Blown tires

I'm getting ready to purchase a 2006 RV-7A and after reviewing the logs, the previous owner seems to have a high number of tire wear/blow outs. Its not one tire, but all seem to be replaced at different times. Seems like he gets about ~150 hours to a tire replacement and brake liners. Is that unusual? Hard landings with the tires, or incorrect build?

Michaelpk3 said:

I'm getting ready to purchase a 2006 RV-7A and after reviewing the logs, the previous owner seems to have a high number of tire wear/blow outs. Its not one tire, but all seem to be replaced at different times. Seems like he gets about ~150 hours to a tire replacement and brake liners. Is that unusual? Hard landings with the tires, or incorrect build?

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You can figure out if the build is right or not. Do however check for a dragging brake. I had the brake puck O ring roll on one side and it trashed a tire and that side brake linings in just a few hours.

Maybe he just uses bad tires and is hard on them.

Carl

Actual blow out? Or tire wear? 150hrs between changes are not uncommon for the nose gear RVs. Depends on how heavy footed the pilot is on landing.
Remember the brakes are used for steering, so will wear out faster than some other models of A/C.
Regular changing of the nose tire is good practice, insurance.
It's a good idea to change out the o-rings in the calipers every 500hrs or so to avoid any brake contamination, or worse, issues later.
One very easy test for wheel alignment issues is to pull the plane around, both forwards & backwards, if it rolls easily in both directions, it is pretty much built straight. If you do this on a nice epoxy hangar floor, you'll get a real squeal if things aren't in line. This will also be an indicator for proper wheel bearing preload.

Actual flat tires are usually caused by tire pressure that is too low. A "blow out" is an unusual event.

As stated previously, replacement due to wear every 150 hrs could be occurring if the pilot is over-using the brakes or is landing with the plane not aligned with the runway. And, some pilots will tolerate more wear than others before feeling the tire needs replacement. Many of us will "flip" a tire to wear both sides of the tread, others will replace a tire if it looks slightly worn. The tires on my RV-6 are "slicks" by the time they are replaced....

You need more details before a good judgment can be made about tire replacements.

The owner might also be replacing them when they show wear on one side, opting not to "flip" them as most of us do. If that's the case, then 150 hours per tire is not bad.

my experience

After 30 years of owning Cessna's and a Grumman and never having a flat tire, 10 years ago I completed construction of an RV7a. In the last 10 years I have had 4 flat main tires on landing. I put about 100 hours a year on the RV7a and change tires about every 200-250 hours. I never "flip" a tire. I do change brake pads every year whether they need it or not. I put 45 lbs tire pressure in each main. Just my experience.

I've been flying my RV 10 1/2 years, 945 on the hobbs and have never had a flat tire. 6 years as an A model & 3 1/2 as a TW.
In fact, I'm still using the original tubes from the kit.

I used to replace the brakes quite often early on, but since it's a TW, I can't remember when I replaced the brakes last.

Oh, I do flip my tires and I seem to replace them more often than others have reported.

I made a landing during my lesson last month in a Piper and the instructor made me stop and check if the tires were still ok. I guess I need a few more lessons!

On the 9A I am building, the tubes have leaked since I filled them up 2 years ago. I will be ordering new tires and tubes before I make my first flight. I want to up-size them a bit anyway.

rockwoodrv9 said:

I made a landing during my lesson last month in a Piper and the instructor made me stop and check if the tires were still ok. I guess I need a few more lessons!.

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Yep I knew mine was a bad one when I was still on freq after leaving the area- and the locals came up on CTAF talking about "that Skyhawk..."

Mine leak air more than I like and I den 35 lbs in them. 100 hrs and i think I will get 2 to 3 hundred out of them in my 7. I get 1400 or with my Husky on 26 inch goodyears but its a different animal all together