The International Cessna^® 170 Association

I will need to replace my main tires soon and was interested on some thoughts on which brand/line give the most bang for the buck. You can find prices from $44 for retreads on up. Also, my plane had 600-6 plys on when I got it. Is there any advantage to these over the 4 plys that were the standard tires?

Keith

I believe 6.00-6 4-ply are what the 170's are certified with. 6-ply tires would be a modification. Not that anyone would care or even notice.
For the weight, 4-ply should be more than adequate; 6-ply just adds weight.
I do like to buy a good brand like Goodyear or such, just because I trust the quality. I admit, I have never heard of a problem with any of the brands, so long as they are maintained and replaced when necessary.

I've used McCrearys for the last 25 years or so and have never had any problem with them. I rotate them once to even out the wear and replace them when the first area of tread wears down to about 1/16" or I see any weather checking cracks. They usually last 6 to 8 years.

I used Desser retreads the first 5 or so years and didn't have any problems with them but they are heavier and sometimes look funny. I only used retreads because they were cheaper. When I could afford new tires I bought them.

I think Goodyears and Michelins have harder rubber that wears better but after 6 to 8 years any of them are old enough to change. Good tires and brakes are cheap insurance. IMHO

I have used McCreary for many years on various airplanes, but they have never lastes as long as Goodyears/Michelins which are certainly higher quality. This is especially evident on some aircraft that are sensitive to tire "growth". (This is when a tire, usually an inexpensive one, "grows" and flexes excessively. This is a real problem on some aircraft like 400 series Cessnas. A cheap tire in some installations will conflict/interfere with wheel wells, landing gear and other adjacent structure like wheel pants etc.)
I presently have Desser Tire "Aero Classics" on my 170, in 600 X 6 and they've been installed now for 4 years. They show no sign of wear at all. I expect them to continue in good service for some time (lacking any calamitous event.) Desser will give you the tube if you order via Internet.
Always replace the tube when you replace the tire. Desser also includes "tire talc" which should be dusted inside the tire to prevent the tube from chafeing. Do not breathe the talc.
Great time to inspect wheels for scratches, gouges, cracks, and thru-bolts for corrosion, and bearings for water-marks, rust, etc. and re-grease them.

I have the michellin aviators in 700X6 4ply. I have a gazillion landings on them, well actually a little over a thousand. I feel the will probably dry out before they wear out.

I went to a maintenance seminar where a Michellin rep spoke and said that the Condor tires are made at the same plant to the same specs as the other Michellin tires. They cost a lot less and I have had very good ware out of them. Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for the input, guys. BTW, I checked the Desser web site and the only size they are offering a free tube with right now is a 5:00-5.
Keith

I've used the cheapest McCrearys and best Michelins. The cost per landing is the same. I use the good tires to reduce the frequency of replacement.

Miles

I think the Goodyear Flight Custom III have the best looks with only two tread grooves and lots of edge rubber.

hilltop170 wrote:I think the Goodyear Flight Custom III have the best looks with only two tread grooves and lots of edge rubber.

Agreed, and they last a very long time.

Just as a somewhat related item, I checked several sources for US mfg'd tailwheel tires & tubes. Desser does have McCreary tires, while the others I checked didn't carry any other US mfg'd brands. None of them carried US mfg'd tubes. All Chinese mfg'd as have been the ones I have used for several yrs.

For those who have to park outside (hangers at KPAO are >$1100/month!) a set of tire covers works nicely to protect tires from sun abuse. Bruce's Custom Covers (and others) sell them and I'm happy with their product. I've also seem some homebuilt jobs that were made of plywood and doubled as chocks.

A lot of the guys up here in Alaska who have expensive 30" Airstreak or 29" or 31" Bushwheel tundra tires use Age Master rubber protectant on their tires to keep them from cracking due to ozone and weathering.

Age Master is actually made for de-icer boots on high performance aircraft but works just as well on tires.

I used it every year for 10 years on my 30" Airstreaks and they never cracked. Guys who didn't use it had cracks in a couple of years.

The stuff is as thin as water and you brush it on with a bristle paint brush, one coat a year worked for Alaska, maybe two coats/year down south. One can will almost last a lifetime if you don't spill it.

Aircraft supply houses carry it.

It was not mentioned in the thread, but one of them Aviation Consumer operations ran a series of tire tests a couple of years ago and bottom line was: The inexpensive (did I say Cheap?? )Desser Monster re-treads out performed/outlasted all comers including Goodyear, Michelin, McCreary, Condor. Don't use 'em myself, but em's the facts. I would use 'em, but don't want the weight and being 67 years old, predjudiced against re-treads on anything. As in ya just don't know the history . If my a/c was a tri-cycle gear, might reconsider the Monsters.
chuck

I'm surprised this thread never mentioned the idea that retreads can last longer than the original tires because the tire carcass and the tread can be cured differently. Curing the tread in a way that can't be done when it's part of the tire yields a harder, more durable rubber -- or so I've heard. Anybody have any actual facts on that?

John