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8.50 x 6 Tires for the PA18...Brand preference?

WindOnHisNose

BENEFACTOR
Lino Lakes MN (MY18)
I decided to replace my 8.50 x 6 tires and took a photo of the tires and sent it to the maintenance shop. The Goodyear’s lasted me 20 years, and I had no complaints. I took the old tires/wheels to have the new ones installed and when I got them today they are Michelin. My experience with Michelin auto tires has been very positive, but this sort of surprised me.

I am not interested in Desser’s. Your thoughts?

Thanks!

Randy
 
At my experience level, I personally doubt that I could tell any difference between the landing characteristics of the different brands of 8.5 tires. For me, they are kind of a commodity - just a good compromise between durability on hard surface runways and tolerance of rougher strips.
 
Desser tires are mainly made in China or Vietnam and are of a fairly low quality. Lots of warranty claims has been my experience with them.

I always try to get customers into the Goodyear Flight Special 850x6's. Zero issues and the longest lasting tires in my experience.
 
I took the old tires/wheels to have the new ones installed and when I got them today they are Michelin.


I hadn't seen - or even heard of - Michelin Aviation Tires before. Is this a recent addition to the market that I've missed - or is this as odd as I think it is? Is Michelin a practical option for aviation tires? Anybody have any experience with them - on airplanes?
 
Desser tires are mainly made in China or Vietnam and are of a fairly low quality. Lots of warranty claims has been my experience with them.

I always try to get customers into the Goodyear Flight Special 850x6's. Zero issues and the longest lasting tires in my experience.

Would this include Aero Classic tires?
 
Correct me if I am wrong (and I am sure someone will LOL} the Michelin tires used to be BF Goodrich.
 
Michelin has been making GA tires for a long time. i have one now on the nose of the Bonanza. really good tires.
 
I hadn't seen - or even heard of - Michelin Aviation Tires before. Is this a recent addition to the market that I've missed - or is this as odd as I think it is? Is Michelin a practical option for aviation tires? Anybody have any experience with them - on airplanes?

"[FONT=&quot]MICHELIN® Aircraft Tyres provide bias tires, radial tires, and tubes for aviation customers around the world, in a range of applications including commercial and regional airlines, general aviation and military aviation. Michelin technology’s working with the biggest companies and constructors in the world (Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Comac, Dassault, Embraer, Gulfstream, Hondajet, Lockheed Martin, Pilatus, Sukhoï, Textron, ...). 50 years of experience in aircraft tire production, 250 customers place their trust in us, We work alongside 90 percent of the top 20 airlines companies, Almost 50 percent of commercial aircrafts land with Michelin tires, Aviation operations in 87 countries, Over 3 million radial aircraft tires have been manufactured.Thanks to its global reputation, Michelin is internationally recognized as the No.1 tire manufacturer in the world.For over 100 years, Michelin has confronted challenges faced by the aeropace industry. It has pioneered new technology, seeking to development offerings that provide greater mobility solutions. Michelin continues to offer the best in aircraft tire innovations and safety."[/FONT]
 
Would this include Aero Classic tires?

Yes. Check the sidewall and you will find "made in China/Taiwan/Vietnam" in small letters. If you're buying "little" tires you may as well pay the extra $40 and get the Goodyear or Michelin.
 
Been years since I bought or ran an Aero Classic but that was always my tire of choice for 800 and 850x6. Round profile and gave good service. What is the issue with them?
 
Desser tires are mainly made in China or Vietnam and are of a fairly low quality. Lots of warranty claims has been my experience with them.

I always try to get customers into the Goodyear Flight Special 850x6's. Zero issues and the longest lasting tires in my experience.
cubdriver2, this is why I eliminated Desser as an option for me. I understand this may be an option for you.


Randy
 
Been years since I bought or ran an Aero Classic but that was always my tire of choice for 800 and 850x6. Round profile and gave good service. What is the issue with them?

Cracking around the bead within a year, balance issues, and they flat spot easier than the Goodyear tires. The Desser butyl rubber inner tubes also have issues with cracking around the valve stem and splitting at the seams.

The Goodyear 850's are a grand total of $41 more per tire than the Chinese made Dessers so why not? The Desser 850x6 4 ply tundra is the only one I'd recommend from them.

I shouldn't say the Desser tires have had a HUGE warranty rate, just a fairly normal one whereas I have never had to warranty a Goodyear tire. Dan from Reeves told me early on to try and sell the Goodyears and with his 40+ years of experience I took that as holy writ.
 
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Cracking around the bead within a year, balance issues, and they flat spot easier than the Goodyear tires. The Desser butyl rubber inner tubes also have issues with cracking around the valve stem and splitting at the seams.

The Goodyear 850's are a grand total of $41 more per tire than the Chinese made Dessers so why not? The Desser 850x6 4 ply tundra is the only one I'd recommend from them.

I shouldn't say the Desser tires have had a HUGE warranty rate, just a fairly normal one whereas I have never had to warranty a Goodyear tire. Dan from Reeves told me early on to try and sell the Goodyears and with his 40+ years of experience I took that as holy writ.

OK, now we are getting somewhere… sorry for the thread hijack… Can I run the Goodyear tubeless 26’s at a lower PSI? Say in the 10-12psi range?

And the GY 26’s are 6” rim, not a 10” rim
 
If you're interested, check out the wight difference and actual dimensions as there's quite a bit of variance. We had good luck with Desser retreads, but they're quite heavy as I recall. (not recommended for retractable gear as the added size can make retraction a one way street.)
 
If you're interested, check out the wight difference and actual dimensions as there's quite a bit of variance. We had good luck with Desser retreads, but they're quite heavy as I recall. (not recommended for retractable gear as the added size can make retraction a one way street.)

You guys are killing me, I was prepared for the 29” Dessers smoothies. I don’t like the idea of the 10” wheels for those though. 6” wheels gives more long term flexibility
 
OK, now we are getting somewhere… sorry for the thread hijack… Can I run the Goodyear tubeless 26’s at a lower PSI? Say in the 10-12psi range?

And the GY 26’s are 6” rim, not a 10” rim

Some thread hijack going from 850x6 to 26's and 29's but I'll bite.

Experimentally you could do whatever you wanted. I don't think the 26" Goodyears make all that soft of a tire at any pressure but I suppose you could run them that low. Once I got around to checking the 26 GY's on my J3 they were only at 5psi with tubes and didn't slip. I imagine with good brakes and an aggressive braking technique you may have problems however. Tubeless and tubed have the same issues with tires spinning on the rim. Tubeless can easily pop off bead and deflate if run at too low a pressure and the rim slips. That's why off road trucks use beadlock rims to prevent this. To run 26 GY's at 10-12psi on a heavier aircraft with good brakes and you are pushing your luck.

You have to choose between longevity on pavement and softness off airport. There are still no free lunches in tires 26" and larger.
 
I used desser 8.50x6s and never had an issue and I was probably pushing the limit with them. Know several others who have gotten good service out of them as well. I think they make a good cub tire. I now run Michelin 8.50x6s and they’re great as well. I wanted a 6 ply vs 4 ply because of my gross weight (3000 lbs). At heavy weights with heavy braking, I can get them (Michelin) to spin on the wheel a little easier than I could the dessers at the same tire pressure. If they ever wear out, I’ll buy another set of Michelins.
 
As far as manufacturing defects, the only issue I’ve had is with the aero classic 404 glider tires I’ve ordered from airframes. I’m assuming there was a bad batch. They literally came with holes in them that you could only see if you flexed them. Airframes took care of it real quick for me 👍🏼.
 
My dad has had a set on his 172 mains for 4 years now and probably 4-500 hrs. No problems. They were the same weight as the 600x6’s that came off


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Ok, hands up those who want Made in America. Would you want a tire that was made in Thailand? (Yes it's a trick question)
 
So I stand corrected. Just checked the tire rack and here's where the 850x6's are made:

Michelin: Thailand
Goodyear: Thailand
STA (Specialty Tires of America AKA Desser) Air Trac: USA

Other tire sizes like 800x6 and 700x6 have the Goodyears and Michelins made in the USA and the Desser tailwheel tires, and Airhawk lines are made overseas. To be perfectly clear, the majority of the tires I've dealt with under warranty were the Airhawk line and not the Air Trac line. Different quality levels from the same manufacturer apparently.
 
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