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Beringer wheels?

kbalch

Well Known Member
I'm thinking ahead a bit and have been reading about the use of Beringer wheels. I'm trying to understand just how/why they're worth such a premium over the standard kit components, even with those bits being credited.

Without trying to trigger anybody's confirmation bias, I'd be interested to hear from those who went with the upgraded wheels on a few points:

  • Why did you choose to go with Beringer wheels for your RV-14A?
  • Is the current state of Beringer's installation kit plug-and-play or is some fabrication required?
  • Is the installation manual adequate to the task?
  • If you're already flying, do you still see the value in these wheels or would you prefer to have gone with the stock setup?
Thanks for any and all input!
 
Ken,

Good questions... I have a flying RV-7A (12 years) and recently chose to upgrade only my nose wheel to a Beringer tubeless wheel/tire. The Beringer wheel bearing is better than the stock bearing and the cost was not prohibitive, and I learned a lesson from using tube tires...

From what i have been able to gather from other airplane owners and through personal experience, tires that go flat generally do so as a result of tube failure, not from foreign debris causing punctures. And if a nose wheel goes flat on takeoff or rollout, there is generally a higher probability that the results will likely be more damaging to the aircraft, etc. than a main wheel going flat in that scenario. So the premium cost to replace my nose wheel and tire, given the added safety factor and the expected reliability by removing the tube from the equation, was (in my opinion) a very good investment.

There was really no special changes to accommodate the new nose wheel, so it worked out great, I'm very happy with the result. However, the Beringer main wheel retrofit for my airplane (also tubeless wheels/tires) was likely to require more expense and accommodations than I was willing to deal with. If a main wheel goes flat on takeoff or rollout the result would likely be less damaging to the aircraft than a nose wheel going flat, so at this time, I chose not to retrofit with Beringer main wheels.

If however I was considering Beringer wheels from the start of a new build project, I would not hesitate to make the switch from stock to Beringer tubeless all around, primarily because I believe that eliminating tube failure from the equation is worth the extra expense... consideration... and safety.

Good Luck.

Victor
 
I went with Beringer wheels and brakes for a few reasons: I wanted stainless steel brake lines, the wheels use tubeless Michelin Aviator tires, the wheels are beautiful and are supposed to be a little lighter, and the brakes are supposed to be more effective. Turns out you can?t really see the pretty wheels inside the wheel pants, so that negates one of my reasons and brake effectiveness is pretty subjective. The ?kit? provided by Beringer for the RV-14A was pretty complete and additional parts are easy to get from Beringer in Greenville, SC (I made up my main gear leg brake lines twice to get them to fit the way I liked, but only needed to buy a few extra ?olives?.) The installation manual is pretty good, although I had to modify the caliper attachment bolt lengths for my A-model, because the gear legs are flat bar instead of round like the 14. Nevertheless, I am still happy with my decision. I would have used the Beringer nosewheel, regardless of what I used for the mains, so the extra expense for the whole shebang was worth it to me. YMMV. ;)
 
If however I was considering Beringer wheels from the start of a new build project, I would not hesitate to make the switch from stock to Beringer tubeless all around, primarily because I believe that eliminating tube failure from the equation is worth the extra expense... consideration... and safety.

Hey Victor,

Thanks for the good info. So...it's a tubeless tire thing for you, then? :) That makes a lot of sense to me, especially regarding the nosewheel. Having been a tailwheel guy for so long, I really hadn't given the nosewheel tire any thought, but I can see that it merits some consideration.

Here's a great thread to look at if you haven't already: http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=138426

I'm doing Berenger wheels/brakes, with TS Flightline hoses. Using these saved me quite a bit of time (at a significant financial cost no doubt).

Thanks, Turner. I'd come across that thread some time ago, but wasn't ready to parse it in detail at that time. Definitely a good read now.

Looks like I'll have to write the Van's order girl with my fuselage kit deletions. I placed the order a couple of weeks ago, but it's early enough that there shouldn't be any issues. Hopefully. :rolleyes:
 
I went with Beringer wheels and brakes for a few reasons: I wanted stainless steel brake lines, the wheels use tubeless Michelin Aviator tires, the wheels are beautiful and are supposed to be a little lighter, and the brakes are supposed to be more effective. Turns out you can?t really see the pretty wheels inside the wheel pants, so that negates one of my reasons and brake effectiveness is pretty subjective. The ?kit? provided by Beringer for the RV-14A was pretty complete and additional parts are easy to get from Beringer in Greenville, SC (I made up my main gear leg brake lines twice to get them to fit the way I liked, but only needed to buy a few extra ?olives?.) The installation manual is pretty good, although I had to modify the caliper attachment bolt lengths for my A-model, because the gear legs are flat bar instead of round like the 14. Nevertheless, I am still happy with my decision. I would have used the Beringer nosewheel, regardless of what I used for the mains, so the extra expense for the whole shebang was worth it to me. YMMV. ;)

Thanks, Mark. That all makes sense to me.

As of now, I'm planning to go with the full Beringer installation. I don't care about the pretty wheels because, as you say, they won't be visible, but going tubeless, lighter, and utilizing steel brake lines are all good things.

I'll have to get in touch with Beringer soon.
 
Here's one question that I don't have the answer to.

If you do wreck a tubeless tire, and you're on a trip, are there compatible tubless tires that can be thrown on there that are available locally all over the US? As long as I can walk into 50% of the maintenance shops at FBOs around the country and can grab someones old tire to throw on my plane, I'd be comfortable with it. But the last thing I need is yet one more component that I have to have fedex'd in while on a trip. When I flew to Alaska, I think I carried an extra tire and tube, but we only needed 1 between the 2 RV-10s on the trip.
There's something to be said for having easily available spares or parts.

Like I said though, I don't know anything about the tires used. Maybe they are fully compatible?
 
Like I said though, I don't know anything about the tires used.

They are Michelin Aviators.

This is my first RV but I love the low maintenance wheels and fantastic brakes the upgrade kit offers ... My 14 stops on a dime and the brakes are progressive feeling, really nice ... but my only basis for comparison is Cherokees and Cessnas.

The kit is superior quality.

Also, I have the anti-skid system I ended up not using due to build timeline constraints .. probably need to sell it at some point as the 14A just simply doesn't need it, probably better suited to tail wheel airplanes.
 
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If you do wreck a tubeless tire, and you're on a trip, are there compatible tubless tires that can be thrown on there that are available locally all over the US?

Tim, I addressed this question in my post about Beringer (at http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=138426). Reposting here:

? Some people have worried about fixing a flat tire with the tubeless design. Beringer sells a kit to reinflate & seal a puncture (?Spray Anti-Puncture? in their catalog), but any commercially available ?fix-a-flat? product designed for a tubeless tire should work. Here?s a kit that comes with plugs and CO2 cartridges: http://www.stopngo.com/pocket-tire-p...co2-inflation/
? Beringer parts are available in the U.S. from several sources including their Chicago U.S. headquarters and Aircraft Spruce. OEMs like Cirrus & Pilatus are now including Beringer as standard equipment and their products are gaining popularity in far flung places like Alaska, so I don?t expect parts & support to be an issue.
? Desser carries retread 5.00 x 5 tires (several brands) that are designed to be used in a tubeless configuration, so when it comes time to change tires you?ve got affordable options if you prefer not to buy new Michelin Aviators.

I can't say for sure how likely it is that the local FBO at any given airport will have exactly what you need on hand, but I don't think you'd be stuck somewhere for too long. In many cases a punctured tubeless tire could be patched. But the real appeal for me is that the chances of having a flat in the first place are much reduced without the inner tube.
 
Super. Yeah, that's definitely comforting. The same fix-a-flat stuff would also be a workable solution in a tubed tire. I had a tube issue a couple years back and I really wish I'd have just done that. I cost myself a lot of time by not doing it, and having a tube and tire driven to me. Some areas in the U.S. are just too far from parts. In that particular place, I was about an 8 hour drive from home, with not any major cities for at least 4-5 hours from the area. So I really am now gun-shy of being stuck somewhere. I now always fly with a spare tube for each size of tire on the plane(s). With a tubeless tire system, I'd have to consider though, do I want to carry a spare tire, or can of fix-a-flat. The latter is lighter, but, if the tire is really the issue, I would have been out of luck up in that stuck situation. However, even a tire with a decent sized hole can have a tube stuck it in and still do a job.

Tires and me have never been good friends, I guess. If I had a dollar for every boat or camper trailer tire that ever blew out on me, I'd, well, be able to probably buy a new tire. :)
 
Update: Beringer Nosewheel for -8A

I'm tired of leaking tubes on my -8A nosewheel. Solved the problem on the mains by using Michelin Airstops, but Michelin doesn't offer a 4.00-5" tube that I could find.

Considering biting the very expensive bullet and giving myself a Beringer tubeless nosewheel as a Christmas gift. A lot of info on the wheel itself is available - but can't find much on actual operational experience.

Are these things pretty much leak proof? Appreciate any comments - good or bad - from users.
 
I'm tired of leaking tubes on my -8A nosewheel. Solved the problem on the mains by using Michelin Airstops, but Michelin doesn't offer a 4.00-5" tube that I could find.

Considering biting the very expensive bullet and giving myself a Beringer tubeless nosewheel as a Christmas gift. A lot of info on the wheel itself is available - but can't find much on actual operational experience.

Are these things pretty much leak proof? Appreciate any comments - good or bad - from users.

about 75 hours on mine so far. I've added air a few times over 8 months - mostly when temp changes have affected them. Wear is great so far.
 
I don't understand the preference for Berringer wheels and brakes 'because of braided stainless steel brake lines.'

I have braided stainless steel brake lines to my Cleveland brakes. I just fabricated a bracket to hold a bulkhead flare fitting at the gear leg-axle attachment point, and transitioned from the tubular aluminum line to the flex line there. A nice loop of flex line from there to the brake caliper.
 
The bearings are sealed requiring far less maintenance and there aren't any tubes and a wide range of possible tire pressures .. 150 hours still look and feel new .. and they look great
 
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