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x4 tires for J3, whats everyone using?

IainR

FRIEND
Underberg, South Africa
Hi all, just wondering what x4 tires everyone is using on their cubs? The good the bad and the ugly please!
 
"Everybody" is using 8:00x4 Goodrich, from Desser. As far as I can tell, that is in fact your only option for a 4" wheel.
 
I’ve just looked at the Desser site and there’s no stock of these tires. Is there really no other option? I really need to replace my tires soon!!
 
Just checked Wag Aero and Aircraft Spruce and they are both out of stock. Bad time to be still running 4" wheels on a cub.
 
Try Desser, and then try Univair ($100 more per tire, but if you need them . . .)
Maybe we can get Robbie Grove to stock them. He caters to Cubs.
 
I might have a set of used tires. I am away for a couple weeks, if you still need them I can take pictures and see if you want them. idk how much weathering may be on them. My understanding is that they have only been on grass. I found them in the hangar of a deceased friend. He never tossed anything away, so I honestly don't know if they are good or not. They are still on the wheels. Please pm me if you think that you might be interested.
larry
 
Glenn, that is an unusual ad. Did Barnstormers do the red annotation? How did they find out he was a scammer?

I've seen Barnstormers do that fairly often. Leave the name up and everything. I've never heard of any fallout from that.
 
I upgraded to Air Hawk 8 x 6. The are heftier than the 8 x 4s and do quite well on unimproved fields. From a cost perspective not only are the 8 x 4s expensive and tough to get, the tubes are just as worse. The Air Hawks are a bargain compared to that. The Dresser Smooth "Tundra" style tires are also a consideration and work very well.
 
Just make sure you check vendors stock when ordering: There are recent reports [April 2021] of many popular "cub" sizes out of stock. It's not clear if it's just Desser/Specialty Tires. Consider Goodyear or Michelin as alternative, plus they're better tires.

Thanks. cubscout
 
If it means helping a fellow pilot out, and you are grounded due to unairworthy tires, I have some new old stock 800X4 tires for my Clipper. It won't be flying for at least a year, so I could offer them up if you want to buy or return when tires are available again.
 
Sad. When you remove 800x4's from a J-3 for larger wheels, you no longer have a J-3.

Is a rose by any other name not still a rose?

I'll have to break the news to my J3 that's it's no longer a classic plane because I'm not chasing leaks on old expander tubes.
 
Negative. Youre the one who called it a J-3.
In saying I'm going to have to tell my J3 it's no longer a J3 you called it a J3 and therefore admitted it's still a J3!!!

You fell for one of the classic blunders!
 
A J-3 not a J-3? Well, my PA-11 Cub Special self-identifies as a PA-18-95 most of the time. S/he/it gets a bit confused when playing in the Land of Big Tires and CCs on PKs. Pronouns are HMBAWT and WTF.
 
A J-3 not a J-3? Well, my PA-11 Cub Special self-identifies as a PA-18-95 most of the time. S/he/it gets a bit confused when playing in the Land of Big Tires and CCs on PKs. Pronouns are HMBAWT and WTF.

What's behind the windshield tells the whole story
/\ or V

Glenn
 
Sad. When you remove 800x4's from a J-3 for larger wheels, you no longer have a J-3.

I disagree.
You could say the same thing about installing a radio (or even using a handheld),
an intercom, or any number of other "mods".
Even using modern spark plugs & oil.
Or anything other than 73 octane aviation fuel circa 1938.
 
Looks like we need to ask Goodyear to do another run on tires. They only do it every few years when demand is up. I agree, anything other than the 800x4 tire doesn’t look right. Especially with Cleveland wheels and brakes, fugly IMO.
 
THANK YOU everybody for the offers and entertainment :)

I lucked in with a UK company called Watts Tyres who had literally just reeceived a shipment that morning and it contained 2 x 8.00x4 GoodYears, I had to wait for them to be booked in before they could be shipped!! Pretty expensive at £275 each + VAT and shipping, but brand new and I'm happy to have them on and be flying.......... AFTER the fun and games in swopping them over!!! The first one took about half a day, as I only learned the secret of getting the tube off and on the wheel after about 2.5 hours of struggling!!! The second one took about 2 hours from the start of wheel removal to putting the split (cotter) pin back into the axle nut.

The secret someone whispered in my ear was to put some air back into the tube after deflating it to break the tyre beads. I then put enough air back in the tube so it became a fairly firm doughnut and the wheel was easily pulled and slid right out - HOORAY!!!! I could then fully deflate the tube and ease it out of the old tyres. Did exactly the same when the (talcum powdered) tube was in the new tyres and the wheel slipped right in!! Hopefully this will help someone else avoid the frustration I faced!! :)
 
I'm assuming you also upgraded your wheels to do this?

I upgraded to Air Hawk 8 x 6. The are heftier than the 8 x 4s and do quite well on unimproved fields. From a cost perspective not only are the 8 x 4s expensive and tough to get, the tubes are just as worse. The Air Hawks are a bargain compared to that. The Dresser Smooth "Tundra" style tires are also a consideration and work very well.
 
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