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Tailwheel question

Curious how the shape of these tailwheel tires affects the handling if at all. I'm looking at the "lightweight" tailwheel tire and the "deluxe" tailwheel tires on Flyboyaccessories.com. The deluxe seems to have a little more rounded cross section. Has anyone flown both? Thanks
 
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I have had both on my plane: no difference in handling. The light weight makes more noise from the harder rubber tailwheel.
 
Curious how the shape of these tailwheel tires affects the handling if at all. I'm looking at the "lightweight" tailwheel tire and the "deluxe" tailwheel tires on Flyboyaccessories.com. The deluxe seems to have a little more rounded cross section. Has anyone flown both? Thanks

Are you changing the tailwheel fork?

I swapped my stock Vans tailwheel for the Screaming Eagle fork and the light weight tailwheel. One advantage is the fork has about a 45 degree angle as opposed to the stock tailwheel with a 90 degree angle. If you hit a rut or hole, it reduces the stress on the tailwheel assembly and makes it easier to roll out of that rut or hole. I find it smoother when operating on grass strips.
Another advantage I found is with that fork and tire combination it will raise your tail and provide better visibility over the nose.
YMMV
 
Curious how the shape of these tailwheel tires affects the handling if at all. I'm looking at the "lightweight" tailwheel tire and the "deluxe" tailwheel tires on Flyboyaccessories.com. The deluxe seems to have a little more rounded cross section. Has anyone flown both? Thanks

This may be a first, but I fly with the lightweight tailwheel and the other day I had to stop the plane, get out, and pick the tailwheel out of a drainage grate. The slots in the grates at our home base are large enough for the smaller wheel to drop through if you hit just right. We're still going to fly it, but now make a concerted effort to avoid the drainage grates with the tail wheel. Depending on where you're basing the plane, it might just be one more consideration.
 
Yes, I'm leaning toward the entire JD Air assembly but was thinking about using the more rounded Deluxe tailwheel tire from Flyboy.

Are you changing the tailwheel fork?

I swapped my stock Vans tailwheel for the Screaming Eagle fork and the light weight tailwheel. One advantage is the fork has about a 45 degree angle as opposed to the stock tailwheel with a 90 degree angle. If you hit a rut or hole, it reduces the stress on the tailwheel assembly and makes it easier to roll out of that rut or hole. I find it smoother when operating on grass strips.
Another advantage I found is with that fork and tire combination it will raise your tail and provide better visibility over the nose.
YMMV
 
I switched a couple hundred hours ago.
The difference was hardly noticeable to me.
I have the standard T/W fork, still works great.
Either one is a small tailwheel so yes, steer clear of the drainage grates!
 
Have you considered FlyBoys Condor2 Pneumatic Tail Wheel and Fork?

I have the Condor2 on my RV8 (purchased it from Blake). For numerous reasons I definitely prefer it over the solid tires. Very noticeable and improved smoothness while taxing over expansion joints on the taxiway. I was always bothered by the "banging" I have felt with the solid tires while taxing.

I do keep a Light Weight Tail Wheel in my X-C travel Kit as a spare.

Mike
 
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Have you considered FlyBoys Condor2 Pneumatic Tail Wheel and Fork?

+1 for the Condor. I had the hard hockey puck on my RV-8 and recently switched it out for the pneumatic tailwheel. Huge improvement with no more bangs going over runway joints and cracks. Just remember to keep it topped off at 50 PSI (and of course any pneumatic tire can go flat, so plan accordingly).
 
Same here. RV-8 with Condor pneumatic, this is my third RV and the first with the pneumatic tailwheel tire. I always hated the banging when taxiing over expansion joints. Passenger used to ask, "What's all that banging noise?" Now, smooooooth. I bought a small battery powered compressor with a built in pressure gage and it's just part of my preflight to make certain it's at 50 lbs. Under no circumstances would I consider going back.
 
For the guys running the FlyBoys Condor2 Pneumatic Tail Wheel how many hours are you getting on the tire itself. I got only a 100 hours on the first. I have confirmed I don't have a tailwheel shimmy. I ran 50 psi and no lower. I have recently switched the the light weight hard rubber and continued using the Condor2 fork. I hate the banging while taxing but like not worrying about tire wear.
 
Original testbed for the Condor tire here.... I'm on my second tire and probably have at least several hundred landings on that tire, still going strong with very little wear. I think the key is to make sure it's aligned properly so it doesn't shimmy - shimmy will scrub wear a tire out in no time. As usual, YMMV.
 
Not sure that hours is a good measure of longevity. I have well over two hundred takeoffs and landings on mine and it's still going strong.
 
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