I decided this spring that I wanted a pair of some new Tundra Tires that had just come on the market about a year or so ago. They basically were just the casing of a tire without the tread, but were 22 inches tall, and without the tread part they were pretty soft and would give me a better chance of landing in unimproved areas of this country.
I bit the bullet and bought the tires, tubes and a new set of rims from the company that makes the Hydraulic Brakes that I currently have on the plane. I bought the new rims because they were thicker and made with a "spun" process rather than the "stamped" method. These were supposed to be thicker and would be better suited to drilling holes to screw the tire to the rim. This would allow me to run a lot less air in the tires, giving a softer ride without spinning the tire on the rim, which shears the valve core off.
I finally got my new rims from Matco Brakes that I ordered last month. They were out of stock and they had to make a new batch. They arrived last night.
This morning dawned clear, calm but 22 degrees. I waited until the temps got up to the low 40's before I began the project.
I first rolled the plane out and set up a camera so that I could see the Air Speed indicator. My main interest was how much speed I would lose with the bigger tire. So I took off and flew several different directions with and against the wind then landed. I decided to land at the last minute and was quite a bit too high to get to the ground before my runway gave out, so not having flaps, I "slipped" the plane to a better altitude so that I could land. For those who do not fly, a "slip" is cross controls, and uses the side surface of the plane to drop altitude without speeding up or "mushing" to the ground. ( a mush is slowing the plane to just above a stall while dropping out of the sky) Slips are easier.) It is full right rudder and full left down aileron. The speed stays the same, but altitude is shed very quickly.
I then began the process of mounting the tires and putting them on the plane. It raised the plane up about 2.5 inches higher. The added height allows me to get into the air quicker. I secured the tires to the rims with screws so that the tire wouldn't slip on the rim with low pressure in the tire. The tires then act like shock absorbers, allowing me to land in rougher areas.
I flew again, and found that there was no apparent reduction in speed. That makes me happy. Now if I could just get some decent weather.
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