Tire question

So, the annual is done, and I came out easy (again!) -- just two tires and a
brake hose. (Knock on wood. They're still installing the landing lights,
so I s'pose they could still find something else...)

Although I'm replacing both tires, really only the right tire was bad. It
had five bald spots, while the left tire was still pretty good -- a bit more
worn on one side than the other, but that's pretty normal.

Question: Any clues what could cause one tire to wear dramatically faster
than the other? (They were "Monster" retreads, BTW, which are highly
recommended by my shop for long life.)

Note: When we park the plane at our hangar, we must pivot the plane sharply
on its LEFT tire, by locking that brake and turning as sharply as possible,
to position it for pushing back -- yet it was the RIGHT tire that
prematurely (IMHO) wore out.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:
Question: Any clues what could cause one tire to wear dramatically faster
than the other?

I'd suspect the right brake. It may be in OK condition, but if it has a
tendency to lock slightly, upon landing, that could cause the premature
wear. You might not even notice that it's doing it. Keeping the calipers
clean and the caliper pins lubricated might help.

--- Jay


--
__!__
Jay and Teresa Masino ___(_)___
http://www2.ari.net/jmasino ! ! !
http://www.oceancityairport.com
http://www.oc-adolfos.com

Hi Jay,

Lucky you with your annual, I'm now waiting for three months for some
bracket that holds the wire for the nav. light.
Wild gues with your tyre, maybe you have the tendecy to land on your
right wheel first.

-Kees

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:yoLMd.48293$EG1.25376@attbi_s53...

Although I'm replacing both tires, really only the right tire was bad.
It had five bald spots, while the left tire was still pretty good -- a bit
more worn on one side than the other, but that's pretty normal.


Jay, I don't really have an answer to why one wears more than the other, but
on our Saratoga, I found ($$) that the biggest thing that reduced tire wear
for me was to make sure I have retracted the flaps before braking. With
full flaps, and moderate braking, the tires have a tendency to slide a
little. While I usually try to not use any brakes at all after landing, or
very little, there times when it is needed.

Stan

Stan Prevost wrote:
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:yoLMd.48293$EG1.25376@attbi_s53...


Although I'm replacing both tires, really only the right tire was bad.
It had five bald spots, while the left tire was still pretty good -- a bit
more worn on one side than the other, but that's pretty normal.



Jay, I don't really have an answer to why one wears more than the other, but
on our Saratoga, I found ($$) that the biggest thing that reduced tire wear
for me was to make sure I have retracted the flaps before braking. With
full flaps, and moderate braking, the tires have a tendency to slide a
little. While I usually try to not use any brakes at all after landing, or
very little, there times when it is needed.

Frequent flat-spotting is a well-known problem on Mooneys. You can't feel the
skid, but it's easy to lock up the brakes without realizing it. I suppose it
could happen on any other model, too. Of course, that doesn't explain why only
one tire is flat-spotted. Could be a contributing factor, though.

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:yoLMd.48293$EG1.25376@attbi_s53...

Question: Any clues what could cause one tire to wear dramatically faster
than the other? (They were "Monster" retreads, BTW, which are highly
recommended by my shop for long life.)

See which wheel leaves the ground first on take-off, if any. Perhaps
you're dragging the right wheel at an angle slightly for the last 10' or
so of the take-off roll. It could be you're not giving it quite
enough right rudder and compensating by banking slightly in that
direction.

Do you normally 'fly it off' or do you hold it on the runway a little
longer & then bring it up abruptly as if you were in a strong
crosswind? Are most of your landings done with a crosswind
from the right?

In article yoLMd.48293$EG1.25376@attbi_s53,
"Jay Honeck" wrote:


Note: When we park the plane at our hangar, we must pivot the plane sharply
on its LEFT tire, by locking that brake and turning as sharply as possible,
to position it for pushing back -- yet it was the RIGHT tire that
prematurely (IMHO) wore out.

Are you right handed? Perhaps you're putting a little more pressure on
the right brake on rollout.

Do you make mostly right turns when taxiing?

--
Dale L. Falk

There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing
as simply messing around with airplanes.

http://home.gci.net/~sncdfalk/flying.html

In article yoLMd.48293$EG1.25376@attbi_s53,
"Jay Honeck" wrote:

So, the annual is done, and I came out easy (again!) -- just two tires and a
brake hose. (Knock on wood. They're still installing the landing lights,
so I s'pose they could still find something else...)

Although I'm replacing both tires, really only the right tire was bad. It
had five bald spots, while the left tire was still pretty good -- a bit more
worn on one side than the other, but that's pretty normal.

Question: Any clues what could cause one tire to wear dramatically faster
than the other? (They were "Monster" retreads, BTW, which are highly
recommended by my shop for long life.)

Note: When we park the plane at our hangar, we must pivot the plane sharply
on its LEFT tire, by locking that brake and turning as sharply as possible,
to position it for pushing back -- yet it was the RIGHT tire that
prematurely (IMHO) wore out.



You may be adding a bit of right brake (in addition to right rudder) on
takeoff; the right bearing may be a bit too tight; perhaps the retread
on that side was not up to par.

Lucky you with your annual, I'm now waiting for three months for some
bracket that holds the wire for the nav. light.

THREE MONTHS? For a nav light bracket?

My A&P -- an award-winning home-builder -- would fabricate one for you, if
you ask him nice.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Do you make mostly right turns when taxiing?

After we've landed, they're almost all right turns to get back to my hangar.

Of course, before we depart, (on the way out to the runway) they're all left
turns!

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