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What is "normal" tailwheel wear?

PandaCub

Active Member
The Condor pneumatic tailwheel has been one of my favorite RV-8 upgrades. Solid traction on landing and no more clattering along the taxiway.

That said, I examined the tire today and it seems pretty worn since it was installed about 40 landings ago. Hub spins nicely on the axle, but center treads are totally gone and tire looks like it's 10 years old compared to my new (spare) tailwheel tire.

I'm not used to this fast a wear on a tire with no brake. Is this normal or should I be looking for some kind of issue?
 

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I really liked my Condor pneumatic tailwheel initially however I went through two tires in the first 120 hrs. I mounted a go pro camera to the tail to make sure I was not getting any unfelt shimmy while taxiing or on landing roll out. I wasn't. I reluctantly went to a Van's light weight sealed bearing hard rubber tailwheel. Other than the loud taxiing on rough taxiways its been really good.
 
That tire looks a lot like the tires I have on my little Subsonex, and I have seen similar wear on the noise wheel when I was having a shimmy problem. The mains never wear, but I went through three tires up front before I solved the issue.

Our Tundra uses a larger pneumatic tailwheel, but it also wears very quickly when shimmy occurs…so I’d check for shimmy!
 
John,

Mine looks just like yours. 85 hrs and 138 landings. I have no experience with the vans tire. This was installed before the first flight.
 
Fast wear

I got about 200 landings out of my first Condor tail wheel tire. I have fairly short taxi lengths and mostly wheel landings. I changed it when it looked close to yours and found that the remaining thickness where the tread was had gotten very thin. It is important to keep pressure at 50-55 psi. Otherwise it wears more quickly.
Steve
 
At the other end of the spectrum, I have a tire on my original Condor that has at least 400 landings over many years, including some off-airport landings, and it still looks good. The original tire I got from Matco and has a cross-hatched pattern on it rather than the linear pattern. I've been amazed that it has lasted this long and still shows fairly minimal wear.

Greg
 
I really liked my Condor pneumatic tailwheel initially however I went through two tires in the first 120 hrs. I mounted a go pro camera to the tail to make sure I was not getting any unfelt shimmy while taxiing or on landing roll out. I wasn't. I reluctantly went to a Van's light weight sealed bearing hard rubber tailwheel. Other than the loud taxiing on rough taxiways it's been really good.
Same for me. I didn't think I was getting any shimmy 'til I saw a video of me landing the RV in Sugarbush VT and there was, especially going over bumps. That's when I swapped back to the lightweight wheel with 110ish hours on the Condor. There was some wear but not enough yet to need replacement.

Dave
 
Condor is a product of the Michelin tire company.

I am sure a call to an engineer at Michelin would provide you the answer you seek.

My glider, the intended use of that tire, never subjected the tire to what my RV tailwheel experiences. That would include touchdown speed and side movement.
 
Chains or steering link?

The Condor pneumatic tailwheel has been one of my favorite RV-8 upgrades. Solid traction on landing and no more clattering along the taxiway.

That said, I examined the tire today and it seems pretty worn since it was installed about 40 landings ago. Hub spins nicely on the axle, but center treads are totally gone and tire looks like it's 10 years old compared to my new (spare) tailwheel tire.

I'm not used to this fast a wear on a tire with no brake. Is this normal or should I be looking for some kind of issue?

Are using Van's chain and spring set up or one of JD Air's tailwheel steering link?

https://www.jdair.com/tailwheel-steering-link-for-vans-rv-aircraft-complete-bolt-on-kit/
 

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Tail wheel options....

I reluctantly went to a Van's light weight sealed bearing hard rubber tailwheel. Other than the loud taxiing on rough taxiways its been really good.

When I got the original kit tailwheel from Vans (YEARS ago...!) I wanted a tire that was flat on the ground rather than the oval shape of the original tire. I also wanted to have a full-swivel fork. Got an aftermarket tailwheel fork which came with a hard-rubber tire. It, too, was the oval shape. Took the band saw to it and made it a "square"-to-the-ground tire: more 'traction'. Now, after 1200+ hours, it looks like it did the day I put it on there with maybe 1/8 inch wear (it has a wear-indication line on it). No uneven wear from side to side. Bearings are not sealed but part of my condition inspection is to inspect them and shape them up. I could probably replace them with sealed bearings. I still have chains which I am so used to I would be hesitant to replace them with anything else. Ground noise? Yeah, I suppose. My helmet has a switched ANR system and I just turn it on.....;) I've never had a shimmy problem....

I still have my original Van's fork and wheel if someone needs one.....:)
 
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A solution looking for a problem perhaps? I have 1500 hours and 23 years on my original Vans hard rubber tailwheel. Yes it has squared-off some, but it still works just fine - no need to change this.
 
A solution looking for a problem perhaps? I have 1500 hours and 23 years on my original Vans hard rubber tailwheel. Yes it has squared-off some, but it still works just fine - no need to change this.

This.

The geometry of Vans tailwheel assembly puts a lot of side load on the wheel. A tire with a rigid side wall, and no tread orientation, is what is needed.

I believe the side load helps the tailwheel effectiveness. It’s not “steering” as much as it is providing resistance to any direction other than straight, at least at landing speeds.
Even at taxi speeds, it’s still doing quite a bit of “scuffing” along.
 
I used Matco pneumatic

John,

Mine looks just like yours. 85 hrs and 138 landings. I have no experience with the vans tire. This was installed before the first flight.

The Matco version I used got 400 landings between changes.
I would change them every 6 months. Tire + tube.

Still loved them so much more then the solid rubber versions.
Daddyman
 
The Matco version I used got 400 landings between changes.
I would change them every 6 months. Tire + tube.

Still loved them so much more then the solid rubber versions.
Daddyman

I've been using the DJM solid lightweight tailwheel and it has no discernable wear on it with hundreds of landings on a highly grooved class D runway, but I'll have to say I have pneumatic envy. Feeling every groove on the runway is annoying.

https://flyboyaccessories.com/product/lightweight-tailwheel-tire
 

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So far so good

I installed my condor 2 tailwheel about a month ago. So far, I am pleased with the new setup. The noise reduction is helpful for nervous passengers (what was that noise!?). The over nose viz is improved, and you have a very positive contact point that is reassuring. Like anything, its a cost benefit. If the wheel ends up wearing down faster than the stock hard wheel from Vans, I’ll just average it into the cost of flying. Its a fairly easy thing to swap out.

Ditto on the 50psi. You want to check it regularly as many have reported flat tires when not properly inflated. I keep my old tailwheel in the baggage compartment, along with my other “dont get stranded” items just incase!

John
 
Matco 400 landings tire

Sure would like to know which tire from Matco can get 400 landings. I have their 6 inch and their 7 inch and can’t get anywhere near that many !
RV 7 finally flying, 42 hours and the T/W tire is wearing down. Is nice not listening to the banging of the runway seams.
Thanks, Kirk S
 
wheel wear

Here is my tailwheel. 125 hrs TT, 220 landings. I do find its easy to 'skid' them sideways while towing the airplane - be cautious not to do this. Wouldn't trade this tailwheel for anything. I 2 point land it all the time.

 
Condor is a product of the Michelin tire company.

I am sure a call to an engineer at Michelin would provide you the answer you seek.

When we decided to name the tailwheel fork, not the tire, a Condor, there was no consideration whatsoever that Michelin made a tire with that name. Michelin has nothing to do with this product.
 
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