"Heavy wing" means mis-rigged
Picked up new to me -8. Once i get to cruising speed, my R wing gets "heavy" so i adjust L aileron trim to compensate. I am maxed out. Once I slow down, I need to re-adjust aileron trim back to normal. Fairly new pilot, and new to the 8. I love it, amazing bird that is for sure. Any suggestions would help.
I'm surprised that this was not picked up during the pre-purchase inspection/flight.
The term "heavy wing" is just a euphemism for a mis-rigged aircraft. It's very common in RVs because much of the rigging of the aircraft tends to take place towards the end of the project when many builders are becoming impatient to get into the air so these tasks are often not given the time and dedication they require. A roll tendency may result from one (or a number) of the following: Wing tips not in trail, flaps not in trail, ailerons not in trail, gear fairings not in trail, wheel pants not in trail, vertical stabiliser incorrectly offset, wing incidence incorrect, etc.
Once the plane is built it can be difficult to determine the real cause of the problem because it often requires a process of elimination.
The easy solution for some people is the aileron or rudder trim tab but when you see these tabs you can be sure that the aircraft is mis-rigged. The reality is that trim tabs are a quick and dirty solution that treats the symptom without addressing the underlying problem. Additionally, they rob you of speed....flying along at cruise with a trim tab on the rudder is like having a perpetual drag-inducing bootful of rudder pedal.
I find that when builders have a "heavy wing" they often focus completely on the wing area but mis-rigged gear fairings or wheel pants can also be the cause of "heavy wing". The asymmetrical drag that this can induce results in yaw, and the secondary effect of yaw is roll which you will interpret as "heavy wing".
I'm not sure that I've brought the OP any joy here. But my message is that aircraft rigging is best done properly by the original builder because rectifying a poorly rigged aircraft when the plane is flying can be very very time consuming.