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Beringer poll for -14A guys...

Which wheel/brake configuration did you select?

  • Stock Van's setup (mains & nosewheel)

    Votes: 10 32.3%
  • Stock Van's mains and Beringer nosewheel

    Votes: 9 29.0%
  • Complete Beringer setup (mains & nosewheel)

    Votes: 12 38.7%

  • Total voters
    31
  • Poll closed .

kbalch

Well Known Member
I've hemmed and hawed long enough on this decision, so please indulge one last go 'round of opinion solicitation.

If you're building (or have built) a -14A and have passed the wheel/brake decision point, please indicate your choice in the attached poll.

Thanks for the input! :)
 
I don't have a dog in this fight but...

A friend had the Beringer mains and brakes and loved them. Right up until he had a failure while on a trip. Had he stayed "stock", the A&P on the field where he was stranded had the parts he needed. As it turned out, he had to wait for parts to be overnighted and he was traveling on a weekend.

Just another concern.
 
I would like to know what makes Beringer the cats meow?
And how much more money+labor does it take to hear the cat?
Finally, 14A vs. 14 ... ? .... tri vs. bi... does it matter regarding brake brand?

Ber looks pretty, but my stock brand seem to meow good when I apply...
I remember reading the price was steep....
thanks
H
 
Missing a great option

The poll is missing another option you should consider:
"Stock Mains and Nosegear with aftermarket nosegear axle"

I went with the stock mains and nosegear but replaced the axle with a Matco Axle. I put the Beringer nosewheel on one of my RV-7A. The Beringer wheel worked as advertised, however the Matco axle upgrade with Van's stock setup is much more economical with equivalent performance. The Matco Axle let's you install the nosewheel with very little rolling resistance on the wheel. I don't see much of an advantage of spending the extra money on Beringer unless running tubeless wheels/tires is important to you.
 
I don't have a dog in this fight but...

A friend had the Beringer mains and brakes and loved them. Right up until he had a failure while on a trip. Had he stayed "stock", the A&P on the field where he was stranded had the parts he needed. As it turned out, he had to wait for parts to be overnighted and he was traveling on a weekend.

Just another concern.

Metric fasteners don't help either. As appealing as the light weight is the metric thing would be a dealbreaker for me... how many metric fasteners are on your plane?
 
I am about to install my Beringer wheels/brakes. Not that many parts that are likely to break that I can see. And it wouldn't be hard to keep extras of those few parts in the aircraft. All that said, this is one of those areas where it's just a matter of choice and none of them are "bad".

All in all, I'm very impressed with the quality and the lightness of the Beringer stuff, and with custom lines from Tom as TS Flightlines, it's saving me some time and work.
 
The poll is missing another option you should consider:
"Stock Mains and Nosegear with aftermarket nosegear axle"

I went with the stock mains and nosegear but replaced the axle with a Matco Axle. I put the Beringer nosewheel on one of my RV-7A. The Beringer wheel worked as advertised, however the Matco axle upgrade with Van's stock setup is much more economical with equivalent performance. The Matco Axle let's you install the nosewheel with very little rolling resistance on the wheel. I don't see much of an advantage of spending the extra money on Beringer unless running tubeless wheels/tires is important to you.

Hey Jared,

That makes a lot of sense to me. Now that you mention it, I recall reading about those Matco axles awhile back, but had entirely forgotten about the option. Thanks for the reminder!

Metric fasteners don't help either. As appealing as the light weight is the metric thing would be a dealbreaker for me... how many metric fasteners are on your plane?

Hi Randy,

Good to see another of the guys from the "old" days still around. :)

Fair point on the metric fasteners. I have plenty of metric tools around (to say nothing of Whitworth, though that's another story...), but don't want to carry a second set of wrenches, sockets, etc. in the plane.

I think I'll go with the stock setup all around, substituting the Matco nosewheel axle and upgraded tires & tubes. That should do nicely.
 
I would like to know what makes Beringer the cats meow?

For my list of reasons, see http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=138426&highlight=beringer

Metric fasteners don't help either. As appealing as the light weight is the metric thing would be a dealbreaker for me... how many metric fasteners are on your plane?

Three small metric bits that fit in the palm of your hand is all you need...the big bolts that hold on the axle and brake master cylinders are still AN hardware. If you're one of the few people that doesn't already have metric tools to work on your car, motorcycle, etc, Beringer sells the three bits in a small kit that you can throw in the airplane.
 
Thank you Mark.....
I saw the price savings deleting kit items, ballpark price for the Beringer(14)?

H
 
We used the stock system which came with the upgraded nose gear axel. We then upgraded the main gear with the Antisplat (VAF advertiser) bearing modification. Same results at a much lower cost.
 
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