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Beringer Wheels & Brakes for RV-14A Now Available

czechsix

Well Known Member
After flying and maintaining my RV-8A for almost a decade I have developed a great appreciation for anything that increases reliability and reduces time spent on maintenance tasks. To that end when I decided to build an RV-14A I started thinking about improvements that could be made during the construction process that will make my life easier once the airplane is flying. Wheels and brakes are one of the most time consuming repetitive maintenance headaches (second only to oil changes), and a flat tire away from home is a major inconvenience at best. So I spent some time researching Beringer’s wheel and brake products. Beringer has been around for over 30 years, getting their start in the motorcycle industry and began making aircraft wheels and brakes in 2002. They have developed a number of improvements and benefits compared to the traditional designs (Cleveland, Matco, and Grove) that Vans supplies with the stock kit. Here’s a list I compiled:

Tubeless tires – getting rid of the inner tube eliminates the most common source of leaks and flat tires. There’s a reason cars, motorcycles, and large aircraft quit using inner tubes decades ago. I had a flat caused by a tube failure in my -8A and of course it happened away from home and was a major pain to deal with.
Sealed wheel bearings – eliminates the messy task of cleaning and regreasing the bearings.
Lighter Weight – it’s difficult to get an exact weight comparison for the entire Beringer system vs the stock Matco & Grove components (including all fittings, brake lines, etc) but I estimate 6-10 lb weight savings based on the published data I could find. It’s evident when holding and inspecting the Beringer parts that each component has been designed to eliminate as much weight as possible.
Better quality brake pads and better braking power than the stock brakes from Vans – this should translate into longer brake pad life. As an interesting side note, when I spoke with Grove they told me they recommended a more powerful brake set than what Vans decided to include in the kit. I expect the stock brake setup on the -14A is adequate most of the time, but I once experienced significantly reduced braking performance in my -8A when they got really hot after multiple Young Eagle flights, so there are times when the stock brake performance may be marginal.
Better master cylinder design – there have been issues with the Matco & Cleveland master cylinders in RVs because a side load is applied when the brake pedals are pressed. The Beringer master cylinders use rod end bearings on both ends which eliminates any binding/side load. As an added bonus the rod ends allows the brake pedal geometry to be adjusted according to individual preference.
Anodized aluminum parts not only look nicer but are more corrosion resistant than the magnesium parts in the stock kit from Vans.
Stainless steel braided brake hose comes standard in the Beringer kits
Tapered axle makes removal and installation of the wheel much easier…no more banging on the wheel while the airplane is up on jacks, hoping it doesn’t fall off...
Cotter pin is outside of the axle nut on the Beringer design, making it much easier to remove and reinstall. No need to align the nut just perfectly while trying to get the cotter pin back in.
Axle and roller bearing design allows the axle nut to be tightened without putting excessive preload on the bearings. This is especially relevant in the nosewheel where Beringer includes an axle spacer that resolves the well-documented drawbacks of Vans’ stock setup.
• You can put the nosewheel valve cap on without interfering with the nosewheel fork.
• The Beringer main wheels can be removed without unbolting & separating the brake caliper assembly, making tire changes easier.
• The Michelin Aviator tires come already mounted and inflated, and the tires are better quality (should wear better and last longer) than the stock tires from Vans.​

Up until now Beringer has already offered wheel & brake kits for most of the RV series, but did not yet have a kit specifically for the -14A. I worked with Vans and Beringer to figure out all the parts that are needed (as well as which parts to omit from the Fuselage and Finish kit orders so you don’t take delivery of the Matco and Grove components that you won’t be using). The Beringer RV-14A kits are now available and I received mine this past week. Here’s a picture of what it looked like out of the box:

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Parts shown above comprise the Fuselage kit with pilot & copilot master cylinders (p/n SRVFU05), Finishing kit with main gear wheels & brake calipers (SRVFI04), Nosewheel kit (SRVFI01), and metric tool kit which consists of a few metric hex bits (OHT02). There are several notable differences compared to the kits for the rest of the 2-seat RV series, including:

• A new tapered axle specific to the -14A that includes the extension to support the outboard wheel pant bracket. Beringer used Vans’ 3D drawings of the stock axle so the new one should be a perfect bolt-on replacement. Note that there is a Beringer wheel available that will fit the stock Vans axle, but it is heavier and more expensive. Using the new Beringer tapered axle saves weight, allows a less expensive wheel to be used, and has maintenance benefits as I mentioned above.
• Some different AN fittings due to the different brake line fuselage pass-through design of the -14A.
• The lower fittings on the master cylinders use banjo fittings with a 20 deg sideways bend to provide better routing of the brake hoses (see picture below).
• The nosewheel kit is identical to that of the RV-10 that Vans carries (p/n U-00012 in Vans catalog).​

Beringer also offers some options that I did not purchase, including:

• Parking brake (never needed one on my RV-8A)
• ALIR anti-skid system
• Brake reservoirs that can be mounted directly on the master cylinders (I much prefer to use Vans reservoir on the firewall as it’s easier to inspect and refill, not to mention less expensive)​

If you order any of the above options there will be different/additional fittings needed to connect them. Also, if you have an RV-14 (taildragger) and want to use Beringer products, you’ll need to work with Beringer to get the correct parts. Most of the parts will be the same (excepting the nosewheel of course) but the brake line lengths may be different and the firewall pass-through fittings will also be different.

Continued below due to post size limit...
 
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RV-14A Wheels & Brakes Continued?

Here is a diagram of how I am installing the Beringer system in my RV-14A:

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Notes about the schematic:

• The Beringer catalog shows the brake lines going from the reservoir to the pilot side master cylinder first, then to the copilot side. This is arbitrary and it will work either way. Since the -14A is set up with the reservoir on the copilot side it makes more sense to use Vans’ recommended routing where the hoses go to the copilot side first.
• The Beringer fuselage kit includes two fittings (HYD-030D & HYD-024D) that serve to connect Vans reservoir to the brake hoses. I deleted these two parts from my order and plan to use a single AN826-3D tee fitting instead (the AN826 is much less expensive and I already had one).
• My schematic uses AN designations for the fuselage pass-through fittings. If you get a parts list for the kits from Beringer they use different nomenclature. So just FYI, a HYD-024D = AN816-3D and HYD-028D = AN822-3D.​

Here is a list of parts to delete when you order the Vans -14A Fuselage Kit:

• (2) Brake Mast Cyl Left-1 MATCO 4/6/7/9/10/12 and (2) Brake Mast Cyl Right-1 MATCO 4/6/7/9/10/12 $265.68
• (1) PT-062X1/4X15' HI PRES BRAKE HOSE $9.15
• (1) PT-062X1/4X9' HI PRES DUAL BRKE SYS $5.73​

And a list of parts to delete when you order the Vans -14A Finish Kit:

• (1) nosewheel U-NW501.25 $111.83
• (1) U-1009 axle $11.48
• (1) U 55-204 wheels and brakes $652.00
• (3) 5.00X5-6 6 PLY TIRE MAIN $165.00
• (3) U 5.00X5-6IT TUBE FOR 5.005-6 $125.70
• (2) U-00009 AXLE $72.44
• (4) U-405 AXLE SPACER $8.28
• (2) MS21025-20 AXLE NUTS $17.26
• (1) AT0-032X1/4X12' SOFT ALUM TUBE COIL $8.52 (part of this tubing may be for the fuel vent lines…can someone confirm?)​

Deleting the above parts from the Fuselage and Finish kits adds up to about $1500 total savings that helps offset the cost of the more expensive Beringer equipment.

Now for some more pictures of the Beringer parts for the RV-14A. Here’s the new axle:

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Continued below due to post size limit…
 
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RV-14A Wheels & Brakes Continued?

Here are a few pictures of the nose wheel with the axle and the spacer that allows the inner bearing race to be clamped between the spacer and the axle flange when the axle bolt is tightened. Very nice design!

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This picture shows how the 20 deg sideways bend in the lower banjo fittings will improve the routing of the brake hoses around the upper fittings, providing more clearance between the hoses and the pilot’s feet on the pedals:

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Here’s the whole set partially assembled…

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Other/Misc Info:

• 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-plugger-plus-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.
• For general questions or quotes you can contact Viviane Michaud (Beringer’s U.S. Sales Manager in Chicago) at [email protected] or 708-667-7891.​

I hope this information is useful and saves others the time to do all the research that I did. I will post updates here in the future when I get the brakes and wheels installed (it will be a while). I do not plan to update any of the prices listed above, so please consult Vans & Beringer for current pricing.
 
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Very thorough and well documented infomation. Thanks Mark! Planning to use these on my -14A.
 
Cost

This looks like a nice upgrade. What was the cost for a 14A?

Mark,

The standard price I was quoted for all the Beringer parts shown above is $4343. Beringer's products are originally priced in Euros so as the exchange rate fluctuates it will probably affect the price in US dollars. After you deduct the parts from the Vans fuselage and finish kits you'll be looking at a total upper of around $2800. I wish Vans included Beringer as standard equipment on the -14A because you don't get full list price credit for the Matco and Grove parts that are removed from Van's kits, otherwise the cost upper would be less.

One thing I considered doing to save some money is to use the Beringer wheels and brake calipers with the Matco master cylinders that come with the kit from Vans. This would provide the benefits of the lightweight wheels, tubeless tires, sealed bearings, tapered axles, better brake calipers, etc, but reduce cost by around $1000 compared to buying all of the master cylinder components from Beringer. If you do this you?ll need to purchase Matco?s ?intensifier kit? which is a sleeve to reduce the master cylinder bore to 0.5? for the correct hydraulic ratio to work with the Beringer calipers. Note that neither Beringer nor Matco will endorse this combination and I have not tried it to prove that it will work, but there?s no inherent reason why you can?t use master cylinders and calipers from different suppliers (Vans already does this in the stock RV-14A kit with Matco master cylinders and Grove brakes). The critical part is getting the right hydraulic ratio which Matco?s intensifier kit should provide.
 
Thanks Mark. This definitely looks like something I will try to do. I plan to order the fuselage at Oshkosh, so your list tells me which parts to omit from the kit. As of yesterday, Beringer does not list a kit for the RV-14, unless I missed it on their website. I'm sure your contact will be able to help me get the right parts when the time comes. Thanks for blazing the trail.
 
Part

hi Mark,
What is in the plastic container above the stainless wire in you last picture? it looks to have a dark label that I can't make out,
thank you
Darin
 
hi Mark,
What is in the plastic container above the stainless wire in you last picture? it looks to have a dark label that I can't make out,
thank you
Darin

That's the Metric Tool Kit. I removed the three metric bits that were inside the box and you can see them sitting on top of it.
 
Thanx

Thank you Mark,
I likewise have the complete Beringer setup for the 14A, but with the parking brake. I didn't have a need for metric tools and so hadn't seen the tool kit.

I did make one mistake..., we ordered the wheel caps, in our neck of the woods we will often remove the wheel pants in the winter to avoid issues with snow/slush and ice filling the pants. The thought was to "finish off" the wheels with the hub caps in the winter. Given the cool new axles with the integrated wheel pant support, they will of course be of little use, they simply won't fit.

Not the end of the world, my mistake and the axle is a work of art !

-Darin
 
Those are some beautiful components that Beringer produces!


This may have been mentioned in other Beringer threads before, but keep an eye on the hardware that secures the brake disc keys to the wheel (the hex-head cap screws around the inboard wheel-half OD, that hold the stainless tabs [keys] that the brake disc contacts). In both the military and certified worlds, I've found these loose and/or missing before. Especially if you do a lot of full-stop/taxi-back ops like the Young Eagles flights that czechsix mentioned in the first post, or short-field ops with a lot of brake usage; the thermal cycling can cause that hardware to loosen over time.
 
Thanks Mark!

Incredible write-up; detailed, informative and easy to understand. Thanks for all the great information. I too, wish that Vans would offer a full Beringer package for the RV-10. I'm leaning that way, but would like the price difference to come down.
 
Beringer and Rv10

Hey everyone,

Beringer now has Rv10 complete main wheels and brake kit available. I just received mine a couple of weeks ago, but haven't had time to install, so I cannot give a write up or report.

I can say I installed the Beringer nose wheel on my 7a and totally eliminated my flats and low tire. After 565 hours on my Rv10, all with the Beringer nose wheel, no tire problems there either. Can't wait to get the main wheels and brakes installed on my 10.

Kenny Gene
Wichita Kansas Area
Rv7a AWC 9-07 690 hours sold 11-11
Rv10 AWC 10-10 565 hours
 
Mark,

The standard price I was quoted for all the Beringer parts shown above is $4343.

Can you provide a listing of the parts that you purchased from Beringer that were included for the $4343 for the RV14A Beringer wheels and brakes upgrades?

I have tried to get Viviane to provide a listing but all she can produce is 5 or 6 separate all inclusive listings for different packages for the 14, and they all total up to about $8042. She apparently is not too familiar with your specific order even though I emailed her the VAF link to your threads.
 
Parts List

Can you provide a listing of the parts that you purchased from Beringer that were included for the $4343 for the RV14A Beringer wheels and brakes upgrades?

I have tried to get Viviane to provide a listing but all she can produce is 5 or 6 separate all inclusive listings for different packages for the 14, and they all total up to about $8042. She apparently is not too familiar with your specific order even though I emailed her the VAF link to your threads.

Jeff,

I worked with both Viviane and Claire at Beringer to put together the order, and noticed this evening that the final parts list came from Claire, so maybe Viviane didn't have the latest list. I emailed it to her this evening so it should be all sorted out now.

You can see below pictures of the parts list and prices in my quote. This is exactly what I received with the exception of the aformentioned fittings (1 ea. HYD-030D & HYD-024D) that I deleted from my order (planning to use my own AN826-3D Tee fitting for the reservoir connection). If you're getting the parking brake, reservoirs, and/or ALIR anti-lock system then the parts count and price will be higher than what is shown below, but even with those options it shouldn't be anywhere near $8042!

bHZA6xxWYfLcGeVer-gtQswsjlSjNkPp1c8kpRLcPxouJ3uJrzLjElAwbfU9aYKj8A5Gc8Ig7cu1PNKHshHHqGn4v9nF5BKlpW8kd1SkSRyOybd2VL0srjdV3jAsrBIZDA9Zrr_WeDl2zUyqBYF6xQSDIJyAWyWzgOmhWN9JNgzaTxOqBCONk_SUIE-aBKAtMsaq8pZoN3DNV1fNZa51pZ-pZVmdoJLnX1nNWTYFY9Y8ADSZ6NPs3sItSdkyywdnWGxpaydfBeFC6tQw-Brjapp2G5D-ub-LL_cYeXuDXCV-ksO1fs_aqnKEaZwzhyUwRmbEnV4CLqbbnIqRk40cQmS7hgywlchY8oq_E4-WWF8FuiH0VjVw9hmWIuStXq6hix2A66atlvv7JMDjRn5R7VN8ne2EIFi9owAaxg3bTAsZxeCwdMdptwdE8fS2Cuig7EmNPdEmLhWvDEj3A-JC8EhaLdnzERBAKbv_fC8XUHn4nYIoUv6ALxlfNpJIVaza3KLabgHJXgMhVXjww7oQ-E-ZzIB5tMPj3_sjxAipF0ukava97MYOomSSe7igNyndge-bIPyIYOpBsasZiN49Yw4Okpq9Kz8=w688-h895-no


MVsDdsyHZMQ2M-aLeQD2-I6UkTEqOxkLYxqNH1PzQ7RLo88KuTdvXe4uEPV0IHo5AGuTmChPuxf0FXa7uN9M8fNGsjT4OwW-ZtSmzymYzUq2CJtRix3hw6f3t5ajeYXox4YnY0h3QFeNTNUaZroczs8HMCHP1G52WuCI6aUt4Ru-XDJ50uKl3mlFnnRQql2rNZtOGUAtMcms80ZolJ6jawDSIDssurAk36K39FPKGXG-y4M5DvyOfEm6wuD9_N59NUxME1GfG_aGyjIWMPEuL_5U2XjLMOQj5K-3VLiA4xwzTc3jD2kfyNtgiN-yAG_8fylrm5b_CYaqx-Zjai6pXrlb34jEHuXrqdEVcWrKkfgcbkkxGYJL42RZziI399tI0xP3fwOYe6QpnC16ebkeTHlPoVXKeafnsRO7QFxAD_3hKs61sRrd5IZF2Ohy-qY5jQSE-f9GlRfttba24jPE_Vmm9gZNa96bhXyj5jf6IBlsTQc7smXqifI4mOPAb3DKykhBWIWpxf6jWYzr8-TlryuNn9gOBBF4sCHp6snP9QQc-Nl6xsMZCnJKg4_1_lyhH4-il-Q3rHqyZ04uIBg8RCCAt2-o_ug=w708-h895-no


Hope this helps,
 
Thanks for the clarification.

After I got into the Beringer listings it got a little clearer, and as usual most of the misunderstanding was because I wasn't connecting the dots that were already there.

Going with the flow for the deletions from Van's kits (your list) and will adjust as necessary when the time comes.
 
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RV14 Beringer Brakes

We've been working with a few RV14 builders on the Beringer Brake conversion. Both RV14 and 14A. Having has several conversations with Vivaine, and Claire and a long phone conversation with a 14 builder, we came up with this cabin brake hose package. Its prototype, based on or stock Vans hose package, but modified for use with the crimped banjo hose ends to connect to the master cylinders and the calipers. At this time, they havent been mounted, but they should fit well. The crimped banjo hose ends are 2 versions, one a 20* side bend, and the other a 20* forward bend. This gives (in theory) alittle more clearance around the master cylinders over a reusable hose end.
Notice the caliper mounting is different than what you normally see. It is also going to change the length of the gear leg hose, and that is to be determined. I'm not sure if all the wheel pants hardware is going to clear with the caliper in this postion, but from the client mockups, he states it will. I plan to visit him shortly to see this for myself.

On another note, we know of a RV8 builder that has Grove Gundrilled gear legs, that was having issues with this caliper mounting location. It was covering the fluid exit port on the bottom of the gear leg. We are working with Beringer to see about fixing this issue, so we can make connecting hoses for the calipers, like on the Grove and Matco installations.

Once we verify the fit of all of this, Steve and I will release cabin hose packages for the 14 and the 14A. We have a project to install the parking brake valve AND an antiskid valve, so all of this will take some planning.

Tom


RV14%20cabin%20brake%20hoses_zpsjfocqqk0.jpg


http://i1316.photobucket.com/albums/t620/tsflightlines/RV14 offset banjo fittings_zpskzspr6vz.jpg

http://i1316.photobucket.com/albums/t620/tsflightlines/RV14 Final_Position_zpsiyeuoxxf.jpg
 
Beringer Installation & Maintenance Manual now available for RV series

Beringer now has a nice manual for installing and maintaining their wheels and brakes on the RV series. Lots of good info in it.

See http://www.beringer-aero.com/file/brg_kits/99/k_fichier/0_van-s-installation-manual.pdf

Someone told me the above link wasn't working for them, here's another that appears to bring up the same document:

http://www.beringer-aero.com/en/file/brg_procedures/21/proc_fichier/van-s-install-maint-manual.pdf
 
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Mark,
Thank you for the very useful post. I was just starting to research the deletions for my Finishing Kit when I found it. I saw a 14 at the Synergy Air tent at OSH last year that had the Beringer kit and spoke with the builder who was very happy with it. Beautiful system.
I ordered the complete kit with parking brake at OSH 2019. List price was $5531 and they were offering a 10% OSH discount so I paid $4978. Now if I had just been that proactive about ordering my Lycoming...

I noticed both links above for the Installation and Maintenance manual were no longer working but found an updated one: https://www.beringer-aero.com/sites/beringer-aero.com/files/page/342/brg-mm-00214a.pdf
 
Mark,
Thank you for the very useful post. I was just starting to research the deletions for my Finishing Kit when I found it. I saw a 14 at the Synergy Air tent at OSH last year that had the Beringer kit and spoke with the builder who was very happy with it. Beautiful system.
I ordered the complete kit with parking brake at OSH 2019. List price was $5531 and they were offering a 10% OSH discount so I paid $4978. Now if I had just been that proactive about ordering my Lycoming...

I noticed both links above for the Installation and Maintenance manual were no longer working but found an updated one: https://www.beringer-aero.com/sites/beringer-aero.com/files/page/342/brg-mm-00214a.pdf

John and all,

The Beringer kit has proven to be a popular upgrade option.

We have a special package set up with Beringer where we are able to sell the complete Beringer kit but remove the "Do it yourself" brake lines that they typically include as standard. That allows us to issue a credit for those which offsets most of the cost of our pre built/ pressure tested brake hoses.

Also, we are now an OEM provider to Beringer. They offer our pre built lines as an option on some of their packages. We are working to expand this to other aircraft configurations that they support.

If anyone has any Beringer specific questions, please feel free to reach out to Tom or I.
Have a great weekend, and enjoy the build!!!!

Steve
 
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