29" tires

[hotrod180]

A friend of mine has a Maule fitted with shaved 29" Airhawks on ABW 10" wheels.
Even shaved, the tires are pretty heavy.
I saw another Maule recently, tied down on my airport,
which was fitted with a set of 29x10 Desser Aero Classics on 10" wheels.
I know Desser 850x6 smoothies are pretty light for the size,
I assume that these 29x10's are also.
I googled them but couldn't find any specs-- anyone know what they weigh?
The Desser website did say something about "for use on Grove wheels"--
does anyone know if the STC for the 10" ABW wheels authorize use of these tires?

[stewartb]

Didn’t used to but assuming they fit? Compatibility between STCs is up to the installer.

[mvivion]

The 10 x 10 wheel is approved for 8.50 x 10 or 29 x 11 x 10 tires on the stc. The Desser smooth tire is listed as a “29 x 11 x 10” tire. To me, that constitutes approval. The fact that Desser says that tire is for use with Grove wheels? Who cares?

MTV

Edit:
I just checked the Airframes 10x10 STC. Here’s a shot of the pertinent part:

[DENNY]

When you start adding a tube to a Desser tire they tend to get heavy. A tubeless 31 inch Desser on grove 10 inch rim weight is the same as a 31inch Bushwheel on a 6 inch rim give or take a few lbs because you can have a 7 lb variance between tire/rim/brake on your basic supercub. I looked into this a few years back pretty hard and I think the tubed Desser on a Bushwheel 10 in rim was the heaviest or close to it. DENNY

[Crash, Jr.]

The ABI-1010 STC says "29x11-10 4 ply or 850x10 6 ply". The smooth tread 29x11-10 4 ply aero classic tires fall under that and are approved. They do not however weigh much different so it will still be fairly heavy.

[algonquin]

I’ve been running the 10x10’s with 29’s on my 185 for 7-8 years. They are heavy for a cub but the rim holds the tire really well and you can run much lower pressure than with the Gar Aero’s. I run them around 15-18 lbs and have heard of guys taking them down to under 10… this is only hangar talk so 15 is the lowest I’ve personally done. They wear like iron

[stewartb]

Air Hawks kill props. And they add 10# a side. Bushwheels are better at everything except durability on pavement. I’d expect Dessers to be a compromise between them. Better on props, last longer, but heavier. Pick the one that makes the best sense for your ops and your wallet, because at the end of the day, the cheaper tires require expensive new wheels.

[Formandfunction]

Another thing people don't even consider is that harder tires have less traction. You wouldn't think A smooth tire would grab but bushwheels are sticky. Only time I've lost braking was in wet grass or light snow. Classics are also a thinner tire and have more side to side wobble even at higher pressures.

[mvivion]

As Stewart implied, there is simply no direct substitute for Bushwheels.

But, some prefer not to add $10 (or ??) to every landing and takeoff, but still need SOME of the benefits larger tires afford, like higher AOA on takeoff, better prop clearance, and better absorption of bumps from larger diameter tires.

One other point: For my airplane, there is no approval on 8.50 x 6 tires. So, while I’d likely be happy with 8.50 x 6, I can’t go there….legally. And no, we don’t do field approvals here.

So, legal larger tires for me meant the Airframes 10x 10 wheels and 8.50 x 10 Tires. When I made this change, Desser didn’t offer the lighter, smooth 8.50 x 10 tire. When I wear these out….if I live long enough….I’ll likely switch to those.

The 10 inch wheels are heavy. But, I run 16 to 18 psi, and it’s surprising how much cushion these tires offer.

Id love to run Bushwheels, but I make a lot of pavement Ops, and here it’s a loooong taxi to the runway from my hangar.

Soooo…..to each his own.

MTV

[stewartb]

Radial construction was a game changer in car tires and was similar back when Bushwheels went from bias to radial construction. That’s the big reason we can run Bushwheels at low inflation without adding rolling resistance. But it also allows us to run a little more pressure and still get a bigger contact patch on the ground. When I tried Air Hawks at 10# my plane was hard to push into parking compared to Bushwheels at the same pressure. Less power to make them roll is a good thing, since easier rolling is reason #1 to use big tires. I’ve got zero experience with Dessers but would expect them to be like stepping back to bias ply Bushwheels.

I’m surprised that nobody’s developed a wheel and tire specifically for STOL contests. A tall, lightweight wheel with a hard tire that has low rolling resistance and still provides good braking on pavement.

[DENNY]

The Grove 10 inch wheel with Desser tire was pushed hard at the airshows a while back. I fell for the hype and got a set for the Cessna. Of course the STC is still not out for the 31 in tires 4 Years latter. The STC for the 10 inch wheel/brake was approved but only for 26 and 29 inch Desser tires. Grove seems to have given up on the 10 inch wheel. I have been calling for over a year and they are out with no date on when some would be available. If you wanted big tires for a pavement based aircraft I think from a weight standpoint the grove wheel/Desser tire would be good. Without the STC I was going to just put the rims and some 35 inch tires on my EX cub However due to Groves unwillingness to support the product I would advise against them at this time. Air Hawks have been the gold standard for guides flying in big winds for years. Throw them on a set of Bushwheel 10 in wheels and be happy. DENNY