so that there was no
ambiguity as to what and whom I was referring. ;-)

[Jay Honeck]

> Hmm... I would have reworded that sentence so that there was no
> ambiguity as to what and whom I was referring. ;-)

Ha! And here I was worried about that "pushing and pulling" line...

;-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Dave Butler]

Mike Murdock wrote:
> Where else but in aviation do you have to pay extra to get inner tubes that
> don't leak? You gotta love it.

My understanding is that there is an actual technical issue. The kind of
rubber (butyl?) tubes that don't leak are difficult to make in small
tire sizes with small radius of curvature.

Dave

> -Mike
>
> "Kyle Boatright" > wrote:
> ...
>> And they are not cheap. I believe Goodyear has come out with a version
>> too.
>>
>> Desser carries both brands.
>>
>> IIRC, my 5" x 5" airstop tubes were $30+ each. New tires were $50/ea. It
>> hurt paying almost as much for the tubes as the tires. Still, only having
>> to air the tires 3 or 4 times a year is nice.
>>
>> KB
>
>

[Blanche]

Jay Honeck > wrote:
>> Both my mechanic and Desser recommended the Aero-Classic LeakGuard
>> tubes. We installed them a couple years ago and I can't remember the
>> last time I filled them. Definitely more expensive than a regular tube,
>> but worth it.
>
>Now that is high praise.
>
>Mary and I fill the tires at least twice a month. It's her least
>favorite task, since -- thanks to our Fancy Pants -- it's a real bitch
>to do.

I don't like the wheelpants on a cherokee either - most of the time,
they're sitting in the back of the hangar. However...I took the
electric air pump over to my neighborhood hardware store (strangely
enough, one of the Big Box stores!) and probably the only staffer
there who knew anything about tools picked out a 2-way chuck,
one of those widgets that are tapered at each end
to act as a splice on hoses, and (are you ready for this?)
actually INSTALLED the stuff on my air pump! I think it was the most
interesting activity he had all day. Cost me the price of the
widgets.

He was retired from the Navy, was the equivalent of an A&P in
the Navy, and he told great stories of being on a carrier while he
built the gadget.

Now, I can add air to the tires really easy, and no longer bend
the rubber valve - which forced me to buy another tire & tube in
the past.

[Jay Honeck]

> Now, I can add air to the tires really easy, and no longer bend
> the rubber valve - which forced me to buy another tire & tube in
> the past.

Hmmm. That *might* work, but the real problem is that the little
hatch doors on the Fancy Pants don't line up well with the location of
the valve stem.

(On our old Warrior's stock wheel pants, you could reach the valve
stem from under the bottom of the wheel pants. No-can-do with the
Fancy Pants, which fair the wheel almost all the way to the ground...)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Roy N5804F]

Dave,

Your on the right track Dave.
I hold patents on inner tube joining machinery and as you say there is a
difficulty in using a regular joining machine at the smaller sizes.
Butyl inner tubes have been around since 1970.
An inner tube is made from a straight length of "tube" and then joined end
to end in a "joining machine"
Semperit Tyres produced and licensed the first joining machines that were
successful on butyl.
Goodyear Tire [licensed by Semperit] was supplying "airstop" tubes through
the 1970's.
Butyl is a oil product and significantly lower in cost than natural rubber.
However, natural rubber "joins" much more easily than butyl and therefore
remained the tube to use for the aviation industry.

And of course being for aviation, butyl tires are now sold at a premium, but
are most definitely lower cost to make because of lower raw material cost.

Roy
Piper Archer - N5804F






"Dave Butler" > wrote in message
...
> Mike Murdock wrote:
>> Where else but in aviation do you have to pay extra to get inner tubes
>> that don't leak? You gotta love it.
>
> My understanding is that there is an actual technical issue. The kind of
> rubber (butyl?) tubes that don't leak are difficult to make in small tire
> sizes with small radius of curvature.
>
> Dave
>
>> -Mike
>>
>> "Kyle Boatright" > wrote:
>> ...
>>> And they are not cheap. I believe Goodyear has come out with a version
>>> too.
>>>
>>> Desser carries both brands.
>>>
>>> IIRC, my 5" x 5" airstop tubes were $30+ each. New tires were $50/ea.
>>> It hurt paying almost as much for the tubes as the tires. Still, only
>>> having to air the tires 3 or 4 times a year is nice.
>>>
>>> KB
>>
>>
>