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Tire pressure monitors

bpattonsoa

Well Known Member
I did a VAF search on tire pressure monitors and found two threads on subject, one in 2010 and the other in 2013. Since things change quickly in the device world, I thought it was time to bring it up again.

My RV-10, despite its air stop tubes, has to be blown up every couple of months. I know you just look at the tires, but with the pants and large tires, the difference between 45 and 30 is not huge. It is definitely much harder to move with low tires, but most of the time my flying is not pre-planned trips and discovering the tires need air delays things a good half hour or more and the passengers are not impressed.

Range for me is not a big issue since my bedroom is 40' from the airplane. I am going to balance my tires this annual in two months, so weight is not a big issue. Not intefering with non moving parts inside the pants is obviously critical. Buying different tubes would not be an issue since my current Airstops leak, (The ones I had on my --6A didn't.)

So any ideas, experience or suggestions??
 
I'm tempted to try these things, but all the ones I see look huuuuuge compared to the standard valve cap, and I don't think they'll fit given how close the valve is to the inside of the wheel itself (on a stock wheel).

Anybody try one that fits and works?
 
forgive my ignorance

I have not yet put my -10 on gear, nor fitted the wheel pants to her.

My pressure recovery wheel pants (all 3)on my 6A have spring-loaded hinge doors about 1-1/2" square through which I can access the valve stems readily. Airing tires takes just a minute. The hardest part is rolling the plane to the spot where the stem is in the "doorway" for each wheel.

Why is this not standard practice on the -10? Do you really have to remove the pants to air the tires? Surely there must be a work-around.
 
Friday night exercise routine.

There should be a location on the pants where a1/2" hole is not an issue. A 1/4 inch drive with a socket takes the valve stem cap off quick and easy. Then a 6 " flex line extension spins on to allow filling. Reverse the order and you are done in less than 5 minutes for both mains. Try using nitrogen vs air.
 
I did not say I have to remove pants to air the tires. The -10 has huge pants and with a straight stem as provided in the kit, you have to remove the front half to add air. I don't.

My pants have a 1 1/2" snap in cover, the tires a big red paint dot that lines up the stem with the opening when it is down, the tube is a 45 degree stem so it is horizontal, and an inflator with a 10" long extension and it is still a pita to add air.

I just want to monitor the inflation pressure easily so I can add air at my leisure, not under time pressure!
 
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I did not say I have to remove pants to air the tires. The -10 has huge pants and with a straight stem as provided in the kit, you have to remove the front half to add air. I don't.

My pants have a 1 1/2" snap in cover, the tires a big red paint dot that lines up the stem with the opening when it is down, the tube is a 45 degree stem so it is horizontal, and an inflator with a 10" long extension and it is still a pita to add air.

I just want to monitor the inflation pressure easily so I can add air at my leisure, not under time pressure!

Which I agree would be a nice thing to be able to do.

Unfortunately, as on most all forums, if you ask about X, you'll get all sorts of responses that do everything but actually answer your question. These threads are filled with examples.
 
Car?

I was wondering if the toyota TPS system can be made to work? The coding cant be that tough and the sensors are small enough
 
As car tires are tubeless the sensors are inside the tire, where these are on the outside because of tubes being used. It will be interesting to hear how these motorcycle types work out.
 
Interested to hear how they work. The older tech only activated when the wheels were in motion, so a leak-in-flight- was not detectable.

Please post a pirep when tested.

I'd be not very concerned with that capability...it's more the ability to monitor the pressure on a sort of continuous basis, over weeks/months, and note if it's low enough to do whatever it takes to access the tire and fill it up.
 
wheel chocks

I realize that the OP wants to monitor the tire pressure from his bedroom:), but I thought I'd throw this out anyway. A pair of properly or accidentally constructed U shaped wheel chocks act like a tire pressure gauge. Mine are PVC pipe. If they "hang" when you are removing them, then it is time to add air.
 
I got the Accutire pressure system and opened it up. Looks good and is easy to set up. It is not installed on the plane yet as I am worried about the weight of the caps that screw onto the stem of the tube. These things are pretty big measuring 1 inch tall with the diameter of a quarter. The G's that these things will put on the stems going from zero to 70 mph in an instant and then rolling down the runway at high small tire speeds has me concerned that I will just eventually shear the stems off. The kit comes with lead weights to help balance the tire if needed.

I think I will just put these on my motorcycle and for now wait until we discover something a little better for the plane....waiting patiently for that day!!!

Meanwhile I better get to church, gotta get married today!...again. :)
 
Motorcycle TPS

I just ordered this yesterday to see if it would work.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/162705306876

The caps look huge and I have my doubts but I'm going for it anyway. I will let you know as soon as I see the results. Ed

I'm curious how you will: "...just program factory tire pressure into the caps and place caps on valve stems." Do they send you an operational program to download to your computer, and then you have to plug the sensor into your computer to receive the programing? Please update the list with what you find out / discover. thx.

Doug

RV-3A sold
RV-9A Mazda 13B / FWF (on hold)
 
Maybe someday someone will design a circuit that is imbedded into the tubes which measures the pressure and transmits it out.

Should be possible now.
 
Tubes

Maybe someday someone will design a circuit that is imbedded into the tubes which measures the pressure and transmits it out.

Should be possible now.

I would switch to tubeless tires if I could get a system like my F-150 has..
 
speaking of tubeless...

I recently restored a prehistoric Kolb Twinstar Mk I. The project came with a new set of spun aluminum one piece 6x6 wheels & brakes; the rims are shaped much like car wheels with smaller diameter center area to allow mounting the tire the same way a car tire is mounted. A friend scrounged a discarded pair of 6x6 Airhawks off a Citabria for me. (More or less 'tundra' on the Twinstar...) I mounted them without the tubes, aired them up, and there's no sign of them losing air over the last 6 months.

The mating surfaces of Cleveland wheels are pretty smooth/consistent; I wonder what would happen if they were assembled with a little gasket sealant...

Charlie
 
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