I had a new set of tires put on at my last annual. They are Air Hawks 6:00 x 6. I noticed that the profile on the tire was rubbing against the mud scraper. It's worn a small hole in the mud scraper.
I was worried about the mud scraper not to mention the undue wear on the tire.
My A&P and I pulled the pants off today and it looks like the Air Hawk has a square versus round profile. (We don't recall what tire make was on here when we pulled them off two months ago.)
Anyone else had this problem? What tire are you using that allows you to keep the pants on (the airplane wheel pants that is )?
We looked at the Air Trac and they seem to be more rounded. We'll try that but wanted to hear from you before installing. Will these work? Any other tire styles that you've had success with from a fit perspective?
Appreciate the comments.
Kyle
54 B N1932C
57 BMW Isetta
Best original 170B - Dearborn, MI 2005
I had a similar problem. My Air Hawk 6.00 x 6 tires were too "fat" and I couldn't get the wheel pants on. I never bothered to look closely at the profile. I bought a set of Goodyear Flight Custom IIIs and they worked. I've thought about using the Classic tires from Desser but don't know if they'd work out or not. I also noticed that the Air Hawks tend to "bulge" out more on the sides than others. There's not much clearance in there, so it's imprtant to get tires that fit properly. One hard landing and you've got tires rubbing the sides of the pant.
I'd like something more original looking, but the Goodyears allow me to get my pants on. (no "panty" comments from the peanut gallery out there )
Another thing I've noticed is that no two wheel pants are "exactly" the same. In looking at various Cessna wheel pants, I've noticed some variation in consistency with respect to how the two halves of the wheel pants are joined together. I think wheel pant construction at Cessna was given to the rookies. I know a number of people run the Air Hawks and also use wheel pants. I think my problem may have been a combination of tire dimension and wheel pant dimension. Maybe yours is too?
I have been using McCreary air trac [8.00] and haven't had any clearance problem.
John
John Hess
Past President 2018-2021 President 2016-2018, TIC170A Vice President 2014-2016, TIC170A Director 2005-2014, TIC170A N3833V Flying for Fun '67 XLH 900 Harley Sportster EAA Chapter 390 Pres since 2006 K3KNT
I've run into several cases of members who've experienced tire "dragging" with their scrapers while using inexpensive McCreary (Specialty Tire) tires. This is not confined to our 170s either. I believe the less expensive tire lines do not conform well to specifications due to less fabric/more flexibility in their construction. I believe they expand more than the Goodyears do after they've been installed a while. (The 414/421 aircraft simply will not tolerate cheap tires due to interference. Only the Goodyear Aviator series will work consistently trouble-free.)
Having said that, I operated my 170B with cheap "Aero-Trainer" tires by McCreary just fine, and my present set of Desser "Classics" also work well, but I did have to adjust my left scraper to avoid sidewall "whine" during high-speed turnoffs. (Remember when we put playing cards on the fenders of our bicycles with clothes-pins to get that sound? That's what my Desser Classics sounded like in a left turn as the diamond pattern rubbed my scraper. A minor adjustment cured it, ...but I thought I'd report it.)
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention. An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons.
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(no "panty" comments from the peanut gallery out there 
)
I know a number of people run the Air Hawks and also use wheel pants. I think my problem may have been a combination of tire dimension and wheel pant dimension. Maybe yours is too?
