What's new
Van's Air Force

Don't miss anything! Register now for full access to the definitive RV support community.

Tire/pant clearance

wirejock

Well Known Member
Is there a ideal clearance between tire and wheel pant?
I found threads with measurements like 3/8", "finger", "thumb", etc. Really? We build an airplane then use a finger to take a measurement? My thumb is 1"! That seems like a lot. 3/8" seems kinda snug for tire sidewall flex.I'm also running Beringer tubeless, so I doubt I will ever install retreads. Anyone have a real world fractional measurement after some landings?
 
Zero....
.
 

Attachments

  • 250 hours wear 300W.jpg
    250 hours wear 300W.jpg
    184.4 KB · Views: 245
Leave it to Dan to show off his zero clearance pants. Saw that one coming. I'm actually starting to work on this now but have no time to spare for "skinny jeans"... Another one of those things that can be done "later".
 
Not sure that's working out so well! Looks like zero clearance to the ground!:D

3/4" behind the tire, so yes, they rub on lots of things...hangar tracks, pavement drop-offs, grass and rocks. Every year or two I stuck a small patch on the worn spot. Photo was about 300 hours. Last annual (1000 hours) I peeled off a lot of it and started over with fresh. Experimenting with silicone this time around, rather than urethane.

Recently visited four Idaho strips without pant damage. The soft bottoms work pretty well.

To the OP's question, what Duck said...
 
Also, the forward half needs less than the aft half. If the aft half catches, something will break. Not necessarily so with the forward half.
 
I used 3/4" and it seems to be adequate. There's no real need to be super tight on the wheel pant to tire gaps.

Also depends on your tire pressures. I usually run 40-45 psi.
 
3/4"

Thanks everyone. Consensus seems to be 3/4".
I'm going to start at 3/4". Pretty easy to use a piece of wood to measure. I don't expect the Beringer tires to deform significantly but I will deflate and check.
 
Thanks everyone. Consensus seems to be 3/4".
I'm going to start at 3/4". Pretty easy to use a piece of wood to measure. I don't expect the Beringer tires to deform significantly but I will deflate and check.

I've got the standard 5" wheels with the bigger 380x150-5 tires

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/lgpages/michelinairtires_06-01434.php

and I recently had the worst landing of my career (so far), and it took about a coin's worth of the wheel pant off. I run them at about 45psi.

I have a tight skinny pinky finger worth of clearance. In Euro units, that's about 10mm.

I let the "wide runway" illusion trick me into flaring at about 6 feet over the runway. :(
 
Back
Top